It sounds like something from the back catalogue of (thankfully expired) lard-arsed, Hitler-loving, racist, ignoramus "comedian", Bernard Manning.
But no, it could yet become a newspaper headline - in the mind's eye of the Irish authorities anyway - if a recently enacted anti-begging law is ever enforced in Ireland.
The new law means that anyone found to be behind "organised begging" can be slapped with a fine for a cool €200,000. That's the Irish authorities for you, always firmly grounded in reality.
No doubt the letters pages of the papers and the Internet forums will be flush with stories of beggars being dropped off at O'Connell bridge in gold-plated Rolls Royces to give public credence to such an inherently silly, unenforceable, nonsense law.
Having said all that, I know of one Fagin-esque ringleader whose obnoxious urchins are forever intimidating and hassling people for money on the country's streets. They are dropped off at strategic points every day and will not take "no" for an answer, haranguing and pursuing their victims relentlessly.
Shady character that he/she is, I do not have the individual's name. But I do have an address:
Concern, 52-55 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2.
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6 comments:
I'd say that a proportion of it is organised. This is Ireland after all.
There is other ways of stopping this at source, which would be far more civil than giving a beggar a fine of 200,000 euro. Afterall I'd say the poor individual on the street isn't the criminal mastermind. But despite that, the real problem here is, not the fact that such poor individuals would be fined, no, no, it's that Irish timing thing again. Yep, bankers getting away with billions, no one brought to book. Money taken out of your pocket to fill the black hole that's left from the fiasco. I think there are far bigger fish out there.
Indeed, D. Far bigger. The ones that have been shitting on us all for decades.
But maybe some shit-upon people feel they must shit upon someone they feel are below them in the pecking order? Beggars, for instance? Sad.
Beggars have never attacted my ire, I'm glad to say. As you say, there are far more deserving targets.
Not that surprising really when this is what you are up against
http://af11.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/romanian-begging-mafia-kept-40-people-in-flat-police-say/
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/children-trafficked-and-exploited-inside-europe-criminal-gangs/5/78234
It is a multi million Euro business
Bring back the old Beggars or at least let's run a course Beggary 101. There used to be this great beggar in Ranelagh back in the mid 70's when I was a student living on twelve quid a week in the area. He patrolled the area between McCambridges and Russells with his missus and for whatever reason she used to keep a good fifteen feet behind him at all times. On that kind of a budget I didn't afford myself much by way of luxury other than the odd loaf of wholemeal bread from McC's. Anyway, there was this one day when I was on his beat and got targeted by them. For such a trampy looking dude he was across the street to me in no time at all with the hand out and asking for a bit of spare cutter. Spare money wasn't a concept that I knew anything about in those days. All i had left to last me the rest of the week was a pound and i told him. Quick as a flash and with complete disregard for my plight he responded "No problem auld son - shure I'll change it for you"
PB
gdye mr GM how about a law with a fine for chronic beggar govts. UP KERRY. BH
@ Anon. The way I look at it, there but for the grace of natural forces go I, or any one of us. Get hit with the wrong sequence of bad circumstances and anyone could be homeless, begging for a living. I think a lot of people begging and living rough have mental problems too, which go unaddressed in Ireland as it's taken for normality.
@ Ponyboy. Great story. That guy had class alright. If he was around now I'm sure he'd even have a credit card facility available!
@ Agreed BH. Bang goes any liberalism as far as those buggers are concerned. I'd be donning my black cap for Bertie and his builder and banker buddies...
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