One thing I don't really understand Tom (and forgive me if this is insensitive/offensive) is why in these politically correct times it still seems to be okay in certain quarters to discriminate against Gypsies and it goes without very much outcry at all. Sarkozy's policy in France is at the very least on a par with the BNP's planned repatriation of blacks and realistically closer to some of Hitlers policies (albeit not quite as extreme) yet there are no planned sanctions against the French. Basically nothing of any note except for the denounciation and possible legal action by Viviane Reding. In the UK it seems that discrimination against Gypsies is the last 'acceptable' prejudice. I was wondering why you think this is?? Is it something to do with the large disenfranchisement of the community makes them less visible and important to politicians or the geographic disparity making effective political lobbying less likely??
The "Dirty thieving Gypsy" Stereotype has been perpetuated by those in power throughout history.
Anything negative, (Real or imagined) is amplified and magnified by politicians and the media to feed the fears of an already an already hostile and prejudiced population.
Tony Kendal is probably my best friend in the world, but not so long ago, his views on Gypsies were probably in line with the majority of the population
We have our share of wrong-uns, like anyone else, but we are just people, like anyone else.
Let me give you an example to show you how it works. (This is about planning, I could have chosen any number of subjects, but this will do for now).
In 1968, a law was passed which prevented us from camping on the commons and in the lanes that we had used for generations. Until that time, we travelled in small family groups, kept the place clean (Because we had to come back) and moved on every few weeks)
After 1968, everywhere we went we were illegally camped. Police dragged out caravans on to the road with JCB's and then they escorted us across the county line, where the next police force took over. I myself have been "escorted" with my family all day, not even allowed to stop to use the toilet or feed the baby.
1n 1994, guidelines were issued to local authorities advising them that they should provide sites for their Gypsy populations, but these were only guidelines, and they were universally ignored.
Meanwhile, The Gypsies were forced to band together in larger groups, trying to find safety in numbers and becoming more visible and more of a nuisance in the process, which suited most politicians and the media down to a t.
In 1998, the Human Rights Act was introduced. (Pay particular attention to article 8 and article 14)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/946400.stmNow (We assumed) we had something to fight with.
In 2006, in a directive to local authorities, the Government said that they MUST provide sites for their Gypsy population. Almost none did, but it was more difficult to move us on when that same authorities had not fulfilled their legal obligation.
Aurhorities argued that They couldn't afford to build sites (despite spending countless thousands on evicting Gypsies from "Private" land.
Some Gypsies responded by offering to buy their own land. Some of these proposed sites (let's be generous and say 50% of them) were in unsuitable places, never the less, planning permission was refused in over 98% of cases, and those that were granted were usually under a motorway bridge or next to a sewerage works.
If a Gypsy bought a piece of land and applied for planning permission to live there, the local people and the media would go crazy, and what's more, if he didn't move on to it while his application was being determined, he was judged to have demonstrated that he obviously had somewhere else to park his caravans. If, on the other hand, he did move on to it, he was judged to have flouted the laws that everyone else has to live by.
Nevertheless, slowly, ever so slowly, circular 1/06 started to have an effect. Gypsy people bought small plots of land, moved on, and made a retrospective planning application.
In a few of these cases (about 15%) the Gypsies and the local communities got to know each other as people, the hue band cry died down, and eventually planning planning permission was granted. Things were still bad, but better than before.
In some cases of course, the sites were unsuitable and these caused huge amounts of friction, but at least we were getting a chance to have our case heard, and for the locals to get to know us.
Then, this year, the new secretary of state decided that he was going to abolish Circular 1/06 and remove the requirement for local authorities to provide sites, and he directed his planning inspectors to lend weight to the impending changes when making planning decisions, even though the existing laws are, as yet, still in place.
An example of spin from The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8196548/Ministers-to-create-new-planning-powers-to-tackle-illegal-traveller-sites.html
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