Travelers

This story reveals that something far more fundamental than the integrity of greenbelt is broke in terms of our approach to minority groups in rural England. After all the strife and difficulty over the evictions at Dale Farm some of the travelers are back. The article reveals

“This morning, caravans had pulled back onto the illegal half of the site and many remain on the legal side, exceeding the authorised capacity. At least one caravan houses three generations of one family, ranging from young children to a woman in her sixties. Some said they planned to stay unless the council provided an alternative, others are resigned to the fact they will be forced to move on. Council bosses said they were monitoring the situation and would resist any attempt to reoccupy Dale Farm. Patrick Egan, who is entitled to remain in his house on the illegal site, said: “Nobody would want to live here – the site is a mess, it’s contaminated with asbestos and we have to use a generator for power.”

 People have strong views about the principles underpinning this issue and I can see both sides. I don’t think we have ever truly got to the bottom of the challenge of reconciling the different aspirations of travelers and rural dwellers more generally. I don’t know if that is because they are irreconcilable or we are not trying and thinking hard enough. You will no doubt have views!!