The Staines massive aren’t that much of letter writers then 
everton: That is fucking classic. 
I know a certain girlies life which would be improved by the presence of a certain Irishman being in Britain…
They haven’t got any opinions either, apparently.
You’re undoubtedly right, but I’m fairly sure that I saw one in a field near where I live only last week or so, and it’s moved on now. It looked like the one I’ve mentioned already, though a brief glance from a hundred-odd yards away falls some way short of proof. I’ll hazard my own guess that the tail-end of winter is an odd time to go holiday-making, so I’m guessing it’s what you might call the real McCoy.
Norfolk’s probably more horse-friendly than most of the country, what with not being heavily urbanised and, famously, flat.
What do gypsies do for a living (insofar as it’s possible or reasonable to sum up a whole people in a sentence or two)?
Kal, I hate to continue the hijack further and should probably ask this in a separate thread, but:
Out of interest, who pays for the provision of these services. It’s my understanding that travellers do not pay council tax, or water rates. I would appreciate if you could correct me on this.
Malacandra: Traditionally, those who travel do scrap dealing, fruit picking, building work, metal work, etc.
However, there are a high percentage of Romani people who are settled - either living on permanent sites or houses (more Romani people are settled then are on the road in the UK, IIRC - It’s kinda hard to tell because the government doesn’t count us settled ones as ‘Gypsies’, you won’t even see us listed on census forms*) They may do any kind of job that other settled folk do.
Ian Hancock, a British Rom who is now a professor at the University of Texas, used to work as a paint sprayer. I know of at least one Traveller girl who is studying law. My dad was a lorry driver, a shunter at some London Transport depot, all kinds of jobs. Okay, he robbed post offices too, but…
Basically, Romani people are just that - people. They have hopes and dreams and aspirations, just like evrybody else.
Gary: Travellers on Local Authority sites, private sites and their own land pay for the services provided. Those who live on illegal sites don’t pay anything because they don’t get anything.
It costs Local Authorites more money to evict Travellers from illegal sites and (as I linked to above) even their own land then it would to provide official sites for them.
One example of how this all works is that privately owned site. The council spent thousands going to court and then evicting them from the land they bloody owned. Then, because they’ve been evicted from their land, they are now homeless. The council has a duty to provide housing for homeless people.
From here:
I’ll run that by you again: A group of Travelling families buy an existing caravan site. Long, drawn out court battle over planning permission starts. Eventually, the council wins and starts tearing the site down and evicting the residents. The families are now homeless. The council has to provide the now homeless families accommodation. You see how fucking stupid that is?
I should also mention that the law is pretty fucked up. In this country, it’s not illegal to travel. It is, however, illegal to stop.
*On census and equal opportunity forms , I get pissed off and put myself down as Indian - Other.
See, it’s a busman’s holiday. All his work had to do with travelling - some of it very fast …
The gavvers thought he was the Black Panther, y’know.
and not Dick Turpin?
Compared to my dad, Dick Turpin was a fine, upstanding member of society. Shit, compared to my dad, the Krays were fine, upstanding members of society.
Actually, I think the Krays were part Romani. Grandad had the surname Lee, used to be a boxer at fairgrounds.
Ah, here you go.
From here:
I used to have a superb local … this was some time ago now. Reading about Kal’s dad reminds me of some of the characters back then. One in particular was the worst, most unlucky, most ineffectual criminal you could possibly imagine, and - whever he was released from Her Majesty’s pleasure - he used to enjoy telling tales of just how bad he was.
One of my favourites was when some old friends of his recruited him as the getaway driver for … a post office snatch. They supplied the (stolen) car, all he had to do was drive extremely fast to the ‘changeover’ point. Which he did.
Unfortunately they were chased and, even more unfortunately, he’d forgotten to put any petrol in the tank … they came to an undignified halt (according to him) in the middle of Wandsworth Bridge) with the Old Bill right up their exhaust pipe. He told the story much better than I do …
One of the best stories I remember about my dad was the time he’d turned over some shop.
Anyway, he’s nicked for it a couple of weeks later and the case goes to court.
Some gavver goes to the witness stand and says that he chased my dad over the Co-op roof. He knew it was my dad because it was lit up there and he’s seen my dad quite clearly in the lights.
So then they call forward this other witness, some old fella.
Unfortunately for the coppers, he said that my dad couldn’t have been on the roof. He was busy at the time, what with hiding in an alley with his arm across the old guy’s throat, telling him that if he tried to call for help then he’d do him.
They threw the case out and gave the gavver a bollocking for telling porkies.
Oh, this will probably get me into trouble, but help me lord I can’t but ask.
Kal, don’t you find it at all contradictory that first you complain that travellers are a much maligned breed cruelly moved on by the rest of society - and then you go onto a story about your dad robbing a shop and threatening an old man with violence?
Why’s it contradictory?
My dad wasn’t a very nice bloke, but that has nothing at all to do with him being Romani.
If someone has read this thread and the fact that I’ve mentioned my dad broke the law proves to them that -
Then fuck 'em. Because none of the other stuff I’ve posted would have changed their minds about that anyway.
Like I said, we’re people just like you. Most of us are law abiding, a small number ain’t.
Here’s an article about crime amongst the Travelling community. Seems to show that the crime rate is around the national average. I think one of my other cites mentioned crime statistics too.
Reindeer.
Also, Gary:
They’re your words, not mine.
Looking back through this thread, I feel that I’ve kept the emotive rhetoric to a bare minimum. This I’ve done by posting facts, backed up by cites.
If you feel my responding to ignorant statements - that when backed at all are only backed with anecdotes - is complaining saddens me.
Saddens me so much, in fact, that I was unable to write a coherent_final sentence for my last post.
Ah reindeers, me and my big mouth. Sorry Kal, really didn’t meant to sadden you or get your back up, just thought it funny.