.

[Siduhe]

Have we established where on Melford Road this is? I'm curious (as I live nearby) because if it's the side track I think it is (near Wood Vale) then as far as I can see, whilst part of the open space is unregistered land, other parts are actually owned by the houses on Underhill Road (from the title plans), including the parts near the access way from Melford Road. So if someone is planning to store building machinery on the unregistered bit, or a bit they own, they're going to need permission from their neighbours on Underhill to do so, or they can't actually move that machinery in and out of the lane (if it's that bit of land, of course).

From a neighbour perspective, I'm more interested in people planning to use quiet residential land for potential industrial purposes than anything else, so it would be good to hear from MirandaAshby or anyone else who knows a bit more about what is being planned.

[Louisa]

Why is it whenever someone makes a non partisan and legitimate point on here, other forumites jump to unfounded conclusions? A resident on a street was concerned about an area of land close to their home. How does this from the OP turn into racial stereotyping? Sometimes this forum is unbelievable. And I get it in the ear about instantly bringing everything back to class? A lot of you seem to want to bring everything back to race!

Louisa.

[DJKillaQueen]

Traveller - 'irish' or otherwise is not a race Louisa ;)

[Penguin68]

Traveller - 'irish' or otherwise is not a race Louisa

Actually, 'black' isn't really a 'race' either (nor, actually, is 'Jew'; Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews are relatively diverse genetic groups) - but if we had a thread with 'Possible Blacks (or Jews) on Melford Road' we'd all be slightly worried (by the post, not the fact). 'Traveller' isn't just a simple descriptive noun, but carries with it a lot of baggage. A 'possible' Traveller is clearly seen as a threat to be faced up to, or faced down.

We might see any of these posts as being, in very broad terms 'racial' - in that we are identifying a group - which is outside our own. [As anti-semitism does not seem confined to addressing those who practice the Jewish religion - I am happy to see that grouped here].

[maxxi]

Penguin68 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> We might see any of these posts as being, in very

> broad terms 'racial' - in that we are identifying

> a group - which is outside our own. .

"Sydenham/Nunhead Forumites in EDF racial discrimination claim scandal!"

[Penguin68]

Sydenham/Nunhead Forumites in EDF racial discrimination claim scandal

Discrimination is discrimination - whether it is legislated against or not. If you chose not to employ, or serve, or rent a house to someone who originated from Nunhead (and for no other reason), you would be being discriminatory. In practice, at the genetic level, 'race' as a term is almost meaningless. If you, like me, are a white European, then you are genetically more close to someone from India or China than would be (some) indigeonous Africans living now in villages only 20 miles apart. That's a function of the comparatively small numbers of modern men who crossed over from Africa 100,000 years or so ago, compared to the numbers who stayed behind. A small genetic pool left, a large one remained. People classed as 'black' - nice big catch-all there - are less likely to be closely related to each other than you (if you are a white European) are to someone whose ancesters have been in Hanoi for 5,000 years.

In the end we chose what we mean by being racist, we choose who we class as 'not being like us'. It's a social/ linguistic/ cultural thing, not anything to do with what we think 'race' means - i.e. something to do with inheritance and genetics.

[LondonMix]

That's very true. Its also the reason why most scientists use the term ethnicity (which is clearly understood to be a social construct).

Anyway, I think the OP used the term travellers because it was the lens through which he understood the underlying behaviour. Why would someone try to clear land and appear to be evasive that also displays certain linguistic traits etc. In this case it may have led to the wrong conclusion but I think he felt that the specific type of disruption travellers sometimes pose to neighbours was what needed addressing (vs. some broader anti-traveller agenda). It was short hand for explaining what he was concerned might be going on.

[*Bob*]

I think they're druids. I saw a beard and heard chanting.

[Penguin68]

New Age Travellers then

[*Bob*]

Have The Levellers been heard at all? Or imprints of dropped juggling balls?

All tell-tale signs.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Please can we deconstruct the meaning of balls (as a linguistic construct).

[stacey-lyn]

Balls

http://i43.tinypic.com/35ko0ht.jpg

[the-e-dealer]

Thats alright then phew! GET OUT THE WICKER!

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Traveller - 'irish' or otherwise is not a race

> Louisa ;)

[dimples]

Just to say on which part of Milford road this is , it's across the road from lordship lane end up the alley there not the one your thinking of siduhe !

[Horsebox]

*Bob* Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think they're druids. I saw a beard and heard

> chanting.

Re-read the OP, *Bob* - there's no mention of chanting or beards.

These aren't the druids you're looking for.