Mary Wakefield: Wikipedia doesn't have all the answers

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London: The city of broken dreams

SUSANNAH IRELAND

A run-down estate in south London. Its derelict buildings make popular squats for eastern Europeans with nowhere to live A run-down estate in south London. Its derelict buildings make popular squats for eastern Europeans with nowhere to live

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Get your geography right
[info]tyrsovo wrote:
Saturday, 19 September 2009 at 06:08 am (UTC)
I wish the British media would stop referring to Czechs and Poles as 'the eastern Europeans' and. It may have escaped your attention but the Cold War is over, the Berlin wall is down and the Czech Republic and Poland are in Central Europe.
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Re: Get your geography right
[info]havtachot wrote:
Saturday, 3 October 2009 at 11:24 am (UTC)
If there is something wrong with the geography, I don't think Tomasz Pioter is a Czech person. Either he comes from the very east corner of Czechia where a minority of Poles live, but then he isn't likely to come from Prague and his nationality has been altered in order to make the article sound not only about Poles. :-) A Czech name would be Tomáš Petr (transliterated to English) Tomaash Peatr [ea as in head].

Though being Czech myself, I don't mind being referred to as an eastern European. Honestly, Britons call the region of the Arabic Peninsula and surrounding countries the "Middle East" whereas we refer to it as "The Close East". For Czechs the Baltic nations are eastern Europeans, albeit they consider themselves as north-eastern Europeans. The expression eastern European does not only refer to the geographic position, but also to some cultural-historic and economic aspects. I've been taught at schools Germans were central Europeans as well, but I would never dare to describe German migrant workers as fellow central Europeans as their jobs and lifestyle are much likely to be different from ours.

I regard this hatred against being labelled as east Europeans only as a proof of how we, the eastern Europeans, look up to the nations of the West, wish to succeed in London and Paris, yet contempt one another. Let's face it — it is so petty!
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Simple solution: go back to the Czech Republic!
[info]paulretsuna wrote:
Saturday, 19 September 2009 at 08:43 am (UTC)
Pointless article! Surely time for all East Europeans to be sent back to their countries now the UK is in a deep recession? If they are sleeping rough surely there is even more pressing need to deport these people? Interestingly the subject of the article can somehow find the money to drink heavily! Why should the UK be expected to house and feed these people? The 2004 influx was yet another massive mistake my this appallingly inept government and now the burden on the welfare state is at breaking point. ALL East Europeans should be compelled to return back or be forcefully deported.
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Re: Simple solution: go back to the Czech Republic!
[info]lillydeans13 wrote:
Saturday, 19 September 2009 at 11:49 am (UTC)
Make all the migrants to go back home (any nationality, any race), that's the best solution for such RACIST as you are. Congratulations!
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Re: Simple solution: go back to the Czech Republic!
[info]stephenejones wrote:
Friday, 16 October 2009 at 11:54 am (UTC)
Paulretsuna completey misses the point here.

The real issue is the shoddy management and overseeing of 'regeneration' and housing by councils - its been going on for years. The Heygate is a such as an example - they've forced all the original tenants out in the promise of new housing, and then it never appears. The result is a ghost-town of an estate, which either should be still being used as housing, or pulled down to make way for new build.

We're constantly under the pressure of not enough decent housing in this country, whilst councils preside of it by not allowing existing housing stock to be used or redeveloped for use, and then sticking the knife in by forcing out squatters/homeless too.
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what would they do in the USA.. set them on fire!
[info]engchina wrote:
Saturday, 19 September 2009 at 10:28 am (UTC)
A new sport has developed in some parts of US such as Miami, and Seattle to name just two renown cities.
Young surburban kids get drunk in the big city(Usually white).
Young surburban kids see sleeping homeless man or woman.
Young surburban kids then pour gasoline over the sleeping homeless man, then add a match, and another statistic, and story for the 11pm news show is created.
To the surburban kids it's a nights thrill .To some right wing fascist leaning nut jobs it saves money and the homeless problem is solved.
You guys from central europe are lucky to be in London and not america where there are scant services in many cities, and violence towards homeless people has seen a dramatic rise in the last 10 years. (I worked for a great organization in Seattle called DESC - check them out on line).
Listen guys, alcohol addiction seems to be a major problem for you, and a running theme of this story.
Please seek help, I am sure there are people like those workers mentioned in this story who can refer you for alcohol detox, and further help.
One day at a time!
Engchina
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