You could be forgiven for thinking that politicians might be well-spoken and generally diplomatic. But that doesn’t seem to have been the image that one high profile former conservative MP launched into a verbal outburst when given a ride by a taxi driver in London.
David Mellor, a former Cabinet Minister, got into a taxi with his partner following a special event at Buckingham Palace, only to become embroiled in a verbal battle with the driver over the fastest way to their destination in East London.
Mellor belittles taxi driving profession
In an uncanny echo of ‘Plebgate’ things quickly became heated between the former minister and the driver. As the argument escalated, Mellor reportedly called the taxi driver names and used a string of expletives directed at the driver. More insulting to the taxi driving profession as a whole though, the former politician went on to say, “you’ve been driving a cab for 10 years, I’ve been in the cabinet, I’m an award-winning broadcaster, I’m a Queens Counsel. You think that your experiences are anything compared to mine?”
Unknown to Mellor, the whole rant was recorded on a mobile phone, and promptly found its way to the newsdesk of The Sun.
In the recording, Mellor goes on to accuse the driver of ruining his wife’s day, and threatens to name him on his radio show that he co-presents with Ken Livingstone. When later confronted by the newspaper over the incident, Mr Mellor commented that, “this man seriously provoked me and ruined a wonderful day.”
Is image important?
Commenting on the story, Mick Cash, the general secretary of the RMT said, “driving a taxi in London is hard enough without having some pumped-up, pompous former Tory minister telling you how to do your job.”
But is this a case of, as Cash goes on, “the political elite’s sheer contempt for the working class,” or is it more indicative of the general population’s attitudes towards taxi drivers?
One could go on to question whether it matters what people think, but image can be very important for a public facing trade such as taxi driving. In particular, an overall image of the trade may have a significant effect on the overall cost of taxi insurance. A positive image is also highly important at a time when taxi drivers’ patches are being increasingly encroached upon by ridesharing apps such as Uber.