Comments on: Holborn Station and Sousveillance

By: Video of Holborn tube guard sparks Twitter campaign for his dismissal | Richard Hartley

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:16:29 +0000

[...] topic on Twitter, where many have called for Ian's instant sacking. Is this virtual lynch mob fair?Blogger Terence Eden thinks not."I hope that "Ian" doesn't lose his job – I hope that he realises what an arse he has been and [...]

By: Cotossul

Cotossul — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:04:25 +0000

The worker had no right to say the things he said, but anyone knows why the elder man was asked to go upstairs and talk to the police?
I thing that MAYBE we would be in a position to judge IF we heard the argument from the beginning.

By: Neil Hastings

Neil Hastings — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:35:20 +0000

The elderly gentleman is well inside the train and Ian Morbin is physically separated from him and is walking away when he makes his ‘…under the train’ comment. So I don’t believe Mr Morbin actually intended to throw anyone under a train. More important than the verbal insults and threats issuing from Mr. Morbin’s foul mouth are his physical actions. Mr. Morbin got in front of the TfL victim and almost tried to physically block his way. This is only a short step from resorting to physical violence and that, I believe is why Mr. Morbin should be sacked. Perhaps with a sincere public apology and some basic training in manners he could be re-integrated into the TfL as part of their public relations department.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:52:10 +0000

As someone who witnessed the build up to this event, I can say that the tube worked was simply being a bully and that the passenger did nothing to deserve such a verbal beating.

As future Olympic hosts one can only wonder what this has done to the UK’s reputation for fairness and tolerance, as copies of this video are shown on news channels around the world.

IMHO, as a customer facing organisation the Tube worker should be sacked with immediate effect.

By: Neil Hastings

Neil Hastings — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:28:26 +0000

The education lobby often says “A well educated society is a polite society.” The implication being that you don’t go around being aggressive when you’re not a dolt.

This is a classic example of an individual experiencing high stress caused by low intelligence. It’s obvious that the guard is not suitable for work in the public arena.

The guard should consider himself lucky that he didn’t threaten and insult a similarly intellectually endowed dolt, especially a gun-toting one. However, the guard’s basic instincts would likely have intervened, thus prevented him from hurling abuse and threats through fear of retribution from a person of like aggressiveness.

By: Denny

Denny — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:34:54 +0000

You appear to be watching a different video clip to the one I’m watching – where the ‘under a train’ remark clearly comes before the doors close, let alone before the train leaves the station. In fact, in the video I’m watching, we don’t even see the doors close or the train leave – but we do hear that remark.

By: Simon

Simon — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:26:36 +0000

He doesn’t threaten to chuck him under a train. It is a comment he makes after the train pulls out. Get it right.
And from the look of it he was just observing until he started telling the customer to keave the station. Maybe the customer insulted the woman.

By: Denny

Denny — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:58:27 +0000

Much as Ciaran, I think that although you’re right that witch-hunts are a bit uncool, this TfL employee wasn’t just a little bit out of line – a customer behaving in the same way _would_ have been cause for the BTP to be called.

I honestly think ‘gross misconduct’ would be a fair description of the recorded behaviour from anyone whose job description includes ‘customer-facing’ or ‘dealing with the public’ – which platform staff do, every day.

By: Video of Holborn tube guard sparks Twitter campaign for his dismissal | Twitter News - Twimmer.com

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:14:17 +0000

[...] on Twitter, where many have called for Ian’s instant sacking. Is this virtual lynch mob fair?Blogger Terence Eden thinks not.“I hope that “Ian” doesn’t lose his job – I hope that he realises what an [...]

By: Tweets that mention Holborn Station and Sousveillance – Terence Eden's Blog -- Topsy.com

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:43 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Terence Eden and Ben Smith, Sam England. Sam England said: I think this guy has the right take on the Holborn tube guard incident http://bit.ly/1Ur09G [...]

By: Ciarán

Ciarán — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:45:06 +0000

I can understand your misgivings about a virtual witch-hunt, and also think that people should be polite because that’s the best way to treat people. But let’s just turn this on its head:

20-something man with long hair, wearing leather gloves, starts screaming abuse at middle-aged TFL member of staff, who remains calm. Long-haired man eventually threatens to chuck gent under a train. TFL’s response? He’d be arrested & preosecuted in an instant (there are posters all over the tube highlighting this fact).

If TFL wish to protect their staff from abusive/agressive customers they have to do the same to protect customers from out-of-line members of staff.

By: Mark Pack

Mark Pack — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:24:25 +0000

Although I agree there should be follow up to Ian Tomlinson’s death, I think you over-egg the point when you say, “no officer gets punished / the rule aren’t changed – it’s all been for naught.”. Even if no-one does get punished, in practice I think the police’s attitude towards how to police demonstrations has been thrown up in the air and is likely to be different in future.