http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Big Yellow-Bellied Taxi en Wed, 13 May 2026 03:38:24 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60621 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000 minus six 60621@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>curious as to what bearing the potential financial demise of a particular team might have on a taxi driver's attitude</em></p> <p>Rangers are the establishment team in Scotland. A bit like the dynamo teams in the DDR / USSR, favoured by the Stasi. </p> <p>Typically supported by weak-minded peepil who are able to bask in the reflected glory of success, year in year out.</p> <p>Taxi drivers, in my prejudicial view, are aspirational siding-with-their-oppressor types, much like the peepil described above. </p> <p>The glory days are over for the peepil, and a big huge empty void is appearing. Where conferred success used to continually drip feed their sense of self esteem, the lack of which is now manifesting in an increased intolerance to shared space on Scotland's roads.</p> <p>Thats my theory, anyway. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60618 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:27:52 +0000 mgj 60618@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@anth, on the origins of Scottish football clubs, I'd recommend Alan Lugton's The Making of Hibernian vol1. Hibernian was a football club formed in the Cowgate by a catholic priest to keep some of his young men out of trouble/the pub, and gave little Ireland in the Cowgate a focus. At the time, thousands of the Irish diaspora lived in Edinburgh. As the first catholic club, they were major fund raisers across Scotland for working class and catholic causes, particularly after their first Scottish cup win in 1887. The west of Scotland catholic hierarchy was not pleased that this was not under their control, and created Celtic, who wear Hibs old colours (strips were donated to them for the early games) and illegally tapped up most of the cup winning side. Hibs went bust and were reformed as a non-sectarian side, although still have that link back, in the symbol of the harp and colours. However, despite what Paul McBride QC may have claimed, there is not a sectarian issue at the club now, with booing of both halves of the Old Firm in equal measure (in fact I think that there is more disdain for the plastic paddies than the current buns). Threats to move to Aberdeen and Dundee in the early 1900's due to local authority intransigence were met by the creation of teams in those cities (Aberdeen and Utd). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60605 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:06:36 +0000 minus six 60605@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Must go and try and find out again why Dundee United are known as the Arabs.</em></p> <p>Back in the seventies, when there was no undersoil heating, Dundee United groundsmen used to cover their pitch with sand so the games could go ahead despite hard frost in sub zero temps. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60597 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:48:09 +0000 wingpig 60597@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote><em>"Might be covered by my post above yours - in a non-specific/logical sense."</em></blockquote></p> <p>I got sidetracked by the terminology. Seeing as that at least seems to be sorted, why do taxi drivers support a particular football team over another? Is that why taxis are generally painted black, so that they don't display their colour-signalled team affiliation, losing the custom of those who support a different team to taxi drivers? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60596 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:45:36 +0000 chdot 60596@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"but was curious as to what bearing the potential financial demise of a particular team might have on a taxi driver's attitude"</p> <p>Might be covered by my post above yours - in a non-specific/logical sense. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60595 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:44:20 +0000 Uberuce 60595@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You know, I never really thought about the level of cognitive dissonance it must take to be anti-English but pro-Union. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60594 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:41:53 +0000 chdot 60594@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Not sure that "want to be" covers it, but you are in the right ballpark...</p> <p>There is also the word British involved somewhere. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60592 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:38:38 +0000 wingpig 60592@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>So, Celtic and Hibs want to be Irish whereas Rangers want to be English?</p> <p>I realise that logic has no place in ball-based team sports (particularly when they involve religion too) but was curious as to what bearing the potential financial demise of a particular team might have on a taxi driver's attitude. I generally try and tune out whenever people at work chat about sport but have noticed the increase in mentions of 'HMRC' during association football-themed conversations rather than in the context of report creation and data retrieval. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60591 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:37:03 +0000 chdot 60591@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Still doesn't explain why ..."</p> <p>I think you are looking for logic where it doesn't exist. </p> <p>The words tradition and prejudice come to mind - not aimed at any team or political or religious or national feelings/beliefs/sensibilities/etc. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60590 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:33:29 +0000 Roibeard 60590@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Still doesn't explain why Rangers fans like the royal family seeing as our current royal family are Greek/German, not Irish.</em></p> <p>I think you might mean "British" rather than "Irish"...</p> <p>And oddly enough the aforementioned Irish battle was between an Englishman and a Dutchman, and the Rangers fans might have cheered for the Dutchman then...</p> <p>Sometimes it dawns on me just what a peculiar place is the (9 county) province of Ulster!</p> <p>Robert </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60589 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:29:34 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 60589@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@wingpig, you're trying to ascribe logic to this... There are actually some Rangers fans who support England as a way of proving their unionist ideals. Pretty sure the red, white and blue colours matching the Union Flag are not an accident either. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60588 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:28:04 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 60588@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Ireland = Celtic, and to a lesser extent Hibs. Roman Cathoic beginnings, I think set up by Irish immigrants (hence the name in the case of <em>Hibernian</em>), but I might be wrong about that. I <em>think</em> when Celtic were set up they were originally called Glasgow Hibernian, but I mgiht be wrong about that). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60587 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:26:34 +0000 wingpig 60587@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Aha. Association football fans want their team to be king. I thought it would be something like that.</p> <p>Still doesn't explain why Rangers fans like the royal family seeing as our current royal family are Greek/German, not Irish, Dutch or French. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60584 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:19:23 +0000 Instography 60584@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If you imagine each Old Firm game as a re-enactment of the Battle of the Boyne, all will become clear. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60581 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:12:19 +0000 wingpig 60581@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote><em>"Why are fans of a particular Scottish association football team particularly keen on Ireland?"</em></blockquote></p> <p>Which ones is that? I assume it's not because they all have fond memories of going on holiday there as a child? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60578 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:07:04 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 60578@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Why are fans of a particular Scottish association football team particularly keen on Ireland?</p> <p>Why are fans of a particular Scottish association football team particularly keen on sheep?</p> <p>Must go and try and find out again why Dundee United are known as the Arabs... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60577 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:05:00 +0000 wingpig 60577@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Why are fans of a particular Scottish association football team particularly keen on the monarchy, assuming that it's not to do with the extra public holidays last year and this year? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60575 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:58:35 +0000 minus six 60575@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>What is an hun in this context?</em></p> <p>The most popular interpretation is one of association.</p> <p>Rangers fans are royalists, and the British royal family are of germanic descent, from Saxony. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60574 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:55:06 +0000 Uberuce 60574@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Just to contrast, the taxi driver I most closely interacted with this morning was a proper gent or lady; anticipated me turning right at Balgreen roundabout and not only gave plenty of room to do so but tanked for me round it and thence along to turning left for Gyley lands. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60563 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:22:44 +0000 wingpig 60563@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What is an hun in this context? I thought it was just a wartime term for the Germans. I was wearing a white T-shirt, if that might have somehow caused the taxi driver to assume my support of any particular association football team (assuming that there's not some subtle code employed by association football supporters to transmit their affiliations through their road positioning). Yellow/black gloves, though. And a red frame. Grey shorts, which I thought would have been safe. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60558 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:01:17 +0000 minus six 60558@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@anth - Your scenario ignores the big tax case... which is apt, as the administrators and the media are also ignoring it. Liquidation is an absolute certainty. </p> <p>(Apologies for hijacking the thread, but hey, most taxi drivers are embittered huns, so there is a tenuous relevance) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60545 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:22:01 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 60545@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I think that fear should be assuaged at the moment. The club will survive to the summer with the wage cuts accepted by the players, and come the summer Rangers can then get decent transfer fees for them which can go to the debts.</p> <p>Means they'll have to play kids, or bring in free transfers without big wage demands, but also means they will start the following SPL season.</p> <p>Back OT, the taxi driver sounds an utter numpty. And clearly, so very obviously, avoiding having to speak to you. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60544 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:10:29 +0000 minus six 60544@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It might sound tenuous, but I'm convinced that the impending demise and liquidation of Rangers FC is causing some motoring individuals to amplify their on-road prejudices, considerably.</p> <p>When the club does go under, I expect carnage on the road for a few weeks thereafter. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60502 Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:21:29 +0000 LaidBack 60502@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That sounds like the guy who almost left hooked me going down Candlemaker Row.<br /> Big yellow bellied taxi man will belly ache about the price of fuel but be quite prepared to drive around aimlessly harassing other road users.</p> <p>He will also reserve the right to pick up a fare anyplace he sees fit. This could be in the middle of a pedestrian phase of lights. </p> <p>Luckily not all taxi drivers are like him. Some have even been known to let other road users (including cyclists) out at a junction! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5657#post-60493 Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:23:46 +0000 wingpig 60493@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Black cab SK11 ZFB appears to have some issues and is probably best avoided, though if anyone sees it around if you could drop me a note of its permit number I'll append it to my complaint.</p> <p>I'd just gone over the north MMW exit junction, picking a large gap in traffic from Teviot Place to merge into. There were parked cars and so on on Forrest Road so only enough width for one column of traffic, with a bus a few things ahead of me which no-one was getting past, and a red light beyond the bus. It must have been a #2 as it went down Candlemaker Row, whilst I checked behind me and moved right ready to head down Chambers St. As I waited for a gap in the oncoming traffic a voice shouted something along the lines of "see you fornicating Onanists oan yir bikes" as the taxi sped past. Intrigued, I decided to follow, seeing as the light at the Missoni was red and there was sufficient oncoming traffic to prevent me from turning for a bit. Just as I hove to two vehicles behind the taxi it suddenly U-turned to head back south, allowing me to determine that there was no visible passenger. I followed, one car behind, but was held back by pedestrians crossing at the museum's pelican. The light to South bridge was red so the offending vehicle swerved intemperately down and along Guthrie Street, with some considerable squealing and revving as it turned west at the bottom. It shot up Candlemaker Row some distance ahead of me, so I doubled back and went up Victoria Street to see if it was heading back up G4Br as had been its original intent, but could not see it when I emerged. </p>