Has anyone ever read The Man With the Twisted Lip by Arthur Conan Doyle?
Posted on 04/10/2014 3:09:13 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Sweden's EU Minister Birgitta Ohlsson says she is saddened and outraged that secret talks with Romania about the Central European country's poorest citizens have broken down.
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"We have a more empathetic view of these people," Ohlsson told Dagens Nyheter (DN) on Tuesday. "I think that other countries, not least Romania, are surprised by how we see things."
The Swedish government had been holding closed-door meetings with their Romanian colleagues for months. The Swedes urged their Romanian counterparts to put EU funds to better use in helping the country's poorest citizens, many of whom belong to minority Roma communities.
The talks have now broken down. Ohlsson said she was outraged, saddened and disappointed by the impasse.
"It drives me mad to see the lack of interest they have in the matter," she said.
DN previously reported that Romania had used just a third of structural funds diverted from Brussels, with only a fraction of the sum used to help Roma communities.
Bucharest is notably opposing the creation of a panel of EU experts to ensure that the funds specially allocated by Brussels actually go to the aim of making Roma part of mainstream Romanian society, she said.
The issue is especially important to Sweden, which has become a major destination for Roma - an ostracised Romanian minority who are sometimes called gypsies, and who live poor, itinerant lives.
A study by Stockholm's social services estimated that 90 percent of the city's beggars come from Romania.
To help Romania lift its estimated one million Roma out of poverty and integrate, the EU has set aside money for Bucharest to use.
But Romania has shown difficulty in absorbing the funds. Of the 3.7 billion euros ($5 billion) it had access to over the past six years - which includes the Roma funding - the country has spent just over a quarter.
In February, Swedish Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag said it was "deeply worrisome" that Romania did not apply for the EU resources at its disposal to improve the situation of the Roma.
The Romanian ambassador to Stockholm replied by suggesting Sweden imply ban begging as a way to stem the Roma inflow.
The sight of beggars on Sweden's streets has angered some and saddened others in Sweden. A suspected assault on an elderly woman in Kista was reported only last week, whereas others have gone out of their way to help the EU migrants.
The Gypsies, call them what they are, prefer to take rather than become actual productive citizens of any nation.
Bucharest is notably opposing the creation of a panel of EU experts to ensure that the funds specially allocated by Brussels actually go to the aim of making Roma part of mainstream Romanian society, she said.
Is that really what the EU wants? Is it really something Romania opposes?
we got thousands of beggers in the streets here ... let’s send them all to Sweden!
Everybody gets their problems solved...all at once.
Sweden gets more of the people it loves so dearly.
The beggers get what is reportedly an extremely generous give=away program.
And we get our streets back, free from having to step over, or slip on, begger droppings
May be it’s because Romania is far away and the beggars/gypsies are much closer...
Has anyone ever read The Man With the Twisted Lip by Arthur Conan Doyle?
Yes, well.... Neville St. Claire made a ton of money begging in the streets... as do some of our modern-day beggars.
One morning I happened across a beggar with the accompanying shopping cart full of old krap....on the commute train into the city...from a very, very prosperous suburb. How he got the cart up the stairs I don’t know, but... he was supporting an upper-class style of living (houses run about $2.5 million there on average)....
by begging.
Another case, I wheeled my groceries out of the supermarket only to be met by a strong, tall young fellow who complained he had nothing to eat. I gave him my grocery order and returned to the store to replace it. The checkout lady noticed me there for a second (identical) helping. She inquired and I explained. She then let out, YOU GOT TAKEN IN BY THAT DA*nED BUM! He pulls that trick on everybody who shops here!” Apparently, he had already been there bumming off the customers for several years.
Another case, a lady was begging in the street by city hall.....(still is), she sleeps in the streets too. I made arrangements for her to receive a FREE one bedroom apartment in a brand new building (today’s rent value around $3,000 a month). She refused to even go look at it, saying she preferred to stay outdoors with her friends on the street, would only consider moving inside if all her friends could be provided similar accommodation.
That pretty much ended my amateur efforts at social work.
I was in London in the 90’s and a pand-handler on a cell phone solicited me. I told him he had a cell phone and I didn’t, maybe he should give me money. I wondered if he was on the phone with his stock broker.
it is indeed difficult nowadays to differentiate between the genuinely needy...(more or less, the genuinely deserving, those having suffered some unexpected difficulty not of their own making?).......hard to sort between the needy and the PIGGISH BUMS who beg, taking advantage of the kind instincts of decent working people, ripping them off.
I still try to give the benefit of the doubt since I realize I can’t really tell the difference b Tetween those I’d wish to help and those who are only taking advantage of us.
There sure are a lot of the exploitative kind of bums out there nowadays! You hardly came across many rip=off artists at all...40 years ago.
What’s the worst thing you can here in Europe from a Gypsie?”
“Hello, I am your new neighbor.”
I don’t know the solution to the problem of the Roma but their beggar and thief rackets are HUGE businesses back home in Romania. It is best to avoid where they hang out. The little kids are the worst. They are led around to be professional thieves for some gangster back in their shanty.
It’s time to play WHAT DOES SWEDEN CARE MORE ABOUT THAN ROMANIA DOES?
Sweden cares more about spaghetti than Romania does.
Sweden cares more about Pee Wee Herman than Romania does.
Sweden cares more about flaming cats than Romania does.
Sweden cares more about groundhogs Day than Romania does.
Sweden cares more about belly button lint than Romania does.
Sweden cares more about disco than Romania does. And that’s nothing to be proud of.
Sweden cares more about Sweden than Romania does....most of the time.
Sweden doesn’t care one bit about Weiner dog racing, though. You could race Weiner dogs in Sweden all day, and not one Swede would care. OK. Karl Fundersberger might care....but only for a little while. Then he’d be back milking mooses.
There are groups sounding the alarm, but it is likely too late.
Hey, I never much cared for Romania either. /rimshot
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