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.

“Go back to where they came from” said I, oh racist one.

@Slatterndisgrace you are talking poppycock - plenty of white British are indeed spongers/wasters - and yes their are plenty who of course aren’t , but the system is designed at the moment to make it that it isn’t in some people’s interest to maximise work - and that’s if they can get work - read posts on here about the number of low paid workers working part time , often ( not always) through choice-

I have not said ‘all ‘ immigrants are hard working , will do anything , useful people to have - I wouldn’t know - I don’t know why you think I am all up for open sesame to everyone and their mother , I am
most certainly not - although Johnson it seems certainly was - I had a desk in a business centre 2021 to 2023 and within that centre was a company processing ‘legal’ immigration - the lift was full every day of whole families coming in from Nigeria, Pakistan, Phillipines etc - not single mainly young people here for a few years work - families who needed housing, health, schools etc .
we aren’t talking the issues of the channel crossings, we are talking families admitted in by legal means to fill gaps in healthcare, logistics, whatever - all caused by a load of people returning to within the EU or leaving for other EU places due to being made as welcome here as a fart in a spaceship- mainly single younger people too.

take a look too at the channel crossing numbers pre Brexit - Hugely lower because the French had an obligation to another EU country to contain in France, which they no longer do

yes it wasn’t perfect before , but it was far more controllable than it is now and we have created an environment that far fewer EU people actually want to come to via legal immigration as well , not with standing of course creating issues for our own population who may wish to go to the EU for work/living.

the Tory’s created this mess- I genuinely think they wanted to throw the last election because they knew they had created a ticking time bomb of underlying social issues, no money to cover it off and a country that to be frank I wouldn’t invest in -

we lived in Copenhagen for 20 months, the country does have lots of immigration but is very strict on conditions for anyone coming from outside the EU - the difference is startling - life is made much easier for families but the emphasis is on both people in a couple working as near to full time as possible, cheap and good childcare, high wages, high tax, lots of good social housing, relatively high public services and a strong emphasis on standards of what is acceptable behaviour in public , lots of police too

Long, long boring text, copied and pasted.

Get a job.

Do physical labour.

It will do you the world of good.

@Pistachioitaliano

"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."

My mum was born before the birth of the modern welfare state. Her father developed schizophrenia and was sectioned. He died decades later having never left hospital. Her young mum had had 3 young daughters by the time he got ill, and had to work full time, while leaving her kids with various neighbours, some of whom were abusive. Because she was on a low wage and didn't get help with her rent (no housing allowance) she became homeless. My mum is 90 now and still tears up remembering the humiliation and fear of this time in her life.

People like you make comments like that because you're unimaginative and ignorant. You have no concept of the harm to mental and physical health of those living in absolute destitution. My mum is still living with the psychological impact of being raised in abject poverty 80 years ago.

BTW - how we managed was that poor people often lived in absolute squalor, and died young.

We have 2 problems:-

1 Too many lazy indigenous Brits
(Not all)

2 Too many low skilled immigrants (not all)

Solution- get the indigenous into work and stop immigration of low skilled.

How: changing benefit system and stopping immigration of low skilled people of all colours.

Who are you talking to?

Me?

I have a job thanks.

Do you want to force employers to give people jobs, including people with a history of incarceration, people with really poor work records because of chronic illnesses and serious mental health diagnosis?

Is that what you're suggesting?

You appreciate there will always be people who employers don't want?

I am sorry to hear about your situation

This does not need to be repeated in 2025 as we have contraception.

If anyone created such a situation now they should take full responsibility for their own circumstances.

@Slatterndisgracedon’t need one thanks, I’ve got a perfectly good business and I never copy and paste because I’ve got a brain - you make big assumptions - I come from a really working class mining town , my dad was a roofer, lived there till I was 33 , I’ve done lots of jobs involving a lot of physical labour - are you saying the only people worth having an opinion are cleaners or farmers or carers or dustbin men etc - all these are much needed jobs in society, but it doesn’t make their views any more valid . What counts as physical labour anyway?? Because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn't make them necessarily wrong if you examine the ‘facts ‘ and not the ‘feelings’ -

Look at the animal kingdom. Survival of the fittest. There must be a reason why nature intended that???

If you are in difficult situation use contraception or abstinence at least until you are back on your feet. Commonsense.

How could contraception have stopped my mother's father from developing schizophrenia and leaving her mother to raise three daughters alone?

My situation is fine thanks. My mum married my very working class dad (also raised by a single parent) who went on to become a diplomat and she's now living on a very lovely index linked civil service pension in a lovely detached home, with all the love in the world. Sadly this doesn't mean that she is now completely unaffected emotionally by the poverty and humiliation she experienced as a child. Children deserve protection from the impact of poverty. I can't think of a better use for government spending than investing in the wellbeing of children.

Look at the animal kingdom…..

Did you seriously just say that!

How embarrassing.

@Pistachioitaliano

Oh, you're a fascist!

😂

I’ve reported @Slatterndisgrace for personal attacks on people - calling people who disagree twats or bone idol idiots who disagree with you is not at all acceptable @Slatterndisgrace - may I suggest you get back to your physical labour and drooling over Farage ( not much sign of physical labour there- just grabbing public money) - you clearly need some physical labour to work off your aggression

Oh look. Now we have the SYMPATHY VOTE!!

Eyes forward comrades!

Nobody has suffered like this!

lol, well you give it but you can’t take it.

COWARD.