If Plank was around he'd explain theres a world of difference between the two in some respects. Which isn't to say there arent dodgy Roma (witness that prog the other night about Romanian child beggars and benefit scams)...both parties are travellers by nature and both ethnic (true Roma come from India originally a thousand years or so ago) while the Dale Farm travellers are mostly chancers from the RoI who come over to make a bit (well a lot actually) of tax-free money and generally live outside the law.
Long-term 'British' Roma I believe tend to be much better behaved in general, although for obvious reasons they feel an affinity of some sort with the Irish travellers which I think can cloud some peoples judgement. If you've ever met a REAL Irish tinker you'd know that todays travellers bear little relation to their way of life, other than living it in laybys. In the RoI modern travellers (who are just as much an issue there as here) are often referred to in a derogatory way as 'knackers' LOL.
As I said earlier, I don't care what a man does as long as he pays his taxes and doesn't thieve from me or anyone else. Sadly, whatever the pro-traveller factions like to say, the vast majority of peoples experiences with travellers on the move is pretty dire to say the least. I'd suggest thats a bit of a contrast with years gone by but its a sad reflection on todays society.
It's all about money, if you haven't any, they'll build a halting site right next to you, but if you have money, and can go through the courts, good chance there will be no halting site next to you. For Dublin, no halting sites in Howth, Killiney, Blackrock, Foxrock, Leopardstown, etc. etc. However, Tallaght, Coolock, Finglas, Ballymun, et. etc. Outside Dublin, you don't see too many in Kildare, Meath, Tipperary. But Limerick, Galway, Westmeath is a different matter. Funny they only seem to gather where the less well off live, don't you think?
