Travelling folk

[Carol Anne]

How would real travelling folk, those of no fixed abode whatsoever, deal with things like registering their vehicles and driving licences, bank accounts etc. or be registered with a doctor or receive pensions and mail etc, or even obtain a passport. Do these organisations and agencies have to make special arrangements just for them?

[Loosehead]

They do none of those things they have opted out of society. They are effectively above the law with matters like car tax insurance etc. All dealings are in cash.

[derekpara]

Have they 'opted out of society' when it comes to, say, medical care ? I would like to hear from a member of the Travelling fraternity about this, and the other matters raised by Carol Anne and Loosehead. Anyone there ?

Interesting question.

[heathfield]

From Google...
Your search - "travelling folk" "vehicle registry" - did not match any documents.

Says it all, really!

[noxlumos]

What a load of old sh1te as usual.
Travellers DO tax their vehicles and often do it via "friendly addresses" like relatives on sites or landowners on whose land they often park ( like mine), the National Gypsy Council will give you any amount of detail you like about such things if you want to ask of them, or occasionally they have services at a Post office where they can recieve mail.
They have birth certificates generally now and NI numbers so everything else is covered in exactly the same way as you or I. Drs are visited as and when needed on a "temporary resident " basis. Generally little special provision is made especially for them and I helped the chap who "winters" on my ground to fill his tax return in once, so yes they do pay tax as well, despite the stereotype of being "above the law".

[mrs_overall]

My brother is a Traffic policeman (please don't boo!) and last week he was called out to a scene of chaos at the funeral of a traveller. The cemetery is on a busy dual carriageway and has a car park around the back. The travellers chose to park on the inside lane of the dual carriageway....all THIRTY FIVE vehicles. These vehicles were mainly 4x4's, BMW's etc and the odd lorry. Not one of the vehicles was taxed or insured and I think he said not many of the drivers had a full licence. I don't stereotype anyone but I think these facts speak for themselves and destroy Noxlumos' argument.

[derekpara]

I hope they were all nicked, Mrs O, just to prove that no-one is above the law.

[noxlumos]

Well if what mrs-overall is saying is true then the police would have impounded ALL of the said untaxed vehicles.
Travellers are not stupid, they know that this is what the police do to untaxed vehicles, so tell me were there no riots as they were towing away all of the 4X4's and BMW's?
I cannot imagine any traveller I know being stupid enough to drive around in �30,000 worth of motor and then let the police sieze it for the sake of a couple of hundred quid. It's just not something that they generally do as they know that the Police hate them. Where abouts in the country was this funeral mrs-overall I'd like to look into it?

[Loosehead]

Noxy, we know you have some sort of rose tinted view of travellers etc but all most of us see is bunch of thieving lowlife who leave their **** everywhere for the rest of us to clear up. They are regularly on the sports fields of Bournemouth causing total chaos. There may be some decent ones but I've never found them, and I've never seen a tax disc on any of their motors. Our social services molly coddle them and we the (Bournemouth) council tax payers pay to clean up their sh1t and to get our sports fields usable again. Ok Noxy if there are some decent ones then I don't see any evidence of them getting theire own house in order. Come to Bournemouth during one of their invasions Noxy and see for yourself, I envy you if you found some decent friendly ones!

[Carol Anne]

I think the townsfolk of Morecambe and Heysham would very much agree with you loosehead, and often when visiting my parents at christmas Ive witnessed these annual invasions myself. (though I have to say I have seen tax discs on the vans, hence my original question)
I particularly remenber one evening in the local Asda when about 30 or so appeared all at once and took the managers by surprise. They went through the store like a plague of locusts, stealing, damaging and generally causing havoc.
Burglary in the town increases that week, and the mess they leave behind is always photographed in the local paper for all to see.

I have to agree that given this type of general behaviour, theres very little that can be said if favour of these people. Especially from a law abiding, tax-paying point of view.

[noxlumos]

Well first off loosehead my view is not rosetinted in any way, but my personal experience of doing business with, and having travellers camping on, my land for many years has for the most part been very positive and since people's opinions were sought then you can only speak as you find surely?
Yes there are problem elements, as there are with any element of society, but the majority are quiet and trouble free, and actually that's the problem, no-one ever reports on the news that I have gypsies camping on my fields with no rubbish and no disturbance, because it's not news.
You hear about the pub wrecking sprees, the fighting, the mess, the litter etc when that occurs because it's shocking, and consequently the (very large) travelling community get tarnished with the same brush as the few thousand that cause havoc wherever they go.It's rather like implying that all black people are Yardies or all Muslims, suicide bombers, it's simply not true.
It does just irritate me when people say "gypsies" and everyone goes "ooh mess, untaxed cars, criminality etc" when there is more to the whole ethnic group than that by miles.
I just like fairness, that's not rosetinted, it's just.... fair.

[Loosehead]

Fair enough Noxy, you've had positive experiences. I on the other hand have only seen the negative side. I take your point about good behaiviour not being news worthy. It's just that where I live they are constant thorn in the side. I would dearly like to have some positive experience but the ones we get do not give me much hope

[chitchat]

At the school where my children used to attend there were a lot travellers. They all had very expensive cars - yes BMWs and 4x4s. Not all of them were taxed - one excuse the dog ate it! Yeah right. And they used to park their cars in the middle of the road and chat to their mates through their windows, effectively blocking the road. Its no wonder people dislike them - they are so anti social to the rest of the us.