The term racist is bandied about so often now that it has lost its significance and real meaning.

I find that people who scream about racism at any slight, real or imaginery, are themselves racist. Deep down they have feelings of superiority and habour doubts that all human 'races' are equal. To overcome this, they overcompensate by being quick to point out the 'racism' in orders.

They also like the idea that people are oppressed and of course they being the knight in shining armour, will set the world to rights ( generously awarded with pay cheques).

In terms of their dealing with the state , how are travellers , well settled travellers, which is 80-90% of them discriminated against? Basically they are left alone by the state i.e. free from state interference in a way in which regular Irish folk are not! Go to any A and E at at any time and you will find some of them stuck there, getting treated for free, go to the housing department of any council and you will find them there demanding their rights!They are not challenged by SW officers in a way in which a regular unemployed working class person is! Activities such as having 10 inbred children, dogs out of control in particular starving ************************ing greyhounds, letting 1 year old babies run across a road unaccompanied, having horses roaming in common spaces. low level drug dealing and wife beating seems to attract little attention from the law/social services! They have rights it seems and nobody else does!
Also a nomadic people, my hole! They are actually placed in Castlerea open prison very often on fairly serious convictions including permanently destroying other peoples' lives. Why? Because they are viewed as a nomadic people and incarcerating them in a regular prison is thus viewed as unjustly harsh! Nomadicks allright, if you made 1 return journey from Galway to Dublin in a year, you would have done more travelling then most of them! They are so pampered by the state that most of them would be hard put to walk 100 yards!

Originally Posted by PeeOKneel

In terms of their dealing with the state , how are travellers , well settled travellers, which is 80-90% of them discriminated against? Basically they are left alone by the state i.e. free from state interference in a way in which regular Irish folk are not! Go to any A and E at at any time and you will find some of them stuck there, getting treated for free, go to the housing department of any council and you will find them there demanding their rights!They are not challenged by SW officers in a way in which a regular unemployed working class person is! Activities such as having 10 inbred children, dogs out of control in particular starving ************************ing greyhounds, letting 1 year old babies run across a road unaccompanied, having horses roaming in common spaces. low level drug dealing and wife beating seems to attract little attention from the law/social services! They have rights it seems and nobody else does!
Also a nomadic people, my hole! They are actually placed in Castlerea open prison very often on fairly serious convictions including permanently destroying other peoples' lives. Why? Because they are viewed as a nomadic people and incarcerating them in a regular prison is thus viewed as unjustly harsh! Nomadicks allright, if you made 1 return journey from Galway to Dublin in a year, you would have done more travelling then most of them! They are so pampered by the state that most of them would be hard put to walk 100 yards!

Yes exactly true and of course travellers know this. Which is why they play the victim card to the hilt.

Traveller supports are either wilfully ignorant or plain downright stupid.

Originally Posted by Tin Foil Hat

We do. It's called 'The Law'. Nobody should get an opt-out.

Not 100% true. When one states that "we" rule Travellers, that excludes Travellers from the law-making process and that rather than be subject to laws to which they can contribute, they are under the control of laws made by non-Travellers.

I'm not speaking to the truth or otherwise of the statement, just that it can't be interpreted as strictly as you have done.

Originally Posted by Mossy Heneberry

Yes exactly true and of course travellers know this. Which is why they play the victim card to the hilt.

Traveller supports are either wilfully ignorant or plain downright stupid.

Or traveller supporters are just enablers!
It amuses me a bit that travellers' rights have become a great cause celebre lately for middle class pseudo intellectuals in particular, Why? Well firstly they will never have any direct contact with them, particularly in big cities and secondly it serves to project some absurd (in their case) liberal credentials to their peers! However they do end up paying for their absurd comfortable lifestyles through their taxes that's when they pay taxes of course!

Originally Posted by PeeOKneel

Or traveller supporters are just enablers!
It amuses me a bit that travellers' rights have become a great cause celebre lately for middle class pseudo intellectuals in particular, Why? Well firstly they will never have any direct contact with them, particularly in big cities and secondly it serves to project some absurd (in their case) liberal credentials to their peers! However they do end up paying for their absurd comfortable lifestyles through their taxes that's when they pay taxes of course!

Or deeply cynical, Thatcherite mercenarys who have a hidden loathing for the subjects of their protection and lobbying...

Originally Posted by PeeOKneel

You are probably a misanthrope and just know more Irish than any other race, so hate more of us!

I am. I despise most people.

Originally Posted by The OD

I am. I despise most people.

No ya don't OD! Ya pussycat ya.

Abhoring criminal behaviour is not racist, it's just abhoring criminal behaviour, no matter...

Originally Posted by Tim Johnston

Interesting article.

And it is a real shame that for most of us our first point of contact with a Traveller is having our stuff robbed.

I was in a bar in Italy when this guy comes up to me, obviously after hearing my accent informs me he is Irish also. Turns out he is a traveller and in Italy putting tarmacadam on some roads. Well he proceeds to complain about some of the locals and says that you can not leave any tools lying around, as they "stale" everything. I just thought then where have I heard that before.