Clothes donated by members of the public to charity are being stolen by organised criminals and sold abroad, depriving leading charities of millions of pounds for good causes.Criminal gangs? Who could possibly be doing such a thi...
Oh:
Gangs from Eastern Europe are believed to be responsible for a growing number of raids on doorstep collection bags and clothing banks, attracted by a trebling in the price for old clothing in the past three years.And charities are up in arms:
According to Britain's biggest charity shop operator Oxfam, police have shown little interest in investigating the crimes because of a perception that donated clothing is worthless and because of a lack of firm evidence.Welcome to the club, charities!
Oxfam's trading director David McCullough isn't happy. Or, it seems, very intelligent:
"Evidence suggests it's being taken into the commercial market abroad, principally in Eastern Europe. Some of the people who have been stopped and cautioned are predominantly Eastern European."Wha..? Once more, in English?
"Some of the people who have been stopped and cautioned are predominantly Eastern European..."*boggle*
Still, once you've taken a few English courses, will you be campaigning against the EU's free movement policies which allow these criminal gangs free rein to fleece you?
No. Didn't think so...
This has been happening for years. When I lived in the UK, a similar story was reported in my local paper. The bags in question were the ones that you left on your doorstep to be collected by the Oxfam vans.
ReplyDeleteThings are just going to get worse. We have to get out of the EU and then we can police our own borders, punish and deport foreign criminals and sort this whole mess out.
If there's such a market for it, might Oxfam not raise more money for their "good causes" (whatever they may be) by selling collected clothing commercially rather than in charity shops?
ReplyDeleteOne time my ex-girlfriend brought a few garbage bags full of used clothes to the Goodwill and they treated her like a second class citizen. She got upset until I explained to her that her donation was making them work harder than they normally would have, and harder work makes people cranky.
ReplyDelete"some of them are predominantly Eastern European?"
ReplyDeleteEh? A person comes mostly from Warsaw but a bit of him comes from Scunthorpe? Either someone is Eastern European or they aren't.
I presume he meant "most of them were eastern european".
Anyway, blowback for the progressive multi-cultists, a camp which I assume firmly includes Oxfam
Actually, I happen to think that free movement of people (as well as goods and money) within Europe is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteIt has made this country richer.
You are checked going in and out of this country (whereas I can drive from Calais to Austria without hindrance) so the borders are protected. The only problem is that it is people going about their business who are hindered.
This "close the border" thinking is no different from the "if you have nothing to hide" fallacy.
The problem is lack of police enforcement, nothing else.
That and the fact that this moron at oxfam, knowing that there is market in eastern europe, is not trying to profit from it. After all, they sell clothes in charity shops, they do not give them away.
"Free rein". Thank you Julia. I was beginning to despair that I would ever read a blog that knew the difference between 'rein' and 'reign'.
ReplyDelete/pedant
There used to be a thriving and successful industry recycling old clothes - these were collected from assorted places (including charities) and exported. The better clothes went to Eatern Europe and the pulled back material to Africa.
ReplyDeleteOur dear friends in the EU put the kybosh on all this to protect some French and Spanish low end textile businesses with the result that the sorting and pulling went to Russia and the Ukraine.
"This has been happening for years. "
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I'm sure I've seen warnings in our local paper about it for a few years now.
"f there's such a market for it, might Oxfam not raise more money for their "good causes" (whatever they may be) by selling collected clothing commercially rather than in charity shops?"
A good point!
"She got upset until I explained to her that her donation was making them work harder than they normally would have, and harder work makes people cranky."
That's a shame. The people who run the charity shops that I've sent stuff to have usually be fine.
"Eh? A person comes mostly from Warsaw but a bit of him comes from Scunthorpe? Either someone is Eastern European or they aren't."
Incredible, isn't it? I wonder if anyone thought it seemed odd before they printed it?
"Actually, I happen to think that free movement of people (as well as goods and money) within Europe is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteIt has made this country richer."
It's not an absolute good with no drawbacks. NOTHING ever is.
""Free rein". Thank you Julia. I was beginning to despair that I would ever read a blog that knew the difference between 'rein' and 'reign'."
Trust an ex-horse rider... :)
"Our dear friends in the EU put the kybosh on all this to protect some French and Spanish low end textile businesses with the result that the sorting and pulling went to Russia and the Ukraine."
/facepalm
I guess that explains why Curmudgeon's suggestion isn't taken up by Oxfam?