Re: Do you really feel it?
 

All the world has gone to the dogs:rofl:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I was in Manchester for a long weekend at the start of this month (yes I know I picked a bad time because of the snow and the air traffic controllers' industrial action, but my flight was only delayed 1 hour coming back).

Admittedly I was only there a short time but I didn't get the impression that things were bad economically, the shops were all heaving with people in spite of the weather, and the restaurant I went to for lunch was so busy we had to wait for a table - and no, it wasn't a cheap chain establishment offering 2 for 1 deals!

From my perspective the economic situation is much worse in Spain, not that it affects me personally but it's sad to see so many people without work, queues outside the local charity to get free food and second hand clothes, etc. I went to Cadiz for a few days in November and was really shocked to see how many homeless people were sleeping rough in the city centre, and the majority of them were people in their '50s or older and didn't look as though they had obvious drink, drugs or mental health problems.

NB will those forum members who claim that I can only find positive things to say about Spain please take note!

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

It just depends what you notice and exactly where you live in a country

I always saw more homeless people in the UK than in Spain, but then I lived in London. In Barcelona there were lots of people who used to ravage through the bins, but dont think they were homeless, but obviously pretty destitute.

I've only noticed the odd homeless person in Malaga city, no more than in any other city in the world.

The most homeless people I've ever seen is when I went to North America. Chicago had loads and Vancouver had a shocking number, although someone told me that all the homeless in Canada relocate to Vancouver as it has a relatively mild winter.

Btw, I used to go and visit Manchester for work only a few years ago, and the first thing I noticed was the many homeless and drunk people as you got off at the train station

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I wonder if there's a Spanish equivalent of the Daily Mail.
Then you could really cheer us all up.:frown: ;)

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

A Spanis equivalent of the Daily Mail? I wouldn't know, having been a socialist all my adult life and a former full time trade union officer, I wouldn't be seen dead reading it.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

You are right about the area around Piccadilly Station in Manchester, Cricketman, it's not very salubrious at all. Same in most cities wherever I've been in the world, really, close to main railway stations - Kings Cross, Victoria, Termini in Rome, Centraal in Amsterdam, never book a hotel that says it is close to the railway station because the area's always horrible.

What shocked me in Cadiz was the sheer numbers, far more than I've seen in Central Malaga for example, and as I said, a great many older people. Cadiz is a pretty small place and it really stood out. We also saw a few different protests about unemployment just in the few days we were there, I did read after we got back that the figures are even higher there than for Malaga province, at least 30%. That is pretty scary.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Good for you.

I wouldn't wipe my *rse with it.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

I am in the UK for christmas and in my opinion "things" don't appear nearly as bad as things did in spain before I left.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Hmm, well I suppose the quality and texture of the paper isn't quite what it used to be. :D

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

heh. The best development of modern life imo has been the virtual disappearance of that greasepaper-like toilet paper.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

Oh god yes. Terrible stuff. Izal?

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

It was a cunning plan to stop people using too much! :D

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

At my first school the bog was located outside, about 60 mtrs across the school yard and quite often all frozen up.
Pupils first had to request permission to go ,and then explain in front of the class which particular function they wished to perform, a No 1 or a No.2. :o
If a No 2, they then had to request a single tiny piece of the old type toilet roll, which was located high on the top shelf of a cupboard behind the teachers desk, where no one else could reach it.
I can only presume this was for security reasons, in order to stop anyone making of with more than a single precious piece at a time.
Maybe it was hard to come by back then, as at home we often used to make do with pages from old comics, like the Dandy and Beano. However at least we could then combine business and pleasure, reading of course, whilst sitting on the ancient wooden seat of the drafty outside bog.
It could be particularly drafty up the old khyber pass, if the guys opened the door underneath, to shovel the stuff out whilst sitting there.

Ay, times were tuf when I were a lad. :rofl:

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

That's right, awful.

When we were young and saving up, we used to stay at the OHs Grandparents on the coast.
Every thing was great apart from the Izal. I used to have to put up with the stuff for a week at a time!
They also thought they were being posh because the didn't use a roll but from a china dispenser with IZAL emblazoned across it
.
Oh the plus side the nan did a great breakfast and Sunday roast.

Happy Days.

Re: Do you really feel it?
 

When we used to live with my mother, she used to insist on using Izal, while the rest of us used to insist on something a bit more comfortable.

The joke was that she used to go on about how wonderful it was, but after a while we noticed that she had stopped using it and had switched onto the soft stuff.