Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Thursday, 23 February 2012
I have just got back from a 10 holiday in La Palma, one of the Canary Islands. Apart from the weather there were a number of striking contrasts between that area and the UK which really makes me wonder why things are the way they are here and how necessary a lot of what we deal with here actually is.
Food
The price and quality of the food is outstanding, most of it is local. In addition most of the items which we are very heavily taxed on in this country are taxed much less but the Government still manages to gain revenue. Compare the price of wine and cigarettes in La Palma (around 2-3 euros for a decent bottle of wine and 2 euros for 20 cigarettes) to England where you are looking at at least £5 for a drinkable bottle of red and £7 for a packet of cigarettes. At the time of writing 1 Euro = 85p. And it is pretty much the same for meat, fruit, veg and your essential items. Eating out you can get a 2/3course meal for 2 for under 20 euros and this usually includes a glass of wine of beer.
Society
The biggest contrast was in the general conduct of society out there. I only saw one CCTV camera whilst I was there - and that was in the airport. Were their marauding villains everywhere? No. There were a couple of police ambling around during the day, stopping for coffee and chatting to folk in the town and that was about it.
The other thing there was an absence of was signs saying how much you would be fined for x-y-or-z. I saw one "don't let your dog poo on the grass" sign. Suprisingly, although dogs probably outnumbered human beings 4 to 1 they were not wading through piles of dog poo. Their whole attitude towards dogs is very different too, there aren't "bad breeds" just bad owners. The owner is responsible for the behaviour of their dog, not the dogs.
There were no gangs of youths standing on street corners with their trousers half way down their backsides, no maniacal drivers screeching up and down the roads blasting stereos out of the window. And actually I didn't even see a speed cam. For a European nation with a history of apparently having a "macho" culture, the men all seemed pretty chilled out. They certainly didn't seem to need to out-strut each other or use their cars as extensions of their penises. Likewise, none of the women or young girls seemed to have the urge to walk about exposing acres of flesh or trying to squeeze themselves into lycra that was 2 sizes too small. There seemed to be an absence of what I like to call "youth cloning" where everyone dresses and does their hair the same way. Everyone seemed confident enough in themselves to be perfectly fine about doing their own thing, developing their own style and just enjoying life.
So my question is - Why the difference? We are the most spied on nation in Europe yet our crime rate still seems pretty high. We have CCTV and speed cams everywhere yet people still race around like idiots and seem to get away with it. We have signs about dog poo, smoking, and drinking in the Street. We are taxed to the hilt yet the Government still make cuts.
I think the thing that came across most is that people seemed to have much more pride. They seemed less angry and beaten down than people within the UK and took a pride in themselves, their homes and their general demeanour. Maybe we should start getting to grips with these issues as a society and re-establish the importance and promotion of self respect, respect for others and personal responsibility. If we had these expections as a society then it would be such a nicer place to be.
Maybe I'm just turning into an old fart but I may well be retiring outside of the UK!!
Food
The price and quality of the food is outstanding, most of it is local. In addition most of the items which we are very heavily taxed on in this country are taxed much less but the Government still manages to gain revenue. Compare the price of wine and cigarettes in La Palma (around 2-3 euros for a decent bottle of wine and 2 euros for 20 cigarettes) to England where you are looking at at least £5 for a drinkable bottle of red and £7 for a packet of cigarettes. At the time of writing 1 Euro = 85p. And it is pretty much the same for meat, fruit, veg and your essential items. Eating out you can get a 2/3course meal for 2 for under 20 euros and this usually includes a glass of wine of beer.
Society
The biggest contrast was in the general conduct of society out there. I only saw one CCTV camera whilst I was there - and that was in the airport. Were their marauding villains everywhere? No. There were a couple of police ambling around during the day, stopping for coffee and chatting to folk in the town and that was about it.
The other thing there was an absence of was signs saying how much you would be fined for x-y-or-z. I saw one "don't let your dog poo on the grass" sign. Suprisingly, although dogs probably outnumbered human beings 4 to 1 they were not wading through piles of dog poo. Their whole attitude towards dogs is very different too, there aren't "bad breeds" just bad owners. The owner is responsible for the behaviour of their dog, not the dogs.
There were no gangs of youths standing on street corners with their trousers half way down their backsides, no maniacal drivers screeching up and down the roads blasting stereos out of the window. And actually I didn't even see a speed cam. For a European nation with a history of apparently having a "macho" culture, the men all seemed pretty chilled out. They certainly didn't seem to need to out-strut each other or use their cars as extensions of their penises. Likewise, none of the women or young girls seemed to have the urge to walk about exposing acres of flesh or trying to squeeze themselves into lycra that was 2 sizes too small. There seemed to be an absence of what I like to call "youth cloning" where everyone dresses and does their hair the same way. Everyone seemed confident enough in themselves to be perfectly fine about doing their own thing, developing their own style and just enjoying life.
So my question is - Why the difference? We are the most spied on nation in Europe yet our crime rate still seems pretty high. We have CCTV and speed cams everywhere yet people still race around like idiots and seem to get away with it. We have signs about dog poo, smoking, and drinking in the Street. We are taxed to the hilt yet the Government still make cuts.
I think the thing that came across most is that people seemed to have much more pride. They seemed less angry and beaten down than people within the UK and took a pride in themselves, their homes and their general demeanour. Maybe we should start getting to grips with these issues as a society and re-establish the importance and promotion of self respect, respect for others and personal responsibility. If we had these expections as a society then it would be such a nicer place to be.
Maybe I'm just turning into an old fart but I may well be retiring outside of the UK!!
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
I have recently been quite aggressively accused of being a middle/upper class "sheeple" for not supporting the riots - although this was by people who quote the same old lines/quote/dogma at every given situation without THINKING about how this situation may well be different from another (and they talk about mind control?) - I thought I would write a little on the subject of the recent riots.
Now I am not saying that being middle or upper class makes you an inherently bad person. But none of the people who levelled these criticisms actually know me or my background. Being the daughter of an immigrate who came here with £30 in his pocket, I was born in a council house and have had to work my arse off to get everything I have (which isn't really that grand!) I really don't think I can be called middle or upper class. I have lived in some of the areas affected and I suffered from the sort of poverty my accusers can't even comprehend. I take umbrage at those shouting critisim from their little middle class ivory towers, all a safe distance from the rioting of course, especially when they have actually chosen to live outside the UK, just because I empathise with other working class people who have lost everything in the riots. Surely this is human compassion? This does not mean I am full of hate for the rioters, I just don't approve of what they are doing.
I agree with police accountablility. Someone was shot, it should be investigated. Anwers are needed for the family, for society and for the police themselves. The riot has happened on the back of this, it is not because they care about the dead man, or police accountability or whatever. If it had happened after a massive whitewash, then maybe you could argue this sparked it but the investigation isnt over yet.
These riots are not politically based. The only agenda here is not police accountability, an end to poverty. bringng down the government, or fighting student loans it is about getting what they want in terms of material possession. I don't think that living in poverty and feeling dissaffected is a good enough reason. In reality how many of them have ever gone hungry? Or naked? Very few. Well I have (not the naked bit!) and I didn't go and smash up the local restaurant because I couldnt afford to eat in it and neither did all the other people that lived in E3 where I was living and who were suffering the same lack on money.
This isnt the Youth of London rising up to overthrow capitalism. Even Ken Livingstone said it was a tiny minority and that most of London's youth would have been at home or down the pub. The youth of London were baying for blood when the police caught a looter. The same youth who were supporting the student protests. Maybe they have suddenly turned into the middle class? Or have suffered some from of mind control? Or, more likely, they are pissed off with people wrecking their enviornment.
Condemning the current riots does not mean you are being one of the "sheeple", or suffering "media mind control" It is looking at each individual situation and deciding for yourself. However spouting the same old lines in response to different situations and chanting dogmatically the "party line" is not thinking for yourself, or being really switched on. And sorry, as much as you want it to happen, it will not be not giving you "working class" credentials. Many people's opinions change according to circumstance - many supported the students during their protests, these same people (myself included) are not supportive of these. I may be a "sheeple" and be too stupid to know it, but then equally so are you, you just run with a different flock!
I agree with police accountablility. Someone was shot, it should be investigated. Anwers are needed for the family, for society and for the police themselves. The riot has happened on the back of this, it is not because they care about the dead man, or police accountability or whatever. If it had happened after a massive whitewash, then maybe you could argue this sparked it but the investigation isnt over yet.
These riots are not politically based. The only agenda here is not police accountability, an end to poverty. bringng down the government, or fighting student loans it is about getting what they want in terms of material possession. I don't think that living in poverty and feeling dissaffected is a good enough reason. In reality how many of them have ever gone hungry? Or naked? Very few. Well I have (not the naked bit!) and I didn't go and smash up the local restaurant because I couldnt afford to eat in it and neither did all the other people that lived in E3 where I was living and who were suffering the same lack on money.
This isnt the Youth of London rising up to overthrow capitalism. Even Ken Livingstone said it was a tiny minority and that most of London's youth would have been at home or down the pub. The youth of London were baying for blood when the police caught a looter. The same youth who were supporting the student protests. Maybe they have suddenly turned into the middle class? Or have suffered some from of mind control? Or, more likely, they are pissed off with people wrecking their enviornment.
Condemning the current riots does not mean you are being one of the "sheeple", or suffering "media mind control" It is looking at each individual situation and deciding for yourself. However spouting the same old lines in response to different situations and chanting dogmatically the "party line" is not thinking for yourself, or being really switched on. And sorry, as much as you want it to happen, it will not be not giving you "working class" credentials. Many people's opinions change according to circumstance - many supported the students during their protests, these same people (myself included) are not supportive of these. I may be a "sheeple" and be too stupid to know it, but then equally so are you, you just run with a different flock!
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About Me
- Mara Cortesi
- Live and work in Somerset. Just about to embark on a back to nursing practice course.