Do other first world countries suffer from "junkie/scumbag" problem that Ireland does

mvl

elperello wrote: »

Tourism is a big earner for Ireland.
Those Americans in the OP paid a lot of money to come to Dublin.
No point in telling them that other places are as bad or worse.
They have just spent their vacation money for the year to come here.
Their feedback is useful and should be listened to and acted on.

From where I am concerned, this may be another piece of media news that has an agenda.
But, I don't care about what these american tourists spent on their travels: if they do spend, they are not more entitled than the locals.
So, how much are the locals bothered about this is the a question I would have instead. For sure you should act based on what your tax payer wants/needs most of all ...

pinksoir

Pretzeluck wrote: »

Berlin, Paris, Rome. You will not find junkies in the city centre begging for coin. You have military patrolling there and throwing them out.

You're talking shit. I live in Berlin and there's junkies everywhere.

Autochange

pinksoir wrote: »

You're talking shit. I live in Berlin and there's junkies everywhere.

Local ones or imported?

Mike Hoch

Autochange wrote: »

Local ones or imported?

I met German backpackers too tight to spend money on food and toiletries, they used to eat and shower at soup kitchens.

To think there are Germans out there who buy drugs blows my mind.

Autochange

Mike Hoch wrote: »

I met German backpackers too tight to spend money on food and toiletries, they used to eat and shower at soup kitchens.

To think there are Germans out there who buy drugs blows my mind.

There is medication for that

pinksoir

Autochange wrote: »

Local ones or imported?

Both. But tbh most of Berlin is blow-ins. From elsewhere in Germany, Europe, and further afield. It's surprising to meet an original Berliner.

Das Reich

pinksoir wrote: »

You're talking shit. I live in Berlin and there's junkies everywhere.

Went several times there and never saw it.

pinksoir

You're the expert so.

Pretzeluck

MadDog76 wrote: »

I've spent literally 10's of thousands of euros, and dollars, in and travelling to the US and the things I've seen there would make a billy goat puke....... am I entitled to some kind of refund or compensation?

I've lived in capitals of all 28 European Union countries and all 50 US states and I can confirm that you're talking ****e.

weemcd

I live in Belfast, and I've been down in Dublin many times over the years.

I was down a couple of months ago, and I have to say I really did notice the amount of dodgy/junkie looking types everywhere. It has to be on the rise.

I don't remember noticing it as much before.

ziggyman17

Well a new detox center is being built in Dublin 8, a stones throw for tourist areas, does the people running this country not do any planning or thinking.. Its being built at Ushers Island..........Planning gone in and approved......

corner of hells

ziggyman17 wrote: »

Well a new detox center is being built in Dublin 8, a stones throw for tourist areas, does the people running this country not do any planning or thinking.. Its being built at Ushers Island..........Planning gone in and approved......

Simon have an existing medical detox and respite centre there already.
They do great work often following through housing people.

ziggyman17

corner of hells wrote: »

Simon have an existing medical detox and respite centre there already.
They do great work often following through housing people.

its being knocked down and a six storey building is is being built on its site...

Greentopia

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Well that's just bollix.

I've seen people sleeping/goofing on the Pantheon, you can't go 5 steps around the Colloseum without getting hassled to buy some trinket, and Berlin has full blown squats.

Rome has some very dodgy areas alright. I went there once and had prostitutes plying their trade outside the hotel and saw huge number of Africans selling tat and Roma beggars, especially near the train station. Was warned by Italian friends not to hang around there and keep my handbag very safe as there's pick pockets everywhere.
Still preferable to being aggressively asked for change by walking dead junkies while I wait for a bus or LUAS in Dublin though IMO.

Berlin has a population of around 3.5 million to Dublin city's 550,000 and it's a lot bigger so not really fair to compare the too, but I never noticed junkies around the Mitte on the streets. Lots of alcoholics, junkies and homeless around the train stations yes, but none of them ever bothered me on the streets or were really visible like they are in Dublin. And Berlin is considered the problem child of Germany economically and the least German of any city. Which is maybe why I like it so much :pac:

And what's wrong with squats? they've had them in Berlin since the fall of the wall. They look colourful, co-exist peacefully with their neighbours and populated by everyone from anarchists, punks and young people who can't afford rising rents in the city to respectable OAP'S and families with children. They're clean and have open houses that offer everything from cheap meals for tourists to classical music concerts and art exhibitions. Some have theatres and restaurants.

I was inside one in Kreuzberg and they're far from the grim and grotty junkie and homeless hangouts you seem to imagine.

Hitman3000

Pretzeluck wrote:

I've lived in capitals of all 28 European Union countries and all 50 US states and I can confirm that you're talking ****e.

Now this is the very defination of talking sh*te.

the purple tin

Mike Hoch wrote: »

George's St in Sydney is the main business thoroughfare of the city. It's thronged with loud, aggressive crystal meth addicts. Police foot patrols don't exist. Nor do security on the doors of takeaways- it's fairly standard practice to be sitting in McDonalds and have some junkball come up to you looking for money unchallenged by staff, or to see one passed out in the jacks on heroin. It's the main street of a major city and it's standard to see screaming meth heads roaring about. The media here have been predicting the impending meth and crack epidemic for about 20 years now and it by and large hasn't materialised.

Last time I was in Prague, while I wouldn't say the main strip had many visible junkies, what it did have was black lads mixing club promotions with offers of drugs, Granted, their market was the stag do crowd but for those who say open air drug dealing on the main throughfare* is a uniquely Dublin thing, I'd tend to disagree. Not to mention I've seen open drug pedalling in nearly every resort type place I've been. All throughout SE Asia, Spain. Offered a coke connect the second I got into an Amsterdam taxi, the streets there used to be awash with street dealers (they seem to be gone now). This simply doesn't happen in Dublin for whatever reason.


I'd tend to even disagree that dealing is done on O'Connell St with any degree of regularity. There are swaps on the adjoining areas granted, the Boardwalk and Talbot and such, but OC itself? Gerrup the yard. My whole life I've been offered drugs by strangers on the main streets of Dublin a grand total of twice (excluding inside clubs, raves, festivals). Even the rickshaw drivers only talk if you talk first, and even plenty of them refuse to have anything to do with it. I've walked up and down Moore St a thousand times and I'm yet to encounter the street corner black dealers so many on social media are adamant are making a fortune there. I don't disbelieve that some on Moore St who operate in the drug trade operate front businesses, but as for street level I've never seen a shot of it.

I've only been offered drugs in Dublin once and the guy was definetly getting high on his own supply, on the other hand I was in Amsterdam a few times over the years and walking aroundthe streets every 5 minutes someone was offering to sell us cocaine day and night.

I've noticed that the majority of drug seizures and arrests for drug dealing and use in this country are for cannibis and cocaine. Why are so few heroin users arrested when they are so brazen about it in public.

4068ac1elhodqr

Paris seems to have to pot these days, sure their big pointy tower has a new perma-security barrier around it now.

Not sure about junkies, but one report suggests there is 300,000 illegal migrants in one suburb, with little regard for French law/traditions.
They may not be breaking laws, but needless to say if living off-radar, they may be doing what ever they need to do - in order to get by.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6001135/A-devastating-report-reveals-300-000-illegal-migrants-living-one-French-suburb.html

Thoughtform

It's been established well on this thread that drug addicts, beggars and pickpockets are not unique to any western capital/major city, but I think why it gets remarked upon is due to a combination of: the visibility in the city centre (not some place off the beaten track or a "needle park", but right in one of the main thoroughfares), a romantic ideal of Dublin, and inadequate policing.

"Scumbags"/"chavs" seem more anglophone - think of the beauties in Ireland and Britain... now could you imagine them in Germany, France, Italy, Scandinavia? And again, inadequate policing.

partyguinness

No Op.


I'm afraid that I can confirm that Ireland is the only first world country that 'suffer' with junkie/scumbag problem.


Other first world countries found a solution decades ago but we have yet to make it work.


Hence you will not find a single junkie/scumbag anywhere else in the first world.


There you go OP. Is that the rebuttal you expected.