To inform or not

[le bouffon]

Somethings that come to ones attention are wrong,what does one do?

[Russethouse]

Depends what it is - it's a little difficult to make a comment without some background.

[Janey]

Like Gay say,s depends on what it is. How wrong is wrong? How much is this wrong hurting others? Maybe there,s a reason that whoever is doing this wrong has to do it that way for now. Not everyone that does something wrong is out to get something for nothing or to not do as they should, we don,t always know the background.

I always say what goes around comes around, those that continually do wrong and have every intention of continuing cannot continue that way even though it may seem like it. As we say, really depends on what it is.

Janey

[Leschenauds]

"Wrong" is subjective, otherwise we wouldn't have wars, religion or politics.

As Einstein points out, it's all relative to your viewpoint.

[le bouffon]

That is my point,what some see as up someone else sees as down,it`s a bit like trying to find the end of a circle or the start of one.

[Russethouse]

Well for what its worth I go by the maxim 'when in doubt, leave it out' either find out more about the situation or go by gut instinct.

If you have come across something seriously illegal (I'm afraid you will have to judge that yourself) or involving a minor then I think the the most likely answer is that you have to report it to the relevant authorities.......otherwise you must just do what you are most comfortable with, but whatever you do try and think of the likely long term outcome, before you do anything.

[Ron Avery]

Is this thread like the new game "Prendre ou Laisser , is it a new game on LF, "guess what the poster meant".  Its just as surreal.

 What are you talking about LF or is this a game to see how many posts you can get by posting nonsense? 

[le bouffon]

Ron today in the auchan there was a promo desk selling products from the avey-ron,which had no one there and no one bought anything from it,now I think I know why you are there.

  The french are well known for the way things get pasted by"word of mouth" and if even the smallest thing gets around someone will hear,so is it better to be a "loud mouth" or go direct.

  People who pay taxes should they turn a blind eye to lets say a second home owner letting the house out without paying tax on the rent or folk doing change overs here in france and not declaring it then again builders working on the black doing a bad job and then hot footing it back to the UK,where do you draw the line?

[Russethouse]

>>>People who pay taxes should they turn a blind eye to lets say a second home owner letting the house out without paying tax on the rent or folk doing change overs here in france and not declaring it then again builders working on the black doing a bad job and then hot footing it back to the UK,where do you draw the line?<<

Be sure to be VERY sure of the facts before doing anything - if you are sure then it's your own call - no one can judge for you.

[Ron Avery]

ha  ha ha ha ha wow buffooon i wish i had half of your brain........... cell.   PS I live next door to you in Slough.

[Lizzie15]

This is weird! Has Jean-Paul Satre come back to haunt us all? I haven't a clue what this thread is about.

 

[Alcazar]

[quote]ha ha ha ha ha wow buffooon i wish i had half of your brain........... cell. PS I live next door to you in Slough.[/quote]

Slough? Oh dear........well, someone HAS to live there I suppose

Imagine.......you COULD live in sunny Scun thorpe!

Alcazar

[Renaud]

During the French Revolution people were encouraged to denounce or inform on their neighbours presumably as a way of keeping the tumbrels rolling.

 

Trouble is this Gallic tradition has never quite died out so in some quarters it is considered a civic duty to inform on wrong doing. So, for instance, if you employ somebody on the black, then somebody else can feel virtuous about writing a letter to the authorities. I am not sure if it is considered good form to sign the denunciation or if one does it anonymously.

 

In the UK there if a tradition of not, as they say on Eastenders, grassing-up. But the moral dilemma that Bouffon poses, is the same – if you know of, what you perceive to be wrong doing, should you do something about it?

 

At one level it could be called whistle-blowing, I am all in favour of people pinpointing corruption amongst the EU officials for instance. Also, would the weird bullying practices that Army recruits are subjected to have survived if public spirited souls had exposed them to the light?  

 

On another level nobody likes a sneak. I guess we judge those who ‘tell tales’ by their motives: are they spite, busy-bodyness, financially orientated or just public spirited?

 

I think that Russethouse is on the right track when she says: when in doubt - leave it out.

[le bouffon]

This one is quite easy,our neighbour is an elderly belgian lady, by no means has she lost the plot,but she only lives here 3/4 months a year from nov to march,she came last week and has been to la marie`s office x times in a week about all sorts, not to do with us but the other neighbours .Last year it was that she did not like  notre terrasse and that the car park was always full??? Still I help her when I can even though she once called notre terrasse a rotten "terrasse" and wanted the side walls building higher or the whole thing knocking down.Well this week she has been told that because she bought her house after notre terrasse was built(it has all the right permission etc,and was the last one to be built in the village because it is a "listed"village")there is nothing she can do. So should I now inform on her for building her garden up our wall and her trees being too near our garden wall and having no CT on her car or insurance,she leaves it in her garage when she goes back.We have another belgian on the other side of us and the two never even speak, I can only guess why.

[Tresco]

So should I now inform on her for building her garden up our wall and her trees being to near our garden wall

I would try talking to her about it, explain what the problem is

...and having no CT on her car or insurance,she leaves it in her garage when she goes back.

She may be legal; if she is only here for part of the year she is probably registered in Belgium?

[0zeb100ddMMyyyy0Falseen-USTrue]

Hello

I resent the remarks about Slough and Scunthorpe. I lived in Scunthorpe and found it quite a charming place. I consider myself very fortunate indeed to have a holiday home in Slough it's such a picturesque little place and the inhabitants are very friendly. So less of the knocking of these two places turn your ire upon Goole or Workington.

Regards

[Miki]

And I really resent what you said, cause I used to bank in Goole or was it London (always mixing those two up) and I scored a rare goal against Workington, so please look elsewhere like Dinard, or Aix en Provence to take your vengeance upon !

[Benjamin]

....and before somebody picks on Wolverhampton, as they usually do when this type of discussion takes place, DON'T..............or else.

 

Benjamin

[Tag]

Talking of reporting people: I once reported someone for trying to smuggle a dog into UK (under the old quarantine regs). Right or wrong?

But if my neighbour's trees are too close to my land it is not a problem unless they become a real nuisance. And I know my neighbour pinches the fruit and nuts which are left on my trees when I am not there. But I dont need them so why not. However if he knew I wanted them, then maybe if he refused to stop.

Say you knew a neighbour who was a lorry driver was smuggling illegal immigrants from say France or Belgium to UK. Would you report them or not? Depends on your viewpoint doesnt it?

Whereas not having insurance, fiddling your driving time sheet is a danger to the whole community.

What about all the diseased cattle that were never accounted for? I know where there are at least several, buried deep. What should I do?

No right or wrong unless you are perfect. Then find me a motorist who has never broken a regulation somewhere sometime.

Now, institutions - that is another matter. Smack 'em hard I say.

 

[Tag]

Just noticed a topic called 'banging old boiler' . Any relative of your neighbour Bouffon? By the way, most Belgians love to be right, so why not let her have a list of her potential infractions, just to let her know that the eye is on her.

[hardhat]

le bouffon,why do you need to open a thread like this ?    we know there are people on your side who think its a good idea to inform or grass on other people,do you feel a great need to have people tell you its right before you do the dirty deed,why dont you just do it and tell all your village you have done it,go and tell the old lady what you intend doing,or is it more your style to post letters in the dead of night and then tell the neighbours you dont know who said what,hitler had is little grasses they used to inform on there own parents for being bad germans and personaly i would consider any one with your attitude to be of the same ilk,if you want to be a informer stand up and be counted and see then who gets looked at and left out of conversations in the village,if you were in my house having dinner and this subject came up you woudnt reach the dessert you would be shown the door long before it was served         

[le bouffon]

Hatty,it is some leap between reporting a neighbours apple tree and gestapo informants during ww2.

[Russethouse]

Good heavens hard hat - thats quite an extreme example but just for info more recently the chinese also encouraged family members to report each other for various infringements - delightful.

Frankly as far as le bouffon is concerned I would find out what your rights are regarding trimming trees up to your border and as for the rest - forget it. Comfort yourself with the thought that the Belgian lady was propably jealous of your veranda, be the 'bigger' person....

[Tag]

As with all things rural there are strict rules about such things as apple trees, overhanging branches, rights to fruit etc. Most French people seem to know them and will no doubt be able to tell anyone who asks. Basically they cant overhang you.

Mainly, it is winter and some of us need occupying I suspect!

[Alcazar]

Workington? Didn't they once have a  football league team?

Wolverhampton? I once got into a conversation with someone from there........couldn't understand a word he was saying

Goole?   Are people from there known as "Goolies"? I did see in the local press that someone from there was locked up last year for repeatedly mast urbating a horse, and it didn't even belong to him

Hardhat: On my keyboard there are other punctuation marks besides commas. I do find that using them  makes my posts easier to read, if not to understand Any others on yours?

Alcazar