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Looking to buy in Languedoc


carl1
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[quote user="5-element"]

If you want to come to Languedoc because you think you will be getting away from gun crime, drugs, murders, robberies, knifings, booze, violence, rain, petrol prices, taxes, high property prices, car taxes, then I am not sure that Languedoc will do it for you..... But then I don't know anywhere that would....

[/quote]

Crime has gone through the roof in our part of LR.  Having mounted six speed traps in the last two months at the end of our road, les flics finally caught a German tourist this afternoon.  He is also suspected of trafficking bratwursts...  The Mairie is accused of conducting black magic rituals.  Unfortunately, nobody could remember how the Hammer House of Horror films went and mistakenly said the mass forward and did a rain dance backwards.  As a result, we haven't had much rain over the winter.  A local squirrel was caught stealing nuts and has asked for two thousand other cases to be taken into consideration. 

Where will it all end?   

 [:D]

 

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Well I am back again. Since my last visit to this forum I am pleased to see there has been some more positive postings. I had decided after my last experience not to go any further with my dream of living  in France. However a very nice lady who lives in Cornwall but also has a house in  Languedoc wrote to me as she had also seen the forum and because of her advice I have decided to go for it so the house is going on the market now and the dog is getting her chip the family are all happy for me to go as long as they can visit on all their holidays which is just fine with me. I think in the end they will all want to live in France too. Just thought I would let you know that I have not been put off forever just for a few weeks. No matter how bad it is there it isnt as awful as this Country is now.     Best wishes to the posters who were kind and helpful.
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To happiali, carl and anyone else thinking of moving to the south of France, either west or east

It is all a matter of perspective. In england I would have called it 'moral panics' and this has been happening throughout history. Take recent history in UK for example: in the 1950's there were the 'teddy boys', then in the 60's the mods and rockers arrived, then in the 70's we had the 'skinheads, and after that, 'lager louts'. Now I presume it is eastern european gangsters and mafia. What I am trying to say, is the press, the government, and some people, blow these phenomena out of all proportion! hence creating a moral panic. In france it is no different. At the moment the  fear is the large estates and the problems that are inherent in those areas, gypsys and mahgrebhaen, drinkers on the street, the homeless (with their dogs). But when you  are in the UK, how many times do these problems touch you? Probably never, apart from your own fear! In a recent study in north america, they found that stress levels had risen in the population after Sept 11, and consequently, health problems. More people were afraid of dying from a terrorist attack!!!! but this was the result of a moral panic.......... the government/ and G W Bush had constantly put america on alert, and the population responded with stress. In actuallity, they had more chance of dying from an ingrowing toenail than a terrorist attack!

So what is my point in this ramble, (don't panic Mr Mannering!)  As everywhere else, there are downsides, but not neccessarily negative! I live in a red light district in a large town in the south, often, drinkers congregate opposite my appartment at night. But how does it affect me, not badly. Ofcourse I observe it and the other related problems but it doesn't touch me as such. The drinkers treat me with a great deal of respect and perhaps ask for a cigarette now and again, they know I'm an artist so have nicknamed me 'picasso' (if only) and often, if I park illegally outside my flat, to unload my shopping, they help! So, this post is in no way a judgement on other forum users, just another perspective. The problem is how the press and the government portray the problems, this is based on many factors, sales of newspapers, extra money for the government to spend on police/justice etc. But generally, it doesn,t affect the general public who in actuality, end up fearing it. So, move to the south, enjoy the sun, the beaches, the pastis, the women (ahh the women!!) and anything else which attracts you to this region. but don,t get the impression that you will be robbed every day, your house broken into, drunks attacking you, etc etc because it won't happen. Voila............ 

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Depends on how you term Languedoc as a 'town'. It is a very large and diverse region, some regions expensive to buy in (depending on who you are buying from) while some areas still offer you a three bedroom village house for under 150K euros.

Also, Provence does not exist anymore as one 'area' or 'one place' so to speak. The re-jigging of the local govts has seen to this. If you wish a busy and vibrant town then avoid at all costs deepest rural France, or rural France altogether. Anyplace busy and vibrant offering what you are after will require a healthy bank balance.

 

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[quote user="Btuckey"]

Crime has gone through the roof in our part of LR. 

 [/quote]

Presumably your French is good enough to read Midilibre

and see the account today of the man attacked in his own house by three robbers who stole three rifles,

or THIS REPORT

on  a couple who fled to Montpellier after attacking a policeman...

Or to read this account of the way the centre of one town (Béziers) is becoming a ghetto of poverty (35% on the dole)

http://storage.canalblog.com/07/11/350386/21678230.pdf

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Yes I suppose people only want to hear what they want to believe, because they are afraid.

It takes courage to see what is around you, and decide to live with it, rather than in a sort of pretence...

I am quite adjusted to life in the Languedoc, but the OP was looking for somewhere like Chichester...

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raindog and groslard,

You obviously didn't read my post, history has already taught us that newspapers distort and enlarge social problems. And as I said, I live in a red light district, with drinkers and SDF! I definately don't live in mayleland..........as you call it. Actually, I probably think you never leave your house because you actually believe what the papers say...........and never go out. a bit sad really.[:P]

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[quote user="groslard"]Yes I suppose people only want to hear what they want to believe, because they are afraid.
It takes courage to see what is around you, and decide to live with it, rather than in a sort of pretence...

[/quote]

But often, those people who are determined to see France as Planet Perfect, hanging on to their blinkers on as if their life depends on it, are the same people who see Britain as Planet Horror...why this terrific fear of finding out that there is good and bad in both places -

I guess, if you don't pretend that you are going somewhere "much better" when you move to France from the UK, then the next question might be "Why bother at all?"

Do you think that all those (mostly young) French people who move to the UK, are also "following their dream?"

 

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Papers love to carry reports of crime - it makes a good story. I have the local paper for our commuter town in S England in front of me. The main story is an arson attack on two speed cameras. OK, nobody died, but it parallels exactly one of the favorite crime stories in the Manche Libre. Below it is a report of an armed robbery, and inside, between the reports of the feared closure of a branch of Mothercare and of a pub (about 200m from where I am writing this) and fears about the building of a waste incinerator up the road (another echo of the news in our bit of France, but there it revolves around alleged corruption with a local Maire involved) there's another arson attack - on some buses - a drugs raid, an attack outside a bowling alley, blue tongue disease, and hospital super bugs (yes, France has them too). The English paper reports a cow loose on the public road; that's an everyday occurrence in France and would never make the papers.

The point I am making is to agree basically with artsole - and to say that there really isn't that much difference between the two countries - in fact even I hadn't realised exactly how many parallels there were until I did that. I don't feel threatened in either, though I could if I felt inclined to. And I have to remember the 'expat communities' that really do exist, poring over the Daily Mail and saying how Britain is full of crime, illegal immigrants, asylum seekers etc - these being the same people that don't want to learn French, French TV, won't listen to the radio or read French papers, because they might hear reports that their Utopian France is going the same way - they came to live in an environment that resembles the Britain of their youth and they want to preserve that artificial view in aspic.

I am pretty sure that I know artsole's red light district very well. I don't feel threatened there either (though there are red light districts where I feel very uneasy - don't ask).

Do read what artsole says. He knows what he is talking about and has experienced the ups and downs of real life in France.

 

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[quote user="artsole"]

raindog and groslard,

You obviously didn't read my post, history has already taught us that newspapers distort and enlarge social problems". And as I said, I live in a red light district, with drinkers and SDF! I definately don't live in mayleland..........as you call it. Actually, I probably think you never leave your house because you actually believe what the papers say...........and never go out. a bit sad really.[:P]

[/quote]

I read your post but don't see what socio-babble " history has already taught us that newspapers distort and enlarge social problems" has to do with experience. If I was going to enter an academic debate about this I would ask 'which history?' 'is this always the case, even in totaliarian societies which suppress bad news?" "How do you measure whether newspapers 'enlarge' social problems? How do you compare,and what is the tool of measurement you are using ?""How did you establish the reality as you claim it to be? etc etc"

But this is not an academic forum, and simply I quote reports from our local papers of events which have taken place.

In the case of the badly beaten man who was assaulted in his own flat while he was in bed, I had a chat with him yesterday morning in the shop where I was buying a rabbit and saw his bruises; and as for the block of flats opposite mine that were torched by a gypsy drug dealer because he hadn't been paid I didn't even need to leave my house except to take some coffee over to the pompiers at 4 am when it was all over.

As for the 'drinker' who stabbed his drinking companion to death and came into the restaurant covered in blood mumbling that they needed an ambulance, that is hearsay; I was told it by the owner the next lunchtime.

But I suppose I shouldn't believe my own experience: these events were reported in the newspapers, so according to you they are 'distorted'

Living among SDFs and drinkers in a redlight area  isn't that wild you know; it's even quite colourful if you are insulated from them by money, but it's not reality.

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I totally agree with you with the notion of risk, and propaganda inducing panic.

But I also have a feeling, Mr. artshole, that you might be trying to lecture the wrong crowd..... You seem so intent on displaying your street credibility, that it might cloud your judgement and your appraisal... you should not assume that simply because you happen to live now in a red light area (Avignon, is it??) - nobody else is conversant with those kinds of districts, say, in Montpellier, Marseille, Paris, London for instance. Just remember you do not know who you are talking to.... might be someone who is a drug dealer, a working girl, a brothel keeper, or a proxenete or an ex dosser. You just never know, so please try not to make too many assumptions about people on a forum...

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[quote user="Will"]

Do read what artsole says. He knows what he is talking about and has experienced the ups and downs of real life in France.

[/quote]

I think Will is nn luurrrve! [kiss] I have never seen you so intent on 'bigging' someone up Will, what's he got on you, come on tell us?[6]

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[quote user="artsole"]and 5 element, you don,t know who you are talking to either................ so whats the point in saying that[6][/quote]

Are you WoollyBananasOtherBrother? [:)]

Sorry that's an 'in' joke and you won't understand it, but it's meant in a friendly way! Will can tell you.[:D]

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[quote user="Tresco"][quote user="artsole"]and 5 element, you don,t know who you are talking to either................ so whats the point in saying that[6][/quote]

Are you WoollyBananasOtherBrother? [:)]

[/quote]

Can't be more than one wrong un in that family can there?? 

Only joking woolyone!

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