UK as an "Emerging Economy"?

[Cheshirechappie]

Believe me there have been sweat shops and horrible exploitation in Leicester for well over 20 years.
I guess every city has it if you look in the right places.

It would seem that officialdom in the guise of councils and various government agencies have known all about it for several years, but done nothing much about it. I wonder who owns and operates those businesses?

 

[lurker]

Believe me there have been sweat shops and horrible exploitation in Leicester for well over 20 years.
I guess every city has it if you look in the right places.

It would seem that officialdom in the guise of councils and various government agencies have known all about it for several years, but done nothing much about it. I wonder who owns and operates those businesses?

The owners are well known.

Let’s say this, there are distinct parallels between the blind eyes to Leicester Sweatshops to those we have seen regarding the many sexual predator gangs and their offences in many other cities like Rotherham, Oxford etc etc etc.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Why doesn't that surprise me ...

What happened to justice applying equally to all? Some, it seems, are more equal than others. But what are the authorities thinking? They must realise that this scandal will sooner or later blow up spectacularly in their faces?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a conversation with a chap with whom I worked with some twenty years ago. We were talking about the odd minor things an EHO had pulled us on, and I said I always wondered how the kebab shop got away with part cooking the meat, using it for the evening, refridgerating it then putting it on to cook the following day ad infinitum. He said he had spoken about the same issue to his cousin, an EHO (whom I knew) who said the kebab shops were owned by foreign nationals and immediately they were criticised they screamed racism, so it was easier to leave them alone.

 

[billw]

Why doesn't that surprise me ...

What happened to justice applying equally to all? Some, it seems, are more equal than others. But what are the authorities thinking? They must realise that this scandal will sooner or later blow up spectacularly in their faces?

Is that a dog whistle I can hear?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Why doesn't that surprise me ...

What happened to justice applying equally to all? Some, it seems, are more equal than others. But what are the authorities thinking? They must realise that this scandal will sooner or later blow up spectacularly in their faces?

Is that a dog whistle I can hear?

No, it isn't, assuming your comment means what I think it means. It's an expression of puzzlement and frustration that the minimum wage legislation is applied to some businesses, but seemingly not others. Do you think the Law of the Land should be selectively applied, or, as near as humanly possible, equally to all?

 

[Rorschach]

Impossible to apply legislation when the business is operating illegally under the radar.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

What radar might that be? I suggest they get it fixed.

 

[billw]

No, it isn't, assuming your comment means what I think it means. It's an expression of puzzlement and frustration that the minimum wage legislation is applied to some businesses, but seemingly not others. Do you think the Law of the Land should be selectively applied, or, as near as humanly possible, equally to all?

Well the principle of the law is that it's applied equally and I absolutely agree with that, but someone has to know it's being broken to act upon it. The situation in Leicester has been going on, as someone said earlier, for a looooong time now. Problem is as soon as you shut one place down, another will spring up. Ban someone from being a director and they'll simply use a family member to be a director. People need money and they'll work for lower than minimum wage - in reality they should report it but desperation means they'd rather have something than nothing. Why bite the hand that feeds you?

 

[lurker]

As may be obvious, I know Leicester well.
It has a thriving group of lawyers and accountants that specialise in Phoenix companies.

 

[lurker]

Impossible to apply legislation when the business is operating illegally under the radar.

I think hiding in plain sight would be more appropriate in this area.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

No, it isn't, assuming your comment means what I think it means. It's an expression of puzzlement and frustration that the minimum wage legislation is applied to some businesses, but seemingly not others. Do you think the Law of the Land should be selectively applied, or, as near as humanly possible, equally to all?

Well the principle of the law is that it's applied equally and I absolutely agree with that, but someone has to know it's being broken to act upon it. The situation in Leicester has been going on, as someone said earlier, for a looooong time now. Problem is as soon as you shut one place down, another will spring up. Ban someone from being a director and they'll simply use a family member to be a director. People need money and they'll work for lower than minimum wage - in reality they should report it but desperation means they'd rather have something than nothing. Why bite the hand that feeds you?

So the law should apply equally, except when it's a bit inconvenient to apply it?

We've already seen where that leads us in places like Rotherham, Rochdale and a whole host of others. Not a good situation.

 

[billw]

So the law should apply equally, except when it's a bit inconvenient to apply it?

We've already seen where that leads us in places like Rotherham, Rochdale and a whole host of others. Not a good situation.

I didn't say that? I said I agreed with the law being applied equally.

As for those particular cases, well there was equally a huge pattern of brushing abuse under the carpet in the 1970s with all those infamous cases that came to light when Savile snuffed it. Are the rumours of widespread abuse by senior politicians true? If so - what's the difference?

I suppose my issue with the way its presented is that the race of the perpetrators is somehow linked to the crime itself. Only one thing makes someone a paedophile, and that's....being a paedophile. The way its presented in the media is that they (intentionally, at times) highlight the racial profile when the perpetrator is not white, as if almost to say that's somehow relevant. It explains why the two headlines "Two men convicted of rape" and "Two black men convicted of rape" aren't meant to protray the same story - because I'd guarantee the first case was white men so let's look at the horror of rape, and the second one is to make people have negative thoughts of black men in general. You can thank the Daily Fail for that.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

So the law should apply equally, except when it's a bit inconvenient to apply it?

We've already seen where that leads us in places like Rotherham, Rochdale and a whole host of others. Not a good situation.

I didn't say that? I said I agreed with the law being applied equally.

As for those particular cases, well there was equally a huge pattern of brushing abuse under the carpet in the 1970s with all those infamous cases that came to light when Savile snuffed it. Are the rumours of widespread abuse by senior politicians true? If so - what's the difference?

I suppose my issue with the way its presented is that the race of the perpetrators is somehow linked to the crime itself. Only one thing makes someone a paedophile, and that's....being a paedophile. The way its presented in the media is that they (intentionally, at times) highlight the racial profile when the perpetrator is not white, as if almost to say that's somehow relevant. It explains why the two headlines "Two men convicted of rape" and "Two black men convicted of rape" aren't meant to protray the same story - because I'd guarantee the first case was white men so let's look at the horror of rape, and the second one is to make people have negative thoughts of black men in general. You can thank the Daily Fail for that.

You didn't say that? With respect, you did.

Are the rumours of widespread abuse by senior politicians true? No, they aren't. There was a huge Scotland Yard operation (Operation Midland) investigating them, and in the end not only was there not a shred of evidence found to support them, but one of the principal informers was found to be a congenital liar, and jailed for perjury. A number of senior police officers made (at best) appalling fools of themselves.

As for the rest of your comment, I would refer you to Baroness Alexis Jay's report and it's conclusions.

Edit to add;

As this particular diversion in the conversation has little to do with the subject of "The UK as an Emerging Economy", and as it could enter territory which would cause the moderators to intervene, I suggest we change the subject back to the main thrust of the thread's debate.

 

[rafezetter]

Even simpler fact ........ being born in the UK in my opinion is like a lottery win. Opportunities are amazing.
Prior to C19, every one doing some travelling wanted to come here.
Tourists want to come here.
Asylum seekers want to come here.
Heads of state and world leaders want to come here.
I think it's a great country, however it seems to be fully of doom mongering moaning pessimists at present. Anyway onwards and upwards, best foot forward and all that.

It's hard to go "onwards and upwards" if you have not looked around and taken stock of your ACTUAL position rather than the one you think you are in.

"reality ALWAYS intrudes"

and it's not being pessimistic to say that keeping certain militant and oppressive regimes, not just at arms length but OUT of a position of leverage against the UK, is just good common sense, but to do that we are back at the "doom mongering" reality of mine and others world views that China is a serious threat and if not curbed could become THE ONLY global mega-superpower on Earth in 100 years.

Sure regimes change etc etc, but considering China's willingness to oppress it's people in all manner of ways both open and secret, it won't be any time soon, even with their being over a billion of them.