Far right in Belgium

I think I am feeling that Belgian policing /security perhaps falls short of what one might hope for?

Well said, Phoebes. I think I've totally lost the plot. :-(

I'm totally confused by a lot of these posts. Can't we stick to the point without all this arguing and backbiting?

Anyone who knows me, knows I am not and have never been anti-British, au contraire, au contraire. I am constantly talking here of my love for England and its people, landscapes, culture, education and institutions, etc, etc. and am often told with a big smile 'come on jura- if England is so much better, why did you come back'? - and we have a good laugh. I love all the 3 countries part of my life on a daily basis, Switzerland, England and France- and as we say in French 'qui aime bien, châtie bien' - who loves well, criticises/punishes well' - am very happy and open at saying some things are much better in the UK, and some much better in FRance or Switzerland - and some things need addressing and working on- and we could all learn from each other and try to share the best of what we have got. Hence my very strong feelings as a European, rather than a Swiss, a Brit or French...

But if anyone is going to mention the poor atttitudes of some migrants here - I will point out the poor attitudes of some expats here and in some parts of Europe.

Many of my British friends here who have made the effort to learn the language, join in, take part, get stuck in, send their kids to local schools, get involved with their local Churches, etc - are just as appalled as I am about the arrogance and ignorance of some, too many in fact- and we often discuss this.

And if someone will make a comment re hygiene and a burkini, I make no apologies for saying there is no issue there- and that the real issues with pool hygiene reside elsewhere.

Alea, yes I was a volunteer Director- for many many years at the private leisure centre- part of a team of 5 very well qualified experts in the field- I learnt an awful lot from them over that period of time re pool hygiene.

Leave you to it. Going home today and must get dressed for the first time in 11 days. That shower this morning was just wonderful ...

I think the refusal to allow use of the Boris cannons was because they were old and even more unsafe to ise than modern ones

Football club websites are quite an interesting source of information about the activities of neo-Nazi/right wing groups
I am shocked to hear that daphnedil
Football is supposed to be a family-orientated spectator sport these days. DS has taken DGD, lots of families support football clubs.

And my DS is far from a thug, the very opposite I would say.

www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2015/07/16/boris-johnson-s-water-cannon-farce-reveals-why-he-will-never

Theresa May refused to allow him to use them.

EU regs maybe??

Didn't Boris acquire some water cannon and then discover that they weren't allowed to use them? Why not?

absent I was going to quote DH again, but it is even more cheesy:
'I feel like a mushroom'
(kept in the dark and fed on s**t)
Although I was posting, I have no idea what it was all about.

I saw the water cannon being used and thought it was an effective way to disperse a thuggish, nasty element intent on disrupting people of all faiths who were holding a respectful vigil.

I do hope that is the last we have seen of the rightwing thugs, but I fear it is not.

What on earth is all this about and have I been transported/emigrated to an alternative universe? It's certainly not about the disruption of the vigil in Brussels about which I hoped to learn more as the news reports I have seen were thin on facts. I must confess I am little tired of the often repeated comment about British ex-pats (as opposed to immigrants) but am astonished at the sudden explosion of fury that has occurred. What's more I don't understand any of it; to paraphrase Shakespeare, "For my own part, it was Croatian to me".

annodomini
(but I am sure you are taking the Michael )

Respect, Jalima, I can't quote Bill Haley in any other language - I must start to rectify this gap in my education. The only time I have been an expat - definitely not an immigrant as I was there temporarily - I did make every effort to learn Kiswahili. Kwa herini.

I agree with you, Penstemmon. My exMIL spent over ten years in Singapore and came back not being able to speak a word of Malay or Mandarin. She had never been into a Singaporean home, apart from those being rented by fellow immigrants/ex pats.

She is growing up , that age already

I had better not teach the DGC 'see you later alligator - in a while crocodile' any more if it is considered 'shiesty' - I have just looked up shiesty.
I just thought the phrase was funny, oh dear.

I only know 'pedwar' (DGD is pedwar, apparently) and Croeso y Cymru

Ex-pat communities are the same as inmigrants in as much as they are foreiners making their home in a different country. I guess ex-pat sprung from colonial times. In many Gulf states the European and US "ex-pats" live very separately from the indigenous people. Not sure how many speak Arabic, pop to the Mosque or invite locals in for coffee in an attempt to integrate It is a two way street .

Try getting Welsh past the spell check

throwing insults in a foreign language is just so OTT and I'm sure against forum rules
if you meant me being rude, I honestly wasn't - or that wasn't meant to be rude, anyway
I said 'see you later' in Croatian because we (*granjura*) were discussing ex-pats not learning the language and apparently that must have hit a nerve with me although I have no idea why.

Another poster then responded with in a while crocodile
(the song 'See you later alligator, in a while crocodile' - obviously said poster must be about the same age as me because it was used frequently in my distant youth and DH and I may even say it nowadays, we must be lame and shiesty whatever shiesty means! If it is an insult I won't take it personally).
Then that reminded me of a time when I ate crocodile and I said that crocodiles taste vile - because I think that they do.

So it was sidetracking from the thread which is probably not acceptable when it was a serious thread - apologies, but it had already been derailed - but I did try to bring it back to the OP by saying I was pleased to see that they had dealt with the thugs with water cannon. But apparently that is not acceptable either.

vidimo se kasnije as they say - see you later!

I will have to ask the DGD what the Welsh means anniebach

oh but you do- with your many pms in the past under many different names.

Well I am afraid I don't know you personally and I, no doubt like others, am totally at a loss as to the significance of alligators or crocodiles and a song and greeting which were popular in our childhood Do they have any connection with honey ??
I suppose it is possible to see offence in a simple greeting and where none was intended, that is your choice.
I remain as no doubt do jalima, daphnedill, elegran and others - including probably Bill Hailey of blessed memory.

Ynganu Saesneg os Gwelch yn dda . Diolch .

No Alea, I won't- but you know, very well- and a few others who know me personally will know too. Playing your stupid games- never again. Vile indeed.