Comments on: Oxford city council: every cab must have a CCTV to record riders' conversations

By: Gilbert Wham

Gilbert Wham — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:44:00 +0000

I dunno, taxi-drivers are a pretty militant bunch when their livelihoods are deprecated, or at least our lot are. I’ve seen ‘em blockade the railway station when the council tried to quadruple the fees for being able to use the pickup ranks there (it costs a LOT to run a taxi, you need to pull in at least a grand a week before you start earning money for, you know, food and stuff, and that’s minicabs, not hacks). Who’s going to bear the brunt of installing these things? Presumably not the Council. Cos if it’s the cab-firms, I’d love to see them band together and pull service for a couple of days. That ought to sort matters out pretty sharpish.

By: Marko Raos

Marko Raos — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:03:00 +0000

I’m sure Stalin would think twice about installing such a measure. Wtf is wrong with the world these days?

By: girdyerloins

girdyerloins — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:38:00 +0000

This is too rich and the comedic possibilities are too numerous to go into here, but holding farting and belching contests while using sign language in reverse could be used to great effect. The purpose, naturally, would be to inundate the video archives of the police with such a superabundance of tripe, that they would eventually abandon the idea as unworkable. I imagine that “suspected” crimes would need to be cross-referenced according to the date on which the infraction occured, with the corresponding video and vehicle.
Oh, to be a fly on that wall, when our uniformed protectors discover that parody and satire cannot be legislated. Heck, I can see a day when Oxford residents take up mime……
And what about theatrical makeup? Or, like that enterprising driver in Germany, years ago, who wore the pig mask to stymie the red light camera at the intersection?
Rise, oh citizens of Oxford!!! Make those uniformed clowns earn their keep!!!

By: AirPillo

AirPillo — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:43:00 +0000

You know I would let them have that one without a fight if they agreed that every politician is to have all of their conversations recorded for public review, just in case one of them engages in improper dealings.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:17:00 +0000

I’d sure hate for every fart I produced during the course of my work day to be part of the public record.

I’d take that as a challenge.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:58:00 +0000

Maher shalal hash baz

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:56:00 +0000

Those are BRAIN farts. Totally different.

By: Guest

Guest — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:29:00 +0000

I don’t know about that, it doesn’t seem to slow you down around here :P

By: Guest

Guest — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:28:00 +0000

The idea that peoples’ words should be recorded when they are in public places “just in case,” is really troubling,

It’s not just really troubling, it’s really pathetic. Hungry for power over people much, Oxford?

By: Thebes

Thebes — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Apparently Orwell was an optimist.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:34:00 +0000

“Taxicab Emissions”?

By: Mister44

Mister44 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:12:00 +0000

Dude… you have unwittingly just came up with the premise of the next most watched reality show.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Do they record the cabbies even when there isn’t a passenger on board? I’d sure hate for every fart I produced during the course of my work day to be part of the public record.

By: oldtaku

oldtaku — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:33:00 +0000

‘just in case someone committed a crime.’

On Knifecrime Island, everyone is a criminal!

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:53:00 +0000

What I don’t understand is how councilmembers 1.) come up with such a bad idea, and 2.) why they think it’s necessary. It really takes an amazing lack of sense and propriety to think your community is in need of such authoritarian measures.

What’s the background to this measure? Is it the fever-dream of a handful of locals? Or, perhaps, is this an idea quietly handed-down to Oxford from much higher-up, as a test?

By: muffler

muffler — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:25:00 +0000

Allow me to start with the point that the Department of Pre-Crime is in full operation. Second someone on the Oxford City Council has stock or an in with the manufactures of the systems needed. People of Oxford… at what point does your fear of each other trump your liberty? One day – likely soon – you might be arrested for what was a misunderstood joke said in the privacy of a friendly conversation in taxi. You might even be accidentally hurt in this arrest based on no evidence at all.

By: mrclamo

mrclamo — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:09:00 +0000

It’s not all bad news; I hear the choco ration is going up.

By: Mister44

Mister44 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:57:00 +0000

“Taxi Cab Conffessions: Oxford”

“Man arrested in taxi cab after disparaging Prince Harry, claiming he, ‘didn’t like the cut of his jib.’”

By: Oliver Schmieding

Oliver Schmieding — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:49:00 +0000

i fully expect all potential oxfordian evildoers to cry “woe betide! my evil plans are thwarted!”
and change their criminal ways as soon as they hear about this cunning trap.

as a matter of fact, this stratagem will replace my current personal favorite piece of advanced crimefighting tactics:
the “do you plan to assassinate the president – tick one Y/N/MAYBE”
questionnaire that you have to answer before you are allowed to set foot on american soil.

By: Rezeya Montecore

Rezeya Montecore — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:29:00 +0000

Really? Have you not seen what they do to the people who don’t? “Ignore them for as long as humanly possible” is the BEST response you get.

By: scav

scav — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:52:00 +0000

This is just stupid. It will waste money and time, and it is extremely unlikely to result in any useful evidence being gathered because who the fuck discusses their crimes in the back of a cab anyway? There’s ALWAYS a witness right there in the front seat.

The only possible benefit will be to provide video evidence of crimes taking place in the taxis themselves. This may be a few fare-dodgers and drunk people taking a dump on the floor (seriously, I know of one guy who did that, but not in Oxford), and the occasional assault on a taxi driver. It will be interesting to see what the drivers think of this.

By: angusm

angusm — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:49:00 +0000

You bleeding-heart liberals, always whining about liberties. I just hope that the day that the first nuclear-armed pedophile terrorist, riding through Oxford with a suitcase full of cocaine and severed heads, is arrested as a result of this program, you’ll have the grace to admit that you were wrong.

By: zeiche

zeiche — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:37:00 +0000

Okay, what’s fair is fair. Recording devices should then be set up in all of the city councelmember’s offices, just in case they do something illegal. As you know the risk of intrusion into private conversations has to be balanced against the interests of public safety.

By: Chauncey Scott

Chauncey Scott — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:28:00 +0000

England, land of the free, home of the brav……..Oh wait, that’s supposed to be America. But I’m sure we are right behind them.

By: Crispian

Crispian — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Of course it’s troubling. But how is it any different from the laws that require ISPs to preserve records of our internet habits. Or the case now in the US Supreme Court about whether police can attach a GPS to vehicles (potentially without a warrant) because the roads are public spaces. In principle, this taxi law is no different. It comes down to whether there is an expectation of privacy.

By: Riz Day

Riz Day — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Ever seen Morse? Oxford is full of murderers.

By: bcsizemo

bcsizemo — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:22:00 +0000

While I’m sure there is a power/money play somewhere in this, a part of me almost thinks the government is trying to act out the fantasy cop shows they see on TV. This seems right up the alley for the likes of Law and Order (I would say CSI, but they would be using a government satellite to record you and it would have perfect clarity and audio.)

By: awjt

awjt — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:17:00 +0000

I truly don’t understand why people put up with this kind of nonsense.

By: etherist

etherist — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Maybe I don’t understand English humor as well as I’d like. This is a joke, right?

By: Josh Witten

Josh Witten — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:12:00 +0000

The obvious response is for everyone, whilst riding in cabs in Oxford, to do nothing but read clearly enunciated, creative commons licensed, erotic fan-fiction of only the most interesting varieties – if only so our dedicated police detectives do not become bored while searching for “clues”.