WTF is going on in this country !!!!
Aug 24th 2007, 2:50 pm
#106
Suncream, I need suncream
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,316
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
And again, can I reiterate, please never mention Manchester in the same breath as Coventry
Graham
Aug 24th 2007, 2:51 pm
#107
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 510
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
for sure? perhaps you missed this post:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...9&postcount=35
see also here:
http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...9&postcount=35
see also here:
http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
Estherg is right, it's nothing like London.
When I lived in London I was repeatedly approached for buying drugs, the bus I got on my way back to my flat was held up at gun point, the driver slammed the door and sat there shaking, with the alarm going off. That was just in one day.
Theres a new murder every night on the news. Hey, I wish it wasn't like that but its true. I just can't imagine that happening back in north Queensland somehow, let alone throughout most of Q, etc.
Aug 24th 2007, 3:00 pm
#108
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 510
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
But if the question was "are Australian parents so concerned about knife crime that they're buying stabproof school clothing", which is I suspect closer to what the questioner meant, the answer would clearly be YES:
AUSTRALIAN parents desperate to protect children from attacks by thugs have begun ordering stab-proof tops from a British clothing firm.
They proved such a hit with British parents that Australians now inundating the company with orders to line their children's school blazers amid growing fears about knife attacks involving students.
The Essex-based company received about 10 orders for the protective tops from customers in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Darwin in one day alone this week.
AUSTRALIAN parents desperate to protect children from attacks by thugs have begun ordering stab-proof tops from a British clothing firm.
They proved such a hit with British parents that Australians now inundating the company with orders to line their children's school blazers amid growing fears about knife attacks involving students.
The Essex-based company received about 10 orders for the protective tops from customers in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Darwin in one day alone this week.
I'm sure it's just a load of fear mongering anyway, in both Oz and the UK.
Last edited by Vegemite; Aug 24th 2007 at 4:36 pm.
Aug 24th 2007, 3:04 pm
#109
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,322
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
Yes.....they did actually:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...-23109,00.html
Why would you think it is any different?
G
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...-23109,00.html
Why would you think it is any different?
G
I asked the question!!!
and it seems your facts are wrong!
Last edited by sammyg; Aug 24th 2007 at 3:07 pm.
Aug 24th 2007, 3:07 pm
#110
A lion in your lap
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Sparta NJ
Posts: 7,605
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
Nice cut and paste - except the core premise of the entire argument you've linked to, is utter bollocks. Those statistics make no reference whatsoever to where the crime occurs - so for the poster to suggest that "You'd have a higher chance of seeing an armed robbery occur in the UK but you're more likely to be a victim of theft / burglary yourself in Aus" is plain wrong.
As you know, all a 'per capita' statistic tells you is how many crimes occur, per head of population. So, for instance, there could have been 15000 assaults in Brisbane and 10 in Bourke - and yet the per capita statistics would merely report that there were 15010 assaults in the country per head of population - if I live in Bourke remind me again how I'm "more likely" to be a victim of assault?
If you drill down the real crime stats (as opposed to Nationmaster's ludicrously broad-brushed nonsense) it quickly becomes apparent that cities in both the UK and Oz suffer badly from all the usual city-related crimes. The same is not true of the towns and villages. I moved from a small rural town in the UK with a population of 5000, to a small rural town in Oz with a population of 5000 and the simple fact of the matter is that I am 'safer' here, than I was in the UK. Did I lose any sleep over that when I lived in the UK? No. Did it affect how I went about my life in the UK? No.
If you're going to use statistics that make no reference to population density or geographic location, then at least mention one that applies to all people, equally and has a far greater bearing on quality of life. Like this.
As you know, all a 'per capita' statistic tells you is how many crimes occur, per head of population. So, for instance, there could have been 15000 assaults in Brisbane and 10 in Bourke - and yet the per capita statistics would merely report that there were 15010 assaults in the country per head of population - if I live in Bourke remind me again how I'm "more likely" to be a victim of assault?
If you drill down the real crime stats (as opposed to Nationmaster's ludicrously broad-brushed nonsense) it quickly becomes apparent that cities in both the UK and Oz suffer badly from all the usual city-related crimes. The same is not true of the towns and villages. I moved from a small rural town in the UK with a population of 5000, to a small rural town in Oz with a population of 5000 and the simple fact of the matter is that I am 'safer' here, than I was in the UK. Did I lose any sleep over that when I lived in the UK? No. Did it affect how I went about my life in the UK? No.
If you're going to use statistics that make no reference to population density or geographic location, then at least mention one that applies to all people, equally and has a far greater bearing on quality of life. Like this.
Nationmaster is bollocks/nonsense? Methinks you do protest too much.
Aug 24th 2007, 3:14 pm
#111
A lion in your lap
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Sparta NJ
Posts: 7,605
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
You can't judge stuff like crime rates/personal safety purely on anecdotal evidence and personal experience.
Aug 24th 2007, 3:21 pm
#112
Australia's Doorman
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: The Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia
Posts: 11,056
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
And the day I need lecturing on crime levels from someone who willingly chose to live in the USA ...
Aug 24th 2007, 3:56 pm
#113
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: England > Queensland
Posts: 388
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
I work with the general public and I can't begin to say how miserable and rude people have become. People have simply forgot how to smile and be nice to each other. Self, self, self thats all people are interested in, oh and money. Where's the "fair go mate" gone. My partner and I are off to Oz early next year, at least the sun shines there.
Bushman.
Bushman.
Aug 24th 2007, 4:09 pm
#114
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Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 510
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
Ahem..speaking of this very topic here, and quoting from it, "the grass is not greener in Australia", look what I stumbled upon in another thread. It's the world's most liveable cities report for 2007...
Also an article about this report, from The Economist, the same people who assessed the cities, entitled:
"Liveability. Where the grass is greener
Aug 22nd 2007"
NOW, how's that for a laugh? What a co-incidental title!
Here's what they said:
"With low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed transport and communications infrastructure, Canada and Australia are home to the most liveable destinations in the world. Four of the ten most liveable cities surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit are in Australia.
While liveability considers factors of recreational and cultural activity, the "big city buzz" can hamper the scores of some cities, although not to the extent that a city will present significant challenges. Global centres such as New York, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and Paris may find themselves let down precisely because of their size and attractiveness. Traffic congestion and higher crime rates associated with large urban centres have, to some extent, offset the obvious cultural gains of living in such locations."
See the WORLDS MOST LIVEABLE CITIES thread for 2007. Where is London on the list? Hm, Hm?
Ok, the debate is officially over. We rest our case.
Also an article about this report, from The Economist, the same people who assessed the cities, entitled:
"Liveability. Where the grass is greener
Aug 22nd 2007"
NOW, how's that for a laugh? What a co-incidental title!
Here's what they said:
"With low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed transport and communications infrastructure, Canada and Australia are home to the most liveable destinations in the world. Four of the ten most liveable cities surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit are in Australia.
While liveability considers factors of recreational and cultural activity, the "big city buzz" can hamper the scores of some cities, although not to the extent that a city will present significant challenges. Global centres such as New York, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and Paris may find themselves let down precisely because of their size and attractiveness. Traffic congestion and higher crime rates associated with large urban centres have, to some extent, offset the obvious cultural gains of living in such locations."
See the WORLDS MOST LIVEABLE CITIES thread for 2007. Where is London on the list? Hm, Hm?
Ok, the debate is officially over. We rest our case.
Last edited by Vegemite; Aug 24th 2007 at 4:34 pm.
Aug 24th 2007, 4:13 pm
#115
Banned
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 93
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
11 years Matt! 11 long painful years of "F**k you, I'm alright Jack". After she was stabbed in the back and booted out, did you think that those years would just simply melt away and we'd be instantly taken back to a 1950's utopia where firm but fair Policemen would give kids a clip 'round the ear and send them home?
The fall-out of those years is still there in Britain. Tony Blair has hardly reversed them has he?
Aug 24th 2007, 4:22 pm
#116
Straw Man.
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: That, there, that's not my post count... nothing to see here, move along.
Posts: 46,302
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
11 years Matt! 11 long painful years of "F**k you, I'm alright Jack". After she was stabbed in the back and booted out, did you think that those years would just simply melt away and we'd be instantly taken back to a 1950's utopia where firm but fair Policemen would give kids a clip 'round the ear and send them home?
The fall-out of those years is still there in Britain. Tony Blair has hardly reversed them has he?
Aug 24th 2007, 4:31 pm
#118
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Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 510
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
and when I lived for three and a half years in London (within walking distance of Brixton) I never saw anything of the sort, but that's not to say it never happened.
You can't judge stuff like crime rates/personal safety purely on anecdotal evidence and personal experience.
You can't judge stuff like crime rates/personal safety purely on anecdotal evidence and personal experience.
Aug 24th 2007, 4:40 pm
#120
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 510
Re: WTF is going on in this country !!!!
[QUOTE
But it's okay to look at some meaningless per-capita statistic on crime levels are draw any kind of useful inference is it? Of course people are going to base things on personal experience. What's the alternative - pore over a table of statistics to decide if it's safe to nip down the shops for a pint of milk?
[/QUOTE]
haha, good point. Your personal experience does count for something surely?
But it's okay to look at some meaningless per-capita statistic on crime levels are draw any kind of useful inference is it? Of course people are going to base things on personal experience. What's the alternative - pore over a table of statistics to decide if it's safe to nip down the shops for a pint of milk?
[/QUOTE]haha, good point. Your personal experience does count for something surely?