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    The Romanians are Coming. "Very good in Cricklewood" ?

    Kitkat
    Kitkat

    The Romanians are Coming.  "Very good in Cricklewood" ? Empty The Romanians are Coming. "Very good in Cricklewood" ?

    Post by Kitkat Wed 18 Dec 2013, 13:10

    I'm sure you've all heard the one about "the craic being good in Cricklewood"?  

    The craic was good in Cricklewood and they wouldn't leave The Crown
    There was glasses flyin' and biddies cryin' - the Paddies were coming to town!
    Oh mother dear, I'm over here and I'm never goin' back
    What keeps me here is the rake o' beer, the women - and the craic




    Well, seems (according to Panorama anyway) they've heard about how good it is in Cricklewood, as far away as Romania.  Need to change the lyrics above ... from 'the Paddies' to 'the Romanians'.

    We're told there could be a crime wave and even riots on the streets when Romania and Bulgaria gain full employment rights in the UK next year. But how many will really come, and what's at the root of our fear?

    Paul Kenyon travels to a Romanian village where most of the men have already left to pursue work in the black markets of London. He joins British police in an unprecedented operation to stem the flow.

    With Romanians and Bulgarians set to be given full access to work, benefits, the NHS and schooling, many worry that this latest piece of European integration is a step too far.

    Panorama - 17th December 2013

    Watch programme here on BBC iPlayer:  arrow  The Romanians are Coming?
    Kitkat
    Kitkat

    The Romanians are Coming.  "Very good in Cricklewood" ? Empty Re: The Romanians are Coming. "Very good in Cricklewood" ?

    Post by Kitkat Wed 18 Dec 2013, 13:42

    From Steve Rose, of the Huffington Post:

    Last Night's Panorama Wasn't Balanced, It Was Racist
    Steve RoseDec 17, 2013

    Last night's episode of Panorama merely reinforced the power of myth. It was a poorly researched and at times racist portrayal of Eastern European migrants.

    Early on, it establishes a clear divide between the Romanian middle-class and the poorer groups (largely Romani).

    The idea of criminal behaviour is reinforced when they suggest (without evidence) that crime in Hendon fell once a Romani camp was shutdown.

    They then cite Met police figures that indicate a causal link between the Roma and crime. However, the figures cited were only for arrests and not convictions. No distinction is made for the audience and many will draw their own conclusions.

    This dodgy use of statistics is compounded when they cite a poll carried out for the Daily Mail. Harris Interactive only had a sample size of 1,027 and they only offer online polls. Nor are they members of the British Polling Council. Harris Interactive admit that their style of polling means they can tailor samples to meet client needs. An analysis of this poll reveals that it is heavily weighted towards the 55+ age group. A group more likely to be anti-EU and anti-migration.

    As a result, Ukip's Deputy Leader, Paul Nuttall, is free to make the link between Romanians and crime. A point left unchallenged by journalist Paul Kenyon.

    For balance, Chief Superintendent Adrian Usher makes no such link. However, he warns many in the village of Apata to avoid coming to the UK without work.

    "If you come to the UK without a named job to go to, then you're at really increased risk of being exploited or being the victim or perpetrator of crime." [My emphasis]

    We cut back to UK where we are told about a "growing underclass" of Romanians working on the black market.

    They interview Alex, a Romani, who works cash-in-hand. Kenyon is quick to emphasise his lack of qualifications, tax contributions and spoken English. Alex dreams of bringing his family over as he supports them through work. But Alex is one of many Romanians who are exploited in the black market economy. This is only touched on later.

    Afterwards, Kenyon reveals that the number of Romanians and Bulgarians working in the UK is just an "estimate."

    Yet, the minister for immigration Mark Harper (who told an Iraqi asylum seeker to "go home") argues that estimating migration figures is not sensible.

    Why? Because the last Labour government underestimated the number of Polish people who arrived in 2004. However, unlike in 2004, more EU countries will lift labour restrictions in January.

    This allowed Ukip to once again paint the narrative of "uncontrolled immigration" without challenge. They even cite MigrationWatch as evidence. MigrationWatch are described as a "think-tank" but this not strictly true. Over the years, the BBC has often portrayed this group as a neutral body.

    Once again, it is down to the Romanian middle-classes to reinforce the notion that they do not intend to work in the UK.

    We are then taken to a different (largely Romani) village where we met Alex's partner Magda. She is asked a series of unnecessary questions:

    "Do you know anything about claiming benefits in the UK?"

    "Has your husband mentioned [benefits]?"

    "Would you go to England just to get benefits?"

    She answers with a resounding 'no' and scoffs at the idea of moving to another country just to claim benefits.

    Later on, Paul Kenyon cites that same dubious Daily Mail poll to make a different point about migrants and the 'increased' strain they might place on public services. Such flagrant dishonesty is quite remarkable.

    Any positive migrant representations are merely interjections that disrupt the flow of negative reporting.

    Panorama also reinforces inter-minority prejudice as it pits "new" migrants against "older" second-generation migrants.

    This edition of Panorama is merely a symptom of the wider discourse around immigration. A debate so toxic that facts are shouted down in a wave of popular fascism. But it also threatens our relationship with Europe and our right to free movement.

    On both fronts, we should all be worried about where this debate is heading in 2015.


    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/steve-rose/panorama-racism_b_4458988.html
    Kitkat
    Kitkat

    The Romanians are Coming.  "Very good in Cricklewood" ? Empty Re: The Romanians are Coming. "Very good in Cricklewood" ?

    Post by Kitkat Thu 19 Dec 2013, 14:24

    A letter published today in the online equivalent of the local newspaper for this area:


    Letter to residents asking for help with migrant workers

    Dear Resident,

    Your Safer Neighbourhood Team are committed to continuing to address antisocial behaviour issues in [.....] Road and Cricklewood Broadway due to workers gathering on the footways.

    We have continued to work through the use of the dispersal zone and through partnership working with the UK Border Agency and Local Authority. Our continued efforts are now developing towards an additional focus being placed on those who are picking up the workers.

    As part of this Policing tactic we are going to ask for your help.

    We would ask that if you see a vehicle pick up any workers for casual labour that you note the vehicles registration mark and emails us at [......].

    We will then write to the owner of the vehicle to warn them that by using the workers for casual labour they may commit criminal offences and the Police we will be looking to actively target them.


    I do think this is a good idea.  The correct way to tackle this issue is to target those who exploit these people and use them as cheap labour.  I live on one of the main roads where these guys gather in groups daily, hoping for work (it's a long road - I'm down the other end).  This situation has not been exagerrated in reporting; I see it happening every day.  A film documentary was recently made, called 'The Road'.  (I think I have posted the film to view somewhere on the forum).  The road subject of the film is (I think) the first Roman road and the longest road in the UK, running through a number of communities.  The film concentrated on the people who live on that road and nearby, and followed the history of the numerous immigrants who have come to this  country from various parts of the world and made this area and its communities their home.  Good and bad stories, happy and sad.  All history in the making.
    Kitkat
    Kitkat

    The Romanians are Coming.  "Very good in Cricklewood" ? Empty Trouble brewing?

    Post by Kitkat Fri 17 Jan 2014, 13:52

    NO - I will not be joining them ...
    well ... I might just toddle on down there to see what's occurring ... purely out of curiosity of course ...



    (from our local online rag):

    Stop the fascists coming to Cricklewood

    Yesterday (Thursday) a group calling itself Britain First announced they will hold a demonstration at Cricklewood Broadway in response to reports that the Muslim Brotherhood are establishing an office there.

    According to Hope not Hate "Britain First (BF) is the brainchild of James Dowson, the man who was once dubbed ‘the person who owned the BNP... A shadowy figure in the world of evangelical Protestantism and anti-abortion activity, Dowson made contact with the BNP in 2007 offering his services as a man with a record of get-rich-quick schemes. Originally from Scotland, he’d set himself up in Belfast, Northern Ireland where he took a keen advantage of religious fervour.

    Dowson’s anti-abortion activities and close relationship with Loyalist paramilitaries were seen as positive attributes by the BNP’s leadership..."

    While I have no truck with the views of the Muslim Brotherhood, the agenda of Britain First goes far beyond opposition to political Islam and targets all Muslims and members of minority groups. Cricklewood has a hugely diverse community including many Muslims, and the site of this demonstration is in close proximity to a mosque. We cannot allow them to spread their hatred and Islamophobia unopposed.

    Please join us at 1.30pm outside [..........................]  this Saturday and help us say fascists are not welcome here.

    I hope to see you all there.


    Then again ... maybe not!  pale 

     wary   Think I'll just stay inside in the warm.     scared 





    and one of the replies to that article:

    Thank you for this. There is no room for Fascists like this bunch on the streets of Brent. Join our peaceful protest against them. Even Nick Griffin's Nazi BNP found them an embarrassment because they were so extreme.

     surprised  !!!!!  chair

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