This manifests itself from time to time in various “incidents” that seem to have the indigenous population cast as the wrongdoers.

This time the culprits are said to be the city of Southampton’s taxi drivers, or more specifically, Southampton’s English speaking taxi drivers.

British Gazette readers will be familiar with the situation that one hails a cab and then has difficulty explaining where one’s intended destination to the driver due to language problems. Of course this used to mean difficulties when abroad – as we Brits are notorious for our lack of foreign language skills. Many who have been in that perplexing situation will have remember also that many helpful taxi drivers and shops put up signs stating, “English spoken here.” And many will be the time that readers will have been very glad to see this!

Well it seems that the splendid taxi drivers of Southampton have taken up this idea and have placed such signs in their cabs, thus avoiding the problems of trying to explain to some drivers using sign language.

Of course these helpful men have come in for criticism from the usual suspects. The Labour Party/Trades Union funded “ant-racist” campaigners.

It could only happen here.