Leicester named as one of 27 'High tension areas'

[Bellend Sebastian]

Well fancy that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8305906.stm

I'm feeling very relaxed, but clearly not everybody is

[Jon the Hat]

It's ok they are pumping a mighty £12m into these areas. That'll do it.

[Big Ol' Bob]

The area is actually listed as "Leicester - New Parks".

So......who cares.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

It's ok they are pumping a mighty £12m into these areas. That'll do it.

I don't know for sure but it smacks of desperation by Labour to try to vote gain before the next election. I can bet you that the supposed £12m is not going to be before the election. Can see the leaflets now - "Vote for us and we will commit to £X to improve your area" .

It was on the main news last night. They were in the New Parks Estate where the average reading age amongst adults is 7!! All of the people interviewed were so ill educated it was embarrassing for them. Blaming the Poles & the Kosovans for making them feel like a minority etc. It was such a purposely blinkered view of residents in general from the estate. Pumping money into the area will not improve things on it's own. Education is the key for these areas if things are to improve. I expect I will be shot down for this comment but the problem is that a lot of them would rather moan than actually get off their bone idle arses to improve themselves.

[Lillehamring]

100 areas in total, could england be any more fucked

[Guest Basildon Fox]

100 areas in total, could england be any more fucked

Unfortunately probably. What is the lifestyle like in Norway? Want to get out of this cesspit of a Country sooner rather than later.

[davieG]

Well they have 3 Labour Councillors and I presume they have had for some considerable time so you'd think they would have had some sort of positive impact on the area by now.

A bit of condemnation by their Central Masters.

Oh and as an aside one of them is Ultra.

As for it being electioneering I suppose it would only be to keep the BNP out.

[Dr The Singh]

Well they have 3 Labour Councillors and I presume they have had for some considerable time so you'd think they would have had some sort of positive impact on the area by now.

A bit of condemnation by their Central Masters.

Oh and as an aside one of them is Ultra.

As for it being electioneering I suppose it would only be to keep the BNP out.

Where's councillor Colin when you need him??? WIth all the Nazi's, Terrorist Sikh's in Leicester, and the love for Gandhi's statue in downfall, no wonder there;s high tension!!

[purpleronnie]

So they're picking out areas that need help, why do people assume england is fooked? Every country I've ever lived in has similar and in many cases much worse social problems I'm not saying its perfect but blimey people sure do go OTT.

[Ultra]

It was on the main news last night. They were in the New Parks Estate where the average reading age amongst adults is 7!! All of the people interviewed were so ill-educated it was embarrassing for them.

Including the 2 uni graduates? (me and the council officer)

Blaming the Poles & the Kosovans for making them feel like a minority etc. It was such a purposely blinkered view of residents in general from the estate.

Indeed. Having spent nearly two hours with the reporter on a tour of the ward, I can advise that he was somewhat selective both in his choice of people interviewed, and the subsequent editing of the content. He appeared to have a very negative, preconceived agenda and and any individual or group that didn't conform to that agenda were simply ignored.

Pumping money into the area will not improve things on its own. Education is the key for these areas if things are to improve.

Exactly, which is why so much effort has been made to raise standards in local schools during the past decade. However a culture of under-achievement and low attainment has persisted over decades and will not be removed overnight.

I expect I will be shot down for this comment but the problem is that a lot of them would rather moan than actually get off their bone idle arses to improve themselves.

As we've seen on message boards on many occasions, it's far easier to be destructive than constructive.

Contrary to what BBC viewers might be led to believe, there are a lot of folk within the community who are working to improve the area and they will not stand by and let that work go to waste.

[Jon the Hat]

I was misquoted etc

What are you going to do with your £444k?

And what does this allocation of additional funds tell us about

a) The government's system for allocating local authority grants;

b) The labour council's ability to spend it wisely;

c) Central governments desire to be seen to be doing something useful even if in fact local government have spent the money wisely in long term measure like education rather than short term ones to grab headlines.

Also if it follows that in fact the local council is doing good work, and therefore this money is a pr stunt, does this not in fact make the Tory policy of devolving power to local authorities a good one?

[Babylon]

The only tension I get is from watching lame reports like that one.

[Lillehamring]

Unfortunately probably. What is the lifestyle like in Norway? Want to get out of this cesspit of a Country sooner rather than later.

ha, the whole forum will hate you for asking me this - i could go on forever!

suffice to say, my life has totally changed since moving here, it is certainly not a utopia, there are many problems of course, but it makes england seem like eastern europe.....

lots of nature, lots of culture, friendly people

at the cup final last season, the total police presence was.....six.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

http://www.photius.com/rankings/greenest_countries_2008.html

http://www.photius.com/rankings/environmen...index_2008.html

http://www.allcountries.org/ranks/richest_cities_2008.html

mainly because of this fact:

Norway, a country of 4.6 million people, is the world's third-largest oil exporter, after Saudi Arabia.

[Babylon]

ha, the whole forum will hate you for asking me this - i could go on forever!

suffice to say, my life has totally changed since moving here, it is certainly not a utopia, there are many problems of course, but it makes england seem like eastern europe.....

lots of nature, lots of culture, friendly people

at the cup final last season, the total police presence was.....six.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

http://www.photius.com/rankings/greenest_countries_2008.html

http://www.photius.com/rankings/environmen...index_2008.html

http://www.allcountries.org/ranks/richest_cities_2008.html

mainly because of this fact:

Boooo go away... stop making us more miserable

[Part Of The Crowd]

Milton Keynes is in there. There are areas that need some attention and Tinkers Bridge ain't one of them.

[Lillehamring]

Boooo go away... stop making us more miserable

will it help if i mention that it's going to be -4 tomorrow morning

[Guest]

I expect I will be shot down for this comment but the problem is that a lot of them would rather moan than actually get off their bone idle arses to improve themselves.

It's endemic in society, I am afraid, however I do agree with you.

[Thracian]

ha, the whole forum will hate you for asking me this - i could go on forever!

suffice to say, my life has totally changed since moving here, it is certainly not a utopia, there are many problems of course, but it makes england seem like eastern europe.....

lots of nature, lots of culture, friendly people

at the cup final last season, the total police presence was.....six.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

http://www.photius.com/rankings/greenest_countries_2008.html

http://www.photius.com/rankings/environmen...index_2008.html

http://www.allcountries.org/ranks/richest_cities_2008.html

mainly because of this fact:

I don't know whether your comments or the original link are the most condemning of the despair that is part of the daily existence for so many English people today.

But how sadly both portray endless years of Labour's mismanagement, reckless and poor value-for-money spending, misguided philosophies, lack of foresight, fairness or proper planning and the setting of such low standards in so many areas of administration.

Even worse is that there are still blinkered and supposedly educated people who would clearly sanction more of the same.

[lou]

Well from what I can see the millions theyve spent on Braunstone hasnt made much difference.

Ive lived on the New Parks estate and there are a lot of decent hardworking people living there. Theyre not all morons

[BlueSi13]

Gotta love people who still honestly believe the grass is greener on the other side.....from a person whose lived in Belgium, France and currently Germany....trust me on this one....it isn't.

[purpleronnie]

Gotta love people who still honestly believe the grass is greener on the other side.....from a person whose lived in Belgium, France and currently Germany....trust me on this one....it isn't.

Couldn't agree more.

And furthermore norways great yeah? as you say lots of nature, lots of culture, friendly people.

And england hasn't those things?

Maybe you just didnt get out a lot.

I'm sure someone who lived in Toxteth and moved to the peak district would have similar feelings to you, same country though.

[BlueSi13]

Couldn't agree more.

And furthermore norways great yeah? as you say lots of nature, lots of culture, friendly people.

And england hasn't those things?

Maybe you just didnt get out a lot.

I'm sure someone who lived in Toxteth and moved to the peak district would have similar feelings to you, same country though.

Dam right, or the Lake District....or the Cotswalds...or Devon...or Cornwall....etc etc etc etc etc, the list is endless, i suggest the people who believe those things about England or the UK try and spend more than 2 weeks away from it, then they might realise how god dam lucky we really are...i certainly have!!

PS Germany is well worth a visit though!

[Lillehamring]

Gotta love people who still honestly believe the grass is greener on the other side.....from a person whose lived in Belgium, France and currently Germany....trust me on this one....it isn't.

Couldn't agree more.

And furthermore norways great yeah? as you say lots of nature, lots of culture, friendly people.

And england hasn't those things?

Maybe you just didnt get out a lot.

I'm sure someone who lived in Toxteth and moved to the peak district would have similar feelings to you, same country though.

i think the flaw in your argument ronnie, is that in england for most people living in areas with beautiful nature is a luxury, in norway it is normal, even the cities are much greener, when i lived in england the best i could afford was woodgate, and in london i couldn't even afford to live in the shitest part of town letalone living in the lake district or the cotswolds...

and, quite frankly, i found england and especially leicester to be hopelessly lacking in cultural resources - even a small town here will usually have a cinema and a theatre, even the suburban centres of olso will have a theatre or concert hall, imagine having a concert hall in south wigston.....

i'm not going to get bogged down in a 'my country's better than your country' argument, but having tasted life in both places, i'm happy to sing norway's praises from the rooftops, it's probably not everybody's cup of tea but i love it...

yes england does have nature, culture and friendly people but it's all about degrees - you can't even begin to imagine the nature here until you've seen it (example below), not to mention the ease of access to it...and whilst english people can be the friendliest in the world, they can also be, in my experience, very aggressive and rather miserable, i'd rather take my chances here, thanks.

i got out plenty in england, thanks, i grew up amongst 'pleasant' countryside and lived in one of the best cities in the world, i've been fortunate enough to stay in beatrix potter's house in the lakes and have travelled around the beautiful southwest, it's all good - would i swap it for what i have now? no, cause the grass IS greener... it's all about the standard of living, and i could no longer accept the level in england as it is these days...

[Babylon]

imagine having a concert hall in south wigston.....

...You've not seen the working mens club recently then have you?

[davieG]

...You've not seen the working mens club recently then have you?

Are there any of those left, my membership lapsed a long time ago.