cjp
Member
Done their market research?No Romanians amongst them, they're all British. Strange how they all turn up just before the rush hour starts!
Done their market research?No Romanians amongst them, they're all British. Strange how they all turn up just before the rush hour starts!
Something that has increased since the EU free movement - even some smaller suburban stations and shopping areas now have beggars.
I am accepting of homeless people, sitting with a cup with a sign or playing an instrument (they're harmless) I have and will continue to report (if I can) aggressive, rude and damn right piss takers to the BTP or local officers if I feel need because that sort of begging is what the Vagrancy act should be used for to get the worst of the worst off the streets
One of my regular week's work involves a couple of days of 0300ish starts before edging through to 0700ish. It's interesting that it I walk through the city centre at 0300, there are no beggars there. By about 0600 they're setting up with their blankets and everything, and by about 0730 they're asking the commuters for money for a hot drink as they've been there all night and it's freezing.
No Romanians amongst them, they're all British. Strange how they all turn up just before the rush hour starts!
There used to be a regular in Manchester years ago.Strange how they all turn up just before the rush hour starts!
Polish?? And what’s India got to do with it? Most beggars are British or IrishMany moons ago when I was in India a fellow traveller gave me a useful tip - when a beggar asks for money (invariably in English) ask them, in Polish, "do you speak Polish ?". Worked a treat.
I don't know if I have been lucky, or just look like I have no money, but I seem to have missed the massed ranks of beggars at Sheffield and Doncaster stations mentioned earlier.
government spending as %age of GDP higher now than many years of labours 1997-2010 governmentHave you heard of Occam's razor? This is nine years of austerity doing exactly what it was intended to do!
government spending as %age of GDP higher now than many years of labours 1997-2010 government
That reminds me of a story about C. S. Lewis, who was asked for money from a beggar while walking with his friend, and after giving him some scolded by the friend, who told him the man was just "going to waste it on ale." To this Lewis replied, "That's what I was going to do with it."There's a picture out there of a fellow sitting on a pavement somewhere with a sign "Need money for beer, pot and hooker. Hey, at least I'm not B***S****ing you!". I'd be inclined to contribute just for his honesty.....
Of course, that was a time where the economy was less healthy... 2010 was very close to the through of the recession. If government spending had not gone down from then there would be something very wrong.That was at a time when the economy was healthier. UK government spending has fallen from around 45% of GDP in 2010 to 38% now (source: https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5326/economics/government-spending/)
Polish?? And what’s India got to do with it? Most beggars are British or Irish
In response to the incident at Victoria, which shook me, I tried to volunteer at a homeless shelter. In another positive sign, they are over-subscibed with volunteers. I will find another way.
There used to be a regular in Manchester years ago. At the end of his "working" day he would drive home in his Ford XR3.
I suspect it is a combination of austerity, expensive rents and some of the horrible synthetic drugs that seem to be flooding the market. Whatever the cause, a civilised society should always rail against homelessness and many homeless beg. I am not saying give money to beggars, but do feel free to get very angry indeed that homelessness has gone up massively recently and do feel free to do something about it.
In response to the incident at Victoria, which shook me, I tried to volunteer at a homeless shelter. In another positive sign, they are over-subscibed with volunteers. I will find another way.
I'm surprised that Belgium hasn't sent them back to the UK. /irony/ They must be British seeing as homelessness is a problem unique to this country caused by our current government's policies. /ironyoff/There where quite a few drunks and homeless people at Bussels Midi when I was there over the weekend.
30 years ago I was living in North London. There was often a beggar lying on the floor outside the Angel (Islington) tube station. I felt sorry for him. Then one weekend I went home to South Wales. It was the weekend of the Wales - England Rugby International. On Friday evening I caught the Valley Lines train into Cardiff. To my surprise the same beggar was lying of the floor of Cardiff Queen Street station. I lost sympathy for him after that.
It's almost like there was a general strike in Belgium on the 13th of February this year in part due to their government's austerity measures.I'm surprised that Belgium hasn't sent them back to the UK. /irony/ They must be British seeing as homelessness is a problem unique to this country caused by our current government's policies. /ironyoff/
They must be British seeing as homelessness is a problem unique to this country caused by our current government's policies
I'm not sure anyone is blaming the current Government for the existence of homelessness and begging. But what they are blaming them for is the significant increase in such things. Taking the Governments own statistics there were 1,768 people sleeping rough (which is what we're talking about here broadly) in autumn 2010 which had more than doubled (a 165% increase to be exact) to 4,677 people by autumn 2018 (though that's actually down 2% on 2017 to be fair). Considering that the economy has been growing since 2010 it isn't just poor economic conditions that have lead to such an increase in rough sleeping.
There has been a very visible increase in MK, certainly.
They must be British seeing as homelessness is a problem unique to this country caused by our current government's policies