People who are arrested for smoking pot and driving too fast
don't then tend to then complain that they are being persecuted for their beliefs, though. In general.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:12, 3 replies, latest was 14 years ago)

Free da weed! Clarkson for Prime Minister!
Er...
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:15, Reply)

Fucking hell
I'm all for a bit of gypsy recognition but I'm not having Clarkson running anything with people in it.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:16, Reply)

i hate him and he's ugly
but he's so arrogant i'd probably shag him anyway
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:26, Reply)

I sincerely hope that you recognise that those are not my opinions.

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:41, Reply)

They fucking do!
I've been on at least one Legalise Cannabis march in my yoof and people are forever banging on about speed cameras.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:16, Reply)

That's trying to get the law changed
legitimate protest. That's nothing like the same as being caught for it, and whining that you are being persecuted because of your beliefs. Is it now?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:20, Reply)

Maybe not but I have heard that done in both cases
repeatedly. stop arguing for the sake of it.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:34, Reply)

I'm really not arguing
I think this is an intersting discussion, because it's demonstrating what you've been saying all along, that emotive prejudices blinker public perception of actual facts in this case.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:44, Reply)

I tend to agree.
For the record, I dislike smelly hippies in general, I just dislike Daily Mail readers even more, it's an interesting interplay of prejudice.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:46, Reply)

There is an effort to just stop the whole caravan thing and make them live in houses
If they can buy some shitty land they should be allowed to build a site on it. Developers flout planning laws with greenbelt or protected sites all the time. it IS a way of life, they ARE an ethnic group. Lots of them do apply the proper way and are refused anyway and it's for no other reason than people want them to 'just pack it in and stop being gypos'.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:24, Reply)

see, now this is the problem.
It's a way of life - no problem - but I don't see why their ethnicity is relevant, unless you're arguing they SHOULD be allowed to break laws because of their ethnicity? Because that would be rather silly.

If they want to travel - councils should support that - if they want to settle - they should go through the same channels as everyone else does that wants to build their own house. These particualr people are doing neither.

and "because sometimes a bigger boy does it and got away with it" is hardly a reasonable defence. Unless, again, you're arguing they should be treated more positively because of their ethnic group?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:29, Reply)

I do think they feel rather desperate
as avenues are closing and it's getting harder to be a traveller these days.
I agree what you say about councils should support that, but if they don't, then where are all these people to go? I'm not a gypsy and I don't know how it is, but all of this has just brought out to me how much people despise them, you know, the accompanying comments apart from your sensible opinions on planning law and it makes me feel really fucking bad, so I feel I have to defend them because it's totally not on.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:36, Reply)

that is the problem.
The emotive nature of the issue has totally overridden the actual issue itself (CQ has pointed this out a lot to be fair to the man). All I'm trying to do here is point out that not everyone who believes they should be evicted is a gypsy-hating cunt. I know plenty are, and that's very troubling to me, but there are sound, and fair, legal reasons too.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 20 Oct 2011, 12:43, Reply)