Tuesday, 15 March 2011

At Last!

Basildon council has controversially pledged up to £8million towards the mass eviction of the illegal Dale Farm camp at Crays Hill.
It’ll be money well spent. Even if we do have to stump up for it...
Travellers, who held a protest outside tonight’s landmark meeting, reacted with fury and it is feared the hefty financial commitment could lead to even more council job cuts.
As far as I’m concerted, that’s a feature, not a bug…

Of course, over in the ‘Indy’, it’s all a terrible, terrible injustice:
The inhabitants of Dale Farm have vowed to resist any attempt to evict them. One resident, named only as Nora, told the Travellers' Times website: "We've things up our sleeves. It will be like Belfast if they come in here. They haven't a clue what they're up against."
They do now, Nora, they do now…
Last week the Prime Minister, David Cameron, encouraged the evictions by describing his "sense of unfairness that one law applied to everybody else and, on too many occasions, another law applies to travellers".
Precisely!
Since coming to power the Coalition has done away with a string of measures that were brought in to protect traveller communities from prejudice and encourage them to settle.
To settle legally. Obeying the planning laws.

Like everyone else has to.
Travellers fear that the new Localism Bill, which will give local communities more say in the planning process, will return Britain to the mid-1990s when travellers felt persecuted by the Conservative government of the day, and up to 90 per cent of planning applications by travellers were rejected.
I’d hope so. But we’ll see…
at

9 comments:

  1. Captain Haddock15 March 2011 at 12:35

    One resident, named only as Nora, told the Travellers' Times website: "We've things up our sleeves. It will be like Belfast if they come in here. They haven't a clue what they're up against."


    There's only one safe answer ..

    Safe for the Forces of Law & Order .. and for the lives of the innocent people blighted by the presence of this camp ..

    Napalm .. and a bloody sight more cost effective than what's being planned ..

    If the so-called "Travellers" want to play silly games, which endanger the lives of others .. bring it on ..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pikey Moses15 March 2011 at 16:08

    On the radio this morning a spokesperson for the Travellers (their name, not mine) dodged a question of the legal/illegal occupation of the disputed site. He claimed however that they wanted retrospective planning permission to officially occupy the land.

    Well, I'd like retrospective wage rises, but I don't think that's going to happen.

    Children were, of course, mentioned by the spokesperson, plus an interesting relationship with the local Catholic church. You gotta have faith, I expect...

    Anyhoo, the Travellers will be travelling again, it seems. But to where? Back home to Oireland? We shall see where their journey takes them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Captain Haddock15 March 2011 at 19:28

    "Anyhoo, the Travellers will be travelling again, it seems. But to where? Back home to Oireland? We shall see where their journey takes them" ...

    I very much doubt it .. Ireland cracked down hard on them, making trespass a Criminal Offence ..

    And in any case, people have been Ireland's main export for donkeys years ..

    Especially the ones they were glad to see the backs of ..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Myole Blessed-Couzin15 March 2011 at 20:18

    I think it's wonderful that these people will be set free to resume their jolly travelling ways.

    It must have been like being in a cage for them to live enclosed like that.

    It's my fervent wish that they travel as fast and as far away as is humanly possible.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous15 March 2011 at 20:36

    Caravans ain't bullet proof.

    Bring it on.

    ReplyDelete
  6. blueknight15 March 2011 at 21:05

    ...90 per cent of planning applications by travellers were rejected.
    Because most of them relate to developing a caravan site in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where the average family has difficulty getting planning permission for a new conservatory.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pikey Moses15 March 2011 at 22:32

    OMG, I can't pass up a Word verification like this:

    Flout = typical Traveller's attitude to the law and planning procedures.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JuliaM16 March 2011 at 05:24

    "He claimed however that they wanted retrospective planning permission to officially occupy the land. "

    If they convert, they might just get it!

    "I very much doubt it .. Ireland cracked down hard on them, making trespass a Criminal Offence..."

    Time we did the same?

    "OMG, I can't pass up a Word verification like this:

    Flout = typical Traveller's attitude to the law and planning procedures."

    Heh!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Brian16 March 2011 at 17:05

    The Trespass (Scotland) Act 1865 is a good basis for making trespass criminal in England. Making breach of the peace a criminal offence in England would help as well.
    I doubt if the Armed Wing of Common Purpose will agree to enforce such laws.

    ReplyDelete