[Snagprophet]

Crusty jugglers.

Don't have any problem with gypsies and travellers until they cost the country millions in costs, resources and time which could be better spent on ourselves. Let's make it difficult for travellers to live here in the same way Ireland did (which drove them here).

[green.tea]

Never done owt to me. Worst thing ive seen them do is race vans round a field and behave loudly. People seem to want to find fault.
"theyre messing up the grass"
"you use that bit of wasteland over there a lot do you?"
"well no. but theyre messing up the grass!!!!"

Years back some appeared near a friends house. There was about ten of us who used to hang out there, listen to guns n roses, drink and play command and conquer. I found them interesting and wanted to go over and see what they were about but they were all like "ooh no, we'll get our heads kicked in". They could try to appear less intimidating and more friendly to encourage friendliness back i guess.

[rizisap]

Ever since the little bastards stabbed me while i was out with my girlfriend during uni, i suppose i have developed a slight prejudice towards Irish Travelers. I doubt that's going to change either.

I still hope the little ****er that stabbed me rots in hell.

[SilverArch]

I really don't like BFGW. They took travellers from like 5 or 6 sites (out of hundreds) and only showed people from there. I know that in some local schools there's been an increase in bullying since that program started - makes me sad

There is one rough group of Irish travellers near my hometown, but in my whole county there are lots of really small sites of gypsies who are lovely people. Very reclusive, out in the middle of nowhere, but nice people. Their kids are the best behaved I have ever seen! Literally, parents snap the fingers, the kids do as they're told. There is no such thing as grabbing, they wouldn't know the meaning of the word. And believe me, they are poor. No big dresses for them...they hand down their Grandparents old wedding dresses

It would be like putting a TV program about the UK, on in rural China or somewhere, and ONLY filming chavs who dress awful (trackies half-way down the bum), carry knives, and are rude to everybody, vandalise stuff etc etc. The people in rural China would be horrified at it, and would assume that represents ALL British culture, when it doesn't

There are a sizeable minority of horrid people in ALL cultures, but the majority are different. It's the same here. I can't stand it when people are nasty about Gypsies, because they are too blinkered to know the difference between the ordinary majority and the nasty minority of idiots who screw everything up for everybody else..and then get filmed by Channel 4 for it!

[PointyElbow]

My main gripe is the taxation. They get away scot free and can end up living reasonably cushy lives, when that's aided by illegal activities. It's just not right that they pay no taxes, an insult even.
I've only had a few experiences with Irish travellers. A group parked on the field of a local school, which led to 3 schools closing for a day. The headteacher tried to shut the gates, but the police made him open them because it would be imprisonment. Seriously. Interrupted the exams which were going on, and on the news the travellers appeared very stubborn, saying they were only in a corner etc - well yes, but of a school field. Ridiculous. They eventually moved, but the disruption was undeniable, pure selfishness tbh.
So I'm not a huge fan, and I think that it is quite justified. Of course, there will be nice gypsies who pay taxes etc, but it seems to me that a large amount of their 'way of life' is criminal and inconsiderate.

[thunder_chunky]

(Original post by YoshBanosh)
There's nothing wrong with Gypsies, but they often break the law! Like with Dale Farm, they honestly had NO right to be there. They just took up space that was illegal to take over. It's okay to be a gypsy, not okay to be a criminal.

I thought only half of Dale farm was inhabited illegally? I'm pretty sure half of it was fine but the other half was built on without permission or something like that, rendering it illegal. I don't think it was completely illegal.

[YoshBanosh]

(Original post by thunder_chunky)
I thought only half of Dale farm was inhabited illegally? I'm pretty sure half of it was fine but the other half was built on without permission or something like that, rendering it illegal. I don't think it was completely illegal.

Yeah half was fine Forgot to mention that. It's the fact that when you're a criminal, human rights are taken away in some instances, which in this case was the whole of Dale Farm

[green.tea]

(Original post by PointyElbow)
My main gripe is the taxation. They get away scot free and can end up living reasonably cushy lives, when that's aided by illegal activities. It's just not right that they pay no taxes, an insult even.
I've only had a few experiences with Irish travellers. A group parked on the field of a local school, which led to 3 schools closing for a day. The headteacher tried to shut the gates, but the police made him open them because it would be imprisonment. Seriously. Interrupted the exams which were going on, and on the news the travellers appeared very stubborn, saying they were only in a corner etc - well yes, but of a school field. Ridiculous. They eventually moved, but the disruption was undeniable, pure selfishness tbh.
So I'm not a huge fan, and I think that it is quite justified. Of course, there will be nice gypsies who pay taxes etc, but it seems to me that a large amount of their 'way of life' is criminal and inconsiderate.

Ive just been reading about them. Apparently they used to be able to work tin and go round mending peoples tin stuff but plastics have killed that trade. When you think about it stuff like traveling shows that they used to do have gone out of fashion too and nobody believes in lucky heather anymore. Its a pity we cant find a way to accommodate them in the modern world.

[Doskey]

I have no problem with gypsies, just 'travellers'.

[Riderz]

Irish travelling scrap merchants are a real problem.

They have no regard for the law, as most of the time they dont use real names and move that often the law is sadly unable to keep up with them.

A bomb dropped from a high altitude would have sorted Dale Farm far quicker than years of legal process and much cost to the police and legal system. Thing is they move off and illegally inhabit somewhere else then - you dont solve the problem, you move the problem.

I dont know many people who have anything good to say about them.

[ellen_l]

(Original post by Shabalala)
Yeah but most of them are involved in crime, there entire culture is based around violence, stealing from and intimidating others. You will find the same at every Irish Traveller camp they have given themselves this reputation it's not some myth and if you really believe it's a small minority you are deluded in towns and villages crime rates go through the roof when Gypsys move in/live there and every time they have a TV show about them they ALWAYS show themselves in a bad light and EVERY time I have encountered them personally I have been abused, stolen from or attacked by them.

After coming back to this thread after a couple of weeks, I have now changed my opinion on the matter, mostly anyway(:

[Prince94]

I just can't stand that Big Fat Gypsy Weddings show. But what I actually do want to know, is how they can afford multiple lavish weddings/celebrations. They should really only be able to afford one, and I doubt they have very high-earning jobs.

[ConnorB]

When they return my Black bin, I'll consider getting on with them.

[Tahooper]

When the pikeys start cleaning up after themselves and actually do what they're name implies (Travellers, as in travelling, instead of becoming settlers and disrupting the law-abiding residents of the town), then maybe people won't be as justified in their dislike of them.