There's nothing we can do about people allowing their dogs to shit in the street. We don't live in a police state.

[Caligula]

OK, that's not exactly what the woman from the council said when I phoned to complain, but it was very similar. 3 times she mentioned the police state. She backtracked a bit when I asked her searching questions about how many wardens there were, how many prosecutions there had been in the last year or so, what the council was pro-actively doing about the problem, but in essence, her response was that as we don't live in a police state, the council can't enforce the law. Apparantly it costs too much to put up notices and/ or poo-bins.

Imagine if they took the same approach to parking. "Can't enforce traffic laws - it's not a police state".

Am I over-reacting by being quite so peeved about it?

And paolosgirl has found the name that would annoy them most: "little loves".

So, the little loves set fire to a bin, did they?

Scrotes.

Semi feral urban youths.
Tend to use that one a lot after reading my Daily Torygraph.

"F*cking little toe rags" is my preferred term for them. Does anyone else have to fight the urge to really, really hurt one?

Yes
Oh yes

South of France, thats the place for dog s**t
went to Cannes
wouldn't recognise it again
could never look up from the pavement

PMSL at pinching the woman and running away because "it's not a police state"

Hmm, I wouldn't say "urban". In the US, it's become a euphemism for Black. Has it done that here?

(My other favourite US euphemism for Black, is "ethnically diverse". Often applied to schools which are 99.9% Black - and not diverse Black, American Black.)

Well that is a good thing about Turkey.
Muslims aren't into dogs so no dogshit about.

Dh accidentally (I hope...) kicked human shit into my face when we were at the park last week though....

Oh interesting nqc.
Not many black kids in north Wales though!

How do you know it was human shit?! Cannot believe I'm asking this

Um, is there anywhere urban in north Wales?

(My knowledge of Wales is mostly limited to listening to Goldie Lookin' Chain, so I may be a bit ... out of it? We don't have Welsh people in Canada. Although I have a Welsh last name. Go figure.)

They do use "urban" as a euphemism for Black here, I think - they say "urban" music, for RnB and rap, right?

I just knew.
So did he-he stepped in it,put up his shoe to show me (Why??? I was perfectly happy lying in the grass enjoying the sun),and a segment broke off and hit me in the cheek.

The life I lead........

Not really nqc...
Although there are exactly the same sort of problems as there are anywhere else-borne out by the fact that I trained for my job in London (health),worked in North Wales and the two were really not very different.

Gosh,I didn't know you were in Canada! Are you Canadian?

Oh Moondog...what can I say!!

Not a lot pg!

I'm Canadian, but not in Canada. Hence the whole not quite cockney thing.

It's weird, we have Irish people, we have Scottish people, we have the whole concept of Ireland and Scotland (Newfoundland is full of Irish people, Nova Scotia is full of Scottish people). We romanticise both places, etc, etc.

We haven't really actually heard of Wales. We don't know anything about it. Did the Welsh not emigrate en masse to North America?

Ok, so did they not own up to being Welsh when they got to North America?

Or do the Irish and Scottish just have better PR?

I'm mostly kidding ... or at least not expecting an answer from here. It's just weird, we have Welsh names (I have one!) but we don't know about Wales, at all. I didn't know my surname was Welsh (normally, anyway, in my case it may be German pretending to be Welsh, but that's a whole other thing) until I moved here!

Didn't the Welsh all go to Patagonia to feed the penguins (or something)?

There's a big connection between Wales and Patagonia isn't there, but I can't remember what it is.

Not a police state?? It is around here!

We get the fecking litter police checking you don't take your bins out earlier than supposed to. If you have, they will search them and then fine you.

All very well in principle but quite often the binmen are late - by days - does that mean we can fine the council? Does it f**k.

A lot of Welsh people wernt to Patagonia for religious reasons (non conformists felt a little persecuted in Wales in mid 19C.)
There are still a lot of Welsh speakers there and a fair bit of toing and froing.
In fact,many people I know who have been over say the feeling is more
'Ah yes,yet another Welsh person...yawn..' than
'Wonerful! Someone from the old country!' which is quite amusing.

I've met people from Patagonia who can speak Spanish and Welsh but not English which is quite something to get your head around!

Lots of Welsh people went to the States and Canada-names like Bethesda and Bryn Mawr were brought over.

If you have a last name like

Richards
Jones
Hughes
Williams
Evans
Lloyd
Glyn
Gwyn
Wyn

it's a Welsh one.

Also

Price
Prosser
Pritchard

which are variations on

Ap Rhys
Ap Rosser
ap Ritchard

meaning

son of Rhys

and so on.

Spent a lot of time pondering low profile of Welsh abroad (especially in North America where I've spent a lot of time.)

Actually there is a lot going on,just very low profile. The Eisteddfod (yearly cultural festival in Wales-largest in Europe) is always full of Americans who publish newspapers,a members of choirs and so on.
I like to think that because Welsh is still a strong language (unlike Gaelic and Irish sadly) we have a strong sense opf identity and don't feel a pressing need to peddle a tartan/bagpipes/whiskey/shamrock image.

I understand now NQC!