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The no sex before marriage thong is probably why they all get married so young.

Thats what I thought too!

I think we all agree they are fascinating people.

Well the family I know I wouldn't call fascinating...scum maybe but nit fascinating!

the ones I know (they are a settled gypsie family...  3 generations of them live in a big house on a farm - that I have never seen any actual farming take place on).....   are really lovely people.    they are rough as a bears backside...  but proper salt of the earth types.

I used to go up and hang out round their swimming pool with the two sons when my daughter was a baby.    Their Mum used to come tottering out...  gin in hand..   wanting to take my daughter for a walk in her pushchair (I used to let her... on the condition that the pitbull didn't go with them)...

Their house was massive, their clothes all designer (yet casual), but the carpets were all threadbare, in amongst the dad's rolls royce there would be 3 or 4 clapped out old cars in the drive...   oh & of course the mandatory shabby caravan!

Youngest son was hot though...    til he got into body building, got stretch marks & a fat neck... & then stopped doing it and it all went flabby!

Tonights episode was brilliant I LOVE that dress (not in a want to wear it sort of way ) but how amazing would it be to make that, it would be like costume design for some over the top panto. Wonderful

I thought the mum looked like a walking negative.

God, just seen the mum

Its the kids that are dressed like little ..well...cant say that get me. I mean culture is one thing but thats just a recipe for disaster.

I didn't know the bailiffs could go in and demolish things

I didnt think that was fair saz, from what i gathered they had bought that land. I mean if they are squatting thats one thing, but they bought it and they were evicted? I cant see how thats right.

I know, just cos they didn't have planning permission, which they had applied for and was refused

It's usually greenbelt land that is protected....my sister had some move onto land next door to her even though just up the road is a legal proper site.

I ended up watching last weeks, and then last years, found their culture quite fascinating in a nauseous sort of way 

I wish there was a line definition between gypsies/travellers/etc because some of the mentioned have removed a chained bollard near where i live to a wildflower site and set up camp. True gypsies wouldnt do this but they all get tarred with the same brush because of actions like this. Who are the "true" gypsies?does anyone know?

Only if disaster is marrying young, having loads of kids and doing lots of housework.

Yeah, OK, disaster! 

Or coming across the local peado....

last nights episode disturbed me a lot when the cameraman seemed to spend too much focus on the really tiny tots and their over the top suggestive dancing..  and a lot of zooming in too..

I felt very uncomfortable.. .tho I am sure the kids have no idea how suggestive it looks the Editor of the show isn't of their world yet chose to show loads of footage of that dancing.. 

and I think the dresses are rank...  can't understand why anybody would want to look like they are sat on top of a toilet roll

I just watched it and for most of it I was -------> 

I agree with Olly on the camera time spent watching the young girls dance and gyrate was uncomfortable as was the scene when the little girl who's communion it was having her spray tan in the nuddy   Could just picture my parish priest Fr Maguire's face if we'd have turned up for our first holy communion dressed like that 

As for the pink dress that lit up - well at least she tried to accommodate her new life style (personally it was horrendous but that's just my opinion)  although I couldn't stop staring at her tangoed mother   it's wrong to make personal assertions but she looked as rough as a badgers backside.  Having said that the girl, her young sister and her father looked very respectable so I'm probably being unkind here 

It wasn't nice for the family having their home destroyed but why do travellers seem to think they have a God given right to park their vans anywhere and that they should be accommodated???  I really do believe that councils need to arrange more sites for them static or otherwise but they should definitely not be on green belt land - brown belt land could be redeveloped and they should pay for the utilities to be fitted properly like everyone else has to  

I totally agree because there is a big difference between romany gypsies and travellers 

I'm sure it said they had bought the land, they just weren't allowed to build on it

It was their land they just didn't have planning permission.

I heard that Saz   but they know when they buy the land that they are not allowed to build on it hence why the do it surreptitiously and install utilities during weekends when they know it's a  bank holiday and the council won't be in work for 4 days.

My point (prolly didn't make it clear enough) is that there is lots of brown belt land available that no manufacturing is being built on so couldn't that be redeveloped to accommodate them by the council or let them buy brown belt land and leave the green belt as field - just my opinion though

The little girls did bother me. The outfits and the bumping and grinding on the dancefloor. It was all just too sexual for my liking.

They didnt have planning permission for the houses they had built but i still dont understand why they were being evicted, caravans the lot? surely if its their land they have the right to be on it. I found that really unfair.

Yeah but saz you or I couldn't just buy a bit of land and build on it without going through all the process why should they? My sister bought a nice house surrounded by fields, knowing it was greenbelt land and couldn't be built on and 2 months later there were caravans on it that could have used the legal council provided site up the road but chose not to. There was no plumbing so she had a portaloo next to her garden fence and them burning rubbish at all hours to get rid of it. She and the council got a court order and they moved before they were moved on but the mess they left behind was unbelievable. It took a couple of lorries to clear it!

I'm assuming it's because there were very few caravans they were mainly all static homes as in vans that couldn't move.  I don't think they could evict them from the land as you're correct in that they had bought it, but the council do have the right to destroy the static homes they built.  It's the same as anyone who has built houses under haystacks, wait 5 years before declaring it and then apply for retrospective planning.

I think you need planning permission to set up a caravan park.

I think it's because of the none static amenities they had, out houses, electricity, sheds etc etc if it's a permanent structure you need PP.

Just watched this on catch up...  What I want to know is where the bloody hell do they get their money from?  The wedding that I saw with the ridiculous pink dress all lit up with the butterflies, must have cost fifty grand.  And that was just one celebration.  And even the communion dresses must have cost a tidy packet too.  Everything was so expensive and horridly chavvy, from the naff orange tans to the nasty make up.  And I know I sound like a horrid snob - (although I am really not..  I have to say that they are really really common and mouthy and just generally a bunch of chavs.

And do they work?  How do they get their money?  I know they perhaps don't have massive mortgages because of having caravans, but they seem to spend 10s of 1000s on weddings, parties, confirmations and so on....  so where does it come from? 

And this 'she will never be a part of our community no matter how long she lives here,' and 'she will never be accepted' was just a bit weird and scary.  These people want to be accepted and be allowed to stay where they want, and yet, they cast everybody out - even people who want to marry into their community.  Frankly, I would rather live alone with my dogs for the rest of my life than join a freakshow like that.

And I do agree that to teach girls that the only life for them is to be accepted by a man and taken as his wife is the most they can get out of life, is actually rather sad and tragic.  It's basically a cult.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Have to disagree. I found them to be quite charming, in most cases.

Agreed!