The government is going to modernise the begging laws, and this is a good thing. The 1847 Vagrancy Act was enacted by the British to stop the starving Irish from begging in the streets during the Great Famine, which was an absolutely outrageous way to treat us.
Fuck off and starve somewhere else, you miserable Irish wretch, the 1847 Act says. You're upsetting the Missus.
Being Irish, we kept it on our statute books after independence from Britain and this was the law used by the cops to deal with beggars until last year, when a Dublin fellow won his case in the High Court.
The court found the Vagrancy Act to be unconstitutional because it interfered with a beggar's right to freedom of expression, and therefore, for the last year, we've had all sorts of ne'er-do-wells accosting us in the streets with outstretched hand. The cops have also had a useful excuse to do absolutely nothing about the associated harassment, but that's what Irish cops do best: nothing.
Now that's all going to change. Aggressive begging and harassment will be arrestable offences, and it's about time. I'm sick of it.
You can't go anywhere these days without some waster scumbag demanding money from you with threats and menaces. They're both Irish and foreign. Male and female. Some of them involve entire families. But they have one thing in common: they're a crowd of useless low-lifes.
Christ, I hate those fucking bankers!
Scary thing now is they're not begging for a can of cider anymore now some are begging to feed the drugs habit and then you have the organised begging gangs personally i think they're the bigger threat with complimentary crime!
I read on Mr. Drumms blog that they are going to give a €700 euro fine to anyone caught begging. Seems a little paradoxal to me. Of course if they can't pay then they go to prison where they will take up space and cost the tax payer money as well as meaning more low lives get their sentences reduced because of said lack of space.
Here the beggers, or street bankers as I shall now call them, bother you more for cigarettes and if you smoke rollies then they actualy turn their noses up at you. It's fucking great. I haven't seen a junky in three years either
Here, we see a range of different kinds of beggars.
Obviously, the bankers are the worst and the most dangerous, but we also have the drug-addicts, who tend to be too whacked out to do much except cause a nuisance, the organised Roma gangs who are a real pain in the arse, and those who are genuinely in desperate circumstances.
I've also noticed an increase recently in persistent, aggressive bastards who think they're entitled to have some of my money for nothing.
Bock, would you more receptive to better dressed beggars ie those not wearing a stained beyonce track suit but cravated tweed jacket elbow patched, mind you, who might might utter a short piece of educated prose short and to the point, yet an inventive invitation to a young thrifty squire such as yourself to lay his peaked hat falling from his outstreched arm while in a semi curtousy, with coins and sovereigns bright, if such a fellow were to exist I think you'd warm to him better, I think its the dirt you don't like cause you're dirtist, so you are
Mr The Law — Are you now defending the bankers?
-Bock
Oh how well I remember ya doh have a euro for da bus buddy do ya coming from the junkies on O'Connell street. Didnt seem to help pointing out that since it cost 75c to go to Phibsboro, a euro was about a 20 minute walks worth of bus fare. I also remember being told to fuck off when I bought a homeless young fella a sandwich, wha da fuck am oi sapposes'd ta do wih da. Ah well.
-the law
I actually met a guy like that on Grafton street one night. He was homeless but sold poetry that he wrote himself. He even had a tweed jacket (though it was a little dirty). I think he'd been an english teacher or something. I still didn't give him any money though proving, I think you'll find, that I at least am not dirtist. I have been known to be a little soapist in my time mind you.
Are you going to put Concern on the list?
I think they'd fit into the genuine category.
1847,starving Irish.Indeed.What about 6:15?
A.M. I mean."Change sir"?A great change would be if you fucked off and looked for a job.
There I am,hungry cos I got up at 5:30,no time for breakfast,and some shitbag still tripping from the night before feels he has the right to ask me for my sandwich money.To top the day off,after earning my days pay,I have to navigate the same street.The same shitbag who has now been joined by a few dozen other tappers in high viz vests is still there, stoned out of his skull.Fuck off.
Anybody remember the genuine cases?The old dear with her dog in O'Mahony's doorway. These people get passed by as well now.
Bankers are cunts too.
I can't resist a beggar with a dog.
The Romas I would round up and and make them weed, scrub and polish every conceivable surface in town. Then deport them.
Does anyone recall the Limerick "characters"? They weren't beggars, just part of the landscape. The lady with all the dogs in the pram? She was great, as was "Willie 3 toes". I think that's what he was called. He had a variety of animals. Whatever happened to him?
As for the junkies, I can't say I have seen much of them. There is a well-dressed woman with baby begging lately outside AIB on OConnell St. I have seen her wake the baby to create impact begging.
It's a ludicrous law, can't be applied, just like most of the laws. But who knows we might just see a whole new breed of beggar in the near future. If it's me, I will let you all know!
The Law, what is wrong with being a "dirtist"? I am unashamedly a "dirtist" by your definition. I am rather partial to my visual aesthetics, and yes, most definitely if a "cravated" gentleman chose to impart a few lines of thought-provoking poetry while attempting to elicit some euro from my pocket, well it might be seen as a fair trade or barter. However, a burger-stained tracksuited individual with little care for their or my aesthetic needs would be far less likely to succeed in their own endeavour.
I have no objection to some real dirt, as in muck or that accumulated in productive pursuit, but I would rather avoid the accumulation of personal dirt when the majority of people in this country have access to water but are too lazy to use it.
The majority? Jesus Norma, what kind of people are you mixing with?
bock, my meaning of "majority" was referring to people who have water which comes out of a tap….yes, i have encountered the few and far between who do not have that, however i still maintain no excuse for uncleanliness….and i never assume that we all have the facilities we take for granted.
It disgusts me to see kids begging in particular, sitting outside Bruxelles many nights you'd see children coming up begging and a lot of people telling them to fuck off. While I don't condone them being there, at that age they have no right. Harking back to Bocks post about parents endangering their kids in light of their religious\cultural beliefs, I agree. I don't think any culture can permit some young child wandering some of the busiest streets in a city talking to strangers. They should be lined up and f*cking shot, the parents that is.
The other day I was at the pass machine at Stephens Green and there was a lady begging there with a child that was no more than 2 months I would imagine. I was well wrapped up in a jacket etc yet freezing my tits off at the same time. That's some fine parenting indeed. You get relatives then coming over checking up on them and taking money from them, it's a truly fucking disgusting means.
"While I don’t condone them being there, at that age they have no right."
Sorry, should have proof read, I meant to say it's not their fault and they shouldn't be in that situation, that they shouldn't be abused.
sakimoto, i'm not sure the law enforcers in this country understand at all what abuse is, a 2 month old baby being forced to stay outdoors so its mother can use it to beg….thats abuse, but before the roma's came here doing that, the irish travellers doing just that, but now they don't have to because our ….i don't have words to describe this fucked up bunch of defensive moronic assholes that call themselves a government, kitted them out with everything they need, its ok because the old, ill and mentally ill will pay the price, seriously, if i could sell my house i think i would get out of here, i can't take much more crazy shit.
I agree completely stleger, I am and have been for the last few months, giving serious thoughts about emmigrating. I worked in a small Italian bakery for a while, the weather and food was better, wine was cheap, people were nice, stress was running out of smokes after the shop closed! I'm giving serious thought about moving there, where I am told, you have to be a wealthy person not to work, I believe social welfare as we know it is pretty much non-existant over there.
sakimoto, i was thinking italy or france because i still want to be accessible to my kids…who by the way are all grown up, i'm not abandoning them!
however, i can't see my house selling, i had it valued early this year and was chuffed with valuation, but now its meaningless, however, i'm big into quality of life so maybe there is a way round it.
will happily share info on anything i find with you.
i know there is no perfect place, but i too have spent a lot of time in other countries, and it has been my commitments that have kept me here so long, but now i think i am at the end of my tether so i'm looking into pastures new.
oops, forgot, there is vey big roma/albanian problems in southern italy, very high crime rate, so no frying pan to fire scenarios!
Not only in southern Italy unfortunately! :)
Their activities are petty though compared to most regional 'organised' crime.
I'm going there for the Christmas as it happens over to my girlfriends family, they really know how to celebrate over there, although it's more food than booze-centric which is something I am still adapting to!
The grass is greener on the other side but just as hard to mow – John Butler.
-stleger norma
Southern Italy's crime problems can't realy be blamed on the Roms and Albanians. It'd be like blaming the Irish drinking problem on the Polish. It has been there for quite a long time, though I'm sure they don't help.
If you're thinking of France I suggest you bring a good pen and your reading glasses because it's the bureaucracy capital of the world. There's a form for everything, and a tax for everything too. That said, at least you don't have to worry about getting sick thanks to the excellent (if equally bureaucratic) health care system. For the moment Mr. Sarkozy hasn't tried to fuck that up, for the moment…
There is nothing worse then walking around and having people harrassing you for money – had one guy actually follow me from one end of patricks st to the other thinking if her harrassed me/intimidated me enough I'd give in – he was looking for money to stay in a b+b and expected mem to give him what little money I had (was in college and working part time to pay my way) to give him money. had to get a security guard in a shop to help me get him to back off only for me to see him following me again going back to bus station. If I can help, I will, but more those with animals then anything -gave one guy a sandwich and he halfed it with his GSD.
Whats sad is people who have money – women in 20's with 3+ kids thinking that they have a right to your money cos they are too lazy to work or use contraceptives for that matter, and then go out later and get plastered? they have better clothes then me – aka designer clothing – i wear stuff from penneys – that look like I'm rich?! Not everyone can help but those who need it aren't getting it cos of people like them. Pity the children forced into begging by parents – be they small babies in prams in cold weather for "extra impact" or the ones made run around to strangers and asking them for money. its a shame really – they cant be just kids – having fun and not worrying about things.