Is our town a shithole..

[FroggletTowers]

Or is this happening anywhere else?

I have been discussing this with friends, family and colleagues recently so won't name our town for privacy reasons, but it is a regular, large town in England, UK.
Nothing particularly special or awful about it, previously.

Since the pandemic, the entire vibe has changed. Almost unrecognisable.
Yes, we have some heavy shop closures like many towns, but the council kept it looking decent as much as it could. Some nice buildings and nature areas, etc.

What stands out most, apart from the general vandalism and dog shit is the weird accumulation of male groups hanging around boozing in public.

So far they have taken over the local park, river walks and nature reserves. They often cluster beneath bridges or across paths where people like to run, cycle walk dogs or take children, making it less safe and filling these areas with waste. Off road bikes have ruined the nature reserves, so less people visit

Sadly the authorities don't seem to be doing much about it, it is as if these people don't have to abide by laws that the rest of us have to. Some buildings adjacent to these areas have windows put through on a regular basis, even in what you'd call 'nice' areas.
Many of them cluster at river bridges and block the path for others, most are very drunk or out of generally.
It isn't unusual to see a large man passed out across the pathway, blocking anyone getting past. If you had a pram or bike it would be really uncomfortable to have to rouse a large drunk at 2pm in the afternoon. Most are local men, with a growing amount of middle eastern men. The vast majority of them are unstable.

We see less women out cycling, walking or exercising now, and this encompasses both MC and WC areas. These people seem to have just multiplied and spread across the entire borough and have taken over all public space.
We live in a decent area that is now seeming to go downhill.
It isn't unusual to see day drinkers sat alone, surrounded by cans on a quiet residential street. And they won't move to let you past.

It's really depressing.

Do you have populist far right political parties who have a press platform that facilitates them posting endless negative 'news' about immigrant and immigration?

Were you in the country with the quota? Yes it’s different to this system

Most people here use their own eyes rather than having to read negative news about immigration.
My own haven’t failed me yet.

@Sabire9 yep - I’m all for a certain amount of control on immigration ( and I’m centre/left) but I defy anyone to tell me that the immigration situation is much better post Brexit - it simply isn’t and was never going to be . The public were never told explicitly that gaps in the workforce , partly due to many Brits being fussy what they did would mean vast amounts of 3rd world immigration - Boris Johnson kept that very quiet. Maybe I would have a bit more time for the Express and Mail and Telegraph if instead of banging on about immigration examined their own part in creating an environment that has caused resentment and a them and attitude, examined why we have so many white British wasters that they don’t bang on about , examined why an environment has been created that people at the lower end of income and especially if they have kids and are renting find they are better off with bits of part time and top ups and finding ways to maximise what they can get out of the state -

all they do is pander to mainly older people who are in more secure situations, often not working and seek to blame others who they know will be unlikely to vote for right wing parties anyway - because that is their core readership -

Would you mind reposting this with all the words you left out? It’s a bit difficult to read.

Oh wait. Shall we condense it?

White English = spongers/wasters.

Immigrants = hardworking, bringing morals and self respect to teach us English how it really works.

If you require money, you take a job. The saying "beggars can't be choosers" comes to mind.

We have created a dysfunctional society whereby those without have greater choice than everyone else which is ridiculous.

A reset is urgently needed. Benefits should only be paid to those who have already contributed.

Let’s remember the start of this - the lazy English, they don’t want work. We need to import REAL workers.

It’s not like there wasn’t a long term agenda to all this.

And here we are.

I really wouldn’t waste your breath @Sabire9. They were talking themselves into reviving child exploitation/labour just a few posts ago. It’s pointless engaging.

One has to wonder why the benefit system was literally urging people to claim at certain points,

No they weren’t, you’re a liar.

Lol, ‘pointless’ engaging.

You aren’t engaging.

They "don't want work" because of benefits. If you change the benefit criteria you will miraculously find more do want work!

People can read it back themselves. It was the logical direction of travel for the conversation you were all having

We can’t trust our own eyes or take on things apparently, because governmental and media spokespeople tell us we are wrong.

Together with the paid forum people that we have on here.

@Sabire9 "If you want economic growth you need workers. If those workers arrive as adults rather than needing the state to pay for 18 years of education prior to them entering the workforce, so much the better."

So what are they actually trained to do?

Most of these channel migrants don't speak English.

If you want economic growth you need businesses to employ people. Most of the people I know in business have cut staff because they can't afford the hike in NI contributions and the new payrates.

No it wasn’t! Lol.

I urge everyone to go back and read the innocent conversations for what they were.

Maybe it would have helped if you had actually done some physical labour at some point.

I’m getting the vibe of limp, weak and parental spoiling from you and your cohorts.

Who are ‘they’?

‘Logical direction of travel’.

What the hell does that bollocks mean?! 😆

I can see you never got your soft hands dirty!

"Most people here use their own eyes'

Except what you see and how you interpret it is shaped by how racist you are.

For example I live in a poor and multicultural part of London. As a white British born person I'm usually in a minority in my local shops and high street.

Someone like you would stand on my high street, look around them at the very visible poverty and the predominance of ethnic shops and see that as a sign of cultural decline and degradation. You see crowds of brown people and think 'that's bad'. Because to you 'lots of brown people' = 'bad'

I look at it and see that these are shops which would all be boarded up if it wasn't for new immigrants willing to take a risk on running new businesses which they have to keep open all day and night in order to pay their rent and compete with the massive Tesco further up the high street.

The brown people I see in the streets and shops near me are just people. They're parents, workers, elderly people. They want all the same things in life that I do - a home, a life for their children, some money in the bank.

Of course there will be immigrants who commit crimes. Statistically those people are vastly outnumbered by immigrants who pay taxes, raise lovely kids and contribute to their workplaces and communities.

“Racist”.

You’re a joke.

Get a physical job, try doing some physical labour.

You soft, pappy, spoiled brat.

People who choose not to work but expects benefits.

Benefits need changing. How do you think we managed in the past. If you needed food or shelter you worked. The state didn't support you.

Benefits should be a safety net for those who have already contributed. NOT a lifestyle choice for anyone.

Why on earth are you making it about “brown people”? I live in a town with a massive Asian population, who have lived here a long time (before me in some cases).
I’m absolutely bothered by the vast numbers of (predominantly) men who are now loitering around the town all day, doing nothing.
Call me racist all you want, it’s meaningless.

@alikelylass

1. Can you link to the research evidence you've seen setting out what percentage of asylum seekers speak no English at all. A 2021 report by the Migration Observatory pointed to 9 out of 10 asylum seekers speaking English 'well' or 'adequately' and only 1.4% not being able to speak English at all.
2. Manual workers don't always need to have good English - construction work, some kitchen jobs, some delivery work, landscaping, some agricultural work, cleaning. My neice's girlfriend spoke almost no English for the first year she was in the UK, but made a decent living doing office cleaning.

As I stated earlier, the government were pushing people to claim. There was a reason for that.

Anyway, as I have suggested to your cohorts, get yourself a physical job for a while. Take time out from your namby pamby lifestyle, sitting behind your computer writing shit. Get some sun on those delicate hands.

It might get you some self respect,

"I’m absolutely bothered by the vast numbers of (predominantly) men who are now loitering around the town all day, doing nothing.
Call me racist all you want, it’s meaningless."

They're not allowed to work, and their hostel accommodation usually doesn't have spaces for them to meet communally indoors.

What would you want them to do? Sit in their room alone all day so you don't have to be offended by the sight of them meeting with friends?