General Musings

[Walter Sobchak]

About time we just fucking sucked it up as a population and provided folk a decent standard of living. 10 years of austerity chasing “welfare scroungers” while the taxpayers magic money tree feathers the beds of the richest in society.

No one should ever live like this. Makes me fucking rajing tbqh.
We spend so much time on daft Glasgow smiles better pish, just sort the basics out instead of spending it all on wank marketing.

They need to put more money into this, agreed. There is no denying that some people within that community live quite chaotic lives. I don't know what the answer is. I'd like to hear from shelter, from the council social work team that work with that community, and so on. Need to improve availability of social housing - lots cramped into private lets with whole families (generations of them) in one flat.

You only need to go up the street and you have community enterprises, grocers, kurdish butchers, a cafe for refugee women, a 'locavore' grocer/supermarket, etc. So it makes me really angry reading "this place is a hellhole" from people who only want to pretend to care now they can have a pop at 'wee nippy.'

[Vieri]

I dont live far away from govanhill at all, go down to vicky road a lot - there are absolutely loads of things going on in that area that are massively positive. Honestly find this twitter outrage quite worrying, look behind it and it's being promoted by a ton of rangers WATP accounts tagging in piers morgan and LBC  Anyway I think if you speak to people in the community, they will say there are issues but it's also a really positive community with a lot of initiatives going on to improve the area. There is also an undercurrent of anti roma racism there as well.

However, there is an issue with what are basically slum landlords putting whole families into one tenement flat, across quite a few streets to the back of vicky road. It's a tough one as the council  - i believe  - do go in and clean, but these are privately owned. No factor in these blocks. And a hugely deprived community, that are mainly eastern european roma with poverty related issues.

It is complicated. For me there needs to be some sort of council order and they go in and gut these closes and back greens - there is a worry that will happen again. So how do you solve it?

I live next to Govanhill and it's hardly the worst area in Glasgow at all IMO. It's probably one of the most diverse areas of Scotland and I do think there are some cultural aspects to it as parts are a bit of a mess. The close in that video doesn't look that bad other than the basement which, as Roger says, most people wouldn't even be aware of as they'd have no reason to go down there. As it's Nicola Sturgeon's constituency with a lot of immigrants, it's not surprise the Unionists are highlighting it.

There's clearly still a lot that could be done to improve the area, though. However, compared to 15 years ago I think it's a lot better now than it was.

[CritchSmile]

A radical rehabilitative community drug policy akin to how the police in Scotland effectively tackled knife crime/gangs would be a good start. It's a shame local councils are so cash-strapped that they can't afford to pay folk to gut these places and look after the gardens.

Over time maybe a bit of place based dignity would return and folk would stop dumping shite in the basement. You could hand them cards explaining how to get items picked up by the council, but first folk need something nice to protect otherwise it's too easy just to chuck stuff.

[Pete Seeger]

Looks like the basement of the stair. You can see the main entrance when he goes up a flight and then the rest of it looks fine. Most people living there probably haven't gone down there and I doubt children or prams are going into the basement. Can't imagine why you'd live there and not do something about it though, it's the residents responsibility at the end of the day right?

His main issue that he mentions on other videos is that he knows these basements are being used as brothels. He's making some pretty big claims on child trafficking, rape and child molestation in the area as well. I have no idea what's true and what evidence he has for these claims but even if they're not true you can't have people living in that squalor in the 21st century ffs. Human shite lying everywhere in other videos. Grim.

* I realise these videos will attract racists but surely it's a problem that needs a lot of attention.

[Zizou]

I've had to deal with addicts in the stair. It's a total nightmare and not that easy to fix.

[Mr A]

Aye just looking at that makes me think that's a stair that has issues with folk taking drugs etc but I'm not 100% sure I believe there are bairns running about down there playing etc and people living there.  I had problems with guys in my bursd stair at uni trying to take over the bottom bit of the stair so they could sit and get off their faces. It's a nightmare and the mess they caused in the week or so before we dealt with was fucking minging.

It's still harrowing scenes tbh that there are needles and jonnies all about someone's stair but that is certainly no unique to govanhill never mind Scotland.

First step is to give Scotland the powers to deal with their own drug crisis imo, the time to start helping people and to stop criminalising them is now.

Need to get Paul Sweeney back into Parliament tbh

https://twitter.com/PaulJSweeney/status/...77312?s=20

[Mr A]

His main issue that he mentions on other videos is that he knows these basements are being used as brothels. He's making some pretty big claims on child trafficking, rape and child molestation in the area as well. I have no idea what's true and what evidence he has for these claims but even if they're not true you can't have people living in that squalor in the 21st century ffs. Human shite lying everywhere in other videos. Grim.

* I realise these videos will attract racists but surely it's a problem that needs a lot of attention.

The child sexual abuse isn't a new claim

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/govan...-m2swzc63h

[CritchSmile]

They need to put more money into this, agreed. There is no denying that some people within that community live quite chaotic lives. I don't know what the answer is. I'd like to hear from shelter, from the council social work team that work with that community, and so on. Need to improve availability of social housing - lots cramped into private lets with whole families (generations of them) in one flat.

You only need to go up the street and you have community enterprises, grocers, kurdish butchers, a cafe for refugee women, a 'locavore' grocer/supermarket, etc. So it makes me really angry reading "this place is a hellhole" from people who only want to pretend to care now they can have a pop at 'wee nippy.'

Aye, totally. social issues like this are a Rubix cube, have to be engaged with long term from a variety of angles.

You'll find it's the folk who push and vote hardest for austerity agendas that can't believe there are no local council resources for community engagement and community clean ups.

[Walter Sobchak]

Remember reading something about an investigation into the rumours about trafficking and child prostitution over a number of years and found there wasn't any evidence.

Think it ties into britain first style Muslamic ray gun stuff a bit tbh. Though there has definitely been trafficking.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1727...ople-live/

The roma kids are on the streets at all hours and the guys hang about on a few of the street corners, which is where the rumours started.

I live next to Govanhill and it's hardly the worst area in Glasgow at all IMO. It's probably one of the most diverse areas of Scotland and I do think there are some cultural aspects to it as parts are a bit of a mess. The close in that video doesn't look that bad other than the basement which, as Roger says, most people wouldn't even be aware of as they'd have no reason to go down there. As it's Nicola Sturgeon's constituency with a lot of immigrants, it's not surprise the Unionists are highlighting it.

There's clearly still a lot that could be done to improve the area, though. However, compared to 15 years ago I think it's a lot better now than it was.

Errol's hot pizza.   Yeah agree with all that. Big fan of the new cycle lane?

[Walter Sobchak]

This sums it up IMO.

a situation where you have huge overcrowding and that leads to environmental issues due to so many people living in one flat".

Back in eastern Europe, few Roma would think of complaining to the authorities about slum conditions.

"The situation of the Roma people is fairly unique," says Hunter, "due to the discrimination they faced across Europe. Coming here is a big improvement on their lives."

Hunter is empathetic to the Roma, though she is unafraid of talking about difficult issues. "Some Roma," she says, "come from backgrounds where the kind of norms of living in an urban environment are things that they have to learn." She adds: "At a really simple level it's about understanding what you do with your rubbish, understanding you need to send your children to school every day and you can't just take your children out of school."

[Mr A]

Remember reading something about an investigation into the rumours about trafficking and child prostitution over a number of years and found there wasn't any evidence.

Think it ties into britain first style Muslamic ray gun stuff a bit tbh. Though there has definitely been trafficking.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1727...ople-live/

The roma kids are on the streets at all hours and the guys hang about on a few of the street corners, which is where the rumours started.


Errol's hot pizza.   Yeah agree with all that. Big fan of the new cycle lane?

Surprised by this. That article is pretty harrowing:


"It is lunchtime in Neeson's, a tiny pub in the heart of Govanhill. A dozen or so regulars, perched on a semi-circle of high stools, fall silent as Margaret Reilly, the manager, finishes polishing a glass, leans on the bar and clears her throat.

“How many of you have been propositioned by Roma children?” she asks. Every male in attendance raises an arm. It is an extraordinary, sobering moment and many are keen to recount their experiences.

“I'll never forget it,” says one man, a burly Geordie with a Celtic shirt stretched over his paunch.” It was quarter past seven in the morning. A wee lassie of around nine or ten came up to me and offered oral sex.”

[Pete Seeger]

The child sexual abuse isn't a new claim

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/govan...-m2swzc63h

Grim.

[Zizou]

“I'll never forget it,” says one man, a burly Geordie with a Celtic shirt stretched over his paunch.” It was quarter past seven in the morning. A wee lassie of around nine or ten came up to me and offered oral sex.”[/i]

Don't even want to know what happened next

[Vieri]

Errol's hot pizza.   Yeah agree with all that. Big fan of the new cycle lane?

Was there the other night, it's class but a bit pricey compared to other places IMO and the ordering system is a bit of a pain - Burrata was excellent though. More of an Oro man myself I have to say.

Definitely in favour of cycle lanes - keeps cyclists off our roads where they belong.

[Floyd]

Need to get Paul Sweeney back into Parliament tbh

https://twitter.com/PaulJSweeney/status/...77312?s=20

He was my MP and got my vote last time around too. He's a genuinely nice guy who is actually in to this for the right reasons, unfortunately his SNP successor is nowhere to be seen.

However, our SNP MSP Bob Doris is quite sound, so goes to show that it isn't just party politics at play.

[Vieri]

He was my MP and got my vote last time around too. He's a genuinely nice guy who is actually in to this for the right reasons, unfortunately his SNP successor is nowhere to be seen.

However, our SNP MSP Bob Doris is quite sound, so goes to show that it isn't just party politics at play.

Saw this today, absolutely shocking numbers - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48853004

Parts of that Glasgow North East constituency are far worse than Govanhill.

[Floyd]

Saw this today, absolutely shocking numbers - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48853004

Parts of that Glasgow North East constituency are  far worse than Govanhill.

Totally agree with you.

I was based in the Social Work offices in both Easterhouse & Parkhead in my last job, and there are large parts of streets & closes that are complete no go areas for anyone.

Like Walt has already said, it needs joined up thinking and a joined up approach from the council, from Shelter, from the cops and the Scottish Government in order to try and make the changes that are needed.

Too many people all across this wanting to just pass the buck or blame someone or something else for things not being as they should be in this day and age.

[Mr A]

Totally agree with you.

I was based in the Social Work offices in both Easterhouse & Parkhead in my last job, and there are large parts of streets & closes that are complete no go areas for anyone.

Like Walt has already said, it needs joined up thinking and a joined up approach from the council, from Shelter, from the cops and the Scottish Government in order to try and make the changes that are needed.

Too many people all across this wanting to just pass the buck or blame someone or something else for things not being as they should be in this day and age.

Yeah Sweeney is a big campaigner and advocate of drug issues as well. There are many things the Scottish Government could do now, but they choose not to so they can blame WM. Hopefully these figures being highlighted shame them into action.

https://twitter.com/PaulJSweeney/status/...45858?s=20

[Johnny]

Maybe they just don't want to, and its fuck all to do with Westminster?

[Walter Sobchak]

 Was there the other night, it's class but a bit pricey compared to other places IMO and the ordering system is a bit of a pain - Burrata was excellent though. More of an Oro man myself I have to say.

Definitely in favour of cycle lanes - keeps cyclists off our roads where they belong.

Lived just next door to oro for years. The bier stube was the business back then, long gone now sadly. The errol's team just opened big counter, superb burgers if you've not been.

Big fan of bar vini as well.

Anyway I think this thread does a very good job of explaining the issues around this guy's reports on govanhill.

https://twitter.com/Vvfabs/status/133881...29696?s=20