Ed (names changed to protect the innocent) occasionally helps me. He will look after a stall or help erect/dismantle one if I am short staffed. He use to have a job somewhere down the country, but after losing it he fell on hard times and has been unemployed for quite a while. At the moment, Ed and his girlfriend live in a tent at the bottom of a friends garden. The local council have told him that he is that far down the housing list he will be an old man before he gets any accomodation. The same council take great pride in the help they give to immigrants, they provide housing, food and in some cases money to buy a car.
Now at the moment the funfair industry would find it hard to carry on without the Eastern European (mainly Polish) staff they are using. Most of the Poles I have met have been friendly, polite and very hard working, so I have no problem with them bettering their life by being in this country. There is however something tragically wrong with a system that condemns a native of these shores, who has worked and paid tax in the past, to live in a tent. Ed would be better off getting himself to the port of Dover, climbing into the back of a lorry and claiming asylum, there is a whole industry of professionals who would be falling over themselves to help him.
Ed was all set to go up in the world, his friend had spent the last few weeks building him a garden shed to live in, unfortunately one of the legion of local busybodies complained to the council, so even this has been denied to him.
The frightening thing is, no matter who comes into power, the Ed's of this world will be no better off. After much consideration I have come to the conclusion that Democracy itself is fatally flawed, onlya benevolant dictatorship would hold any hope of redressing the balance.
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Now at the moment the funfair industry would find it hard to carry on without the Eastern European (mainly Polish) staff they are using. Most of the Poles I have met have been friendly, polite and very hard working, so I have no problem with them bettering their life by being in this country. There is however something tragically wrong with a system that condemns a native of these shores, who has worked and paid tax in the past, to live in a tent. Ed would be better off getting himself to the port of Dover, climbing into the back of a lorry and claiming asylum, there is a whole industry of professionals who would be falling over themselves to help him.
Ed was all set to go up in the world, his friend had spent the last few weeks building him a garden shed to live in, unfortunately one of the legion of local busybodies complained to the council, so even this has been denied to him.
The frightening thing is, no matter who comes into power, the Ed's of this world will be no better off. After much consideration I have come to the conclusion that Democracy itself is fatally flawed, onlya benevolant dictatorship would hold any hope of redressing the balance.
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