If you come to live in France and to then get UK builders to do your restoration then you should quetsion why you are here. Surely if you were living in the UK what would you think of Poles etc being brought in to do work. OK it cost more, a lot more, but at the end of the project you have a building you can sell
Actually I have no problem whatsoever with Polish workers in the UK. Or any other nationality for that matter. All that matters is that people concerned have the requisite skill set and appropriate insurance.
Anything else is racism, pure and simple, whether directed at UK nationals or other Europeans. And the nationality of the people you employ has nothing whatsoever to do with the saleability (or otherwise) of your home.
Well said.
Thank you. I do try :)
You took the words out of my mouth Catherine. I'd put a reply together but got distracted. The thrust of it was that I've used (legitimate) Polish builders here and we were delighted with their professionalism and attention to detail. My local artisans, much as I love them, do not have the same passion for getting things right. I might have one more renovation in me and if I do it'll be my old Polish pals again regardeless.
What I've found over the years, is that tradespeople out of context tend to work that bit harder. In Eire, I found that some contractors preferred english workers to the locals, who being local, took advantage. The same was true in the UK. Most contractors, I knew, preferred the Irish, for the same reasons.
In Eire now, there are lots of "internationals" doing the jobs the Irish took for granted and abused. This applies to all walks of work. The Irish Ferries boats, when staffed by Irish, were a complete mess, with terrible careless (though friendly) service. Now, all their boats are run by an international company, which employs no Irish staff, and they are a pleasure to travel on. It isn't in the celtic nature to run businesses or to work in industry. Their worlds were shattered by invasions, from Saxons to Normans, who preferred "order". Of the four nations that exist on the islands, the English have become what they are now, a nation of shop keepers and efficient farmers, while the Celts moved to the fringes, to the more or less unusable parts of the islands. Even in Eire, it a known fact that âanglo-irishâ farms are better run than âirishâ ones. The large âsuper farmsâ are run by Agri Science graduates or blow-ins, usually from the UK.
It doesnât matter who does the work, what matters, is do they know what they are doing? In the real world of building, sites are run by âclerks of worksâ who are either Building Surveyors or Civil Engineers. This, of course, isnât possible in small projects, and owners are faced with people who claim to be âbuildersâ.
There is no such thing as a builder, and many of those claiming to be such an animal, are usually a tradesman of one official skill.
The images below show what a true rural rendered surface should look like: worlds away from the designer lead âpierre apparentâ. All are from the one section of wall.
Poles are a race? New to me. Ethnicity, OK but not a race.
The majority of Polish people are Western Slavs and have been in the same territory for around 1600 years. Not quite sure why you would want to make the definition between race and ethnicity because I'm confused as to what it adds to the debate - the point is, if they have all the skills and legal paperwork required, they can work where they like. And in my opinion, invariably they do a better job wherever they work, at a lower price, with a more amicable mentality. They certainly have a better reputation than the British and the French for honest and skillfull work.
All agreed, the Poles are fine folk and always have been. Once upon a time, though it was a long time ago, they were the blond, blue eyed ancient Greeks. I'm just irritated by the casual misuse of the word 'racism' when race has nothing to do with it.
How about Ethnocentric, Xenophobic, Bigotted?
I think if you want to get 'irritated' by the use of the word racism, there are probably better places for you to get het up about it than on SFN. :)
You read me wrong. I said irritated by its mis-use.
I'm sorry.
I think if you want to get 'irritated' by the misuse of the word racism, there are probably better places for you to get het up about it than on SFN. :)
I had an irritation once when I was young but the steroid cream made it go away, haven't scratched since :-)
That bloody "Eire" word again. Vincent please PM me your phone number and I'll try and explain the issue :-)
John, I don't need any phone-tutorials, thank you! My family have always used the term, and that's it! In the english speaking world, speakers use the British name, because they don't know any better. As long as it's on the coins etc, I'm sticking with it. I fail to why you are getting so steamed up about the issue. Do you also berate the drivers of Bus Eireann etc. when boarding, for not using the english version?
As to the polish question, people should read up on the history of that tragic country, which once incorporated the likes of Lithuania, but due to bad marriages, the country was partitioned on several occasions. The Poles are a nation within the Slave Race. Thereâs a french busker who does the markets in this area, and playing his rebec, does a fine rendition of Kalinka.
No problem Vincent but you and your family are wrong and if you reject being educated sobeit. For your info "bus" is a English word that has been incorporated for decades into the Irish language (as so many words have been into French) so "Bus Eireann" is completly appropriate.
I just don't understand your hang up with using the internationally recognised name for the Republic. You're precise enough about lime. There's more afoot here.
Sorry to disappoint John, but the word "bus" is an abbreviation of "omnibus" which is Latin, and was first used to refer to a vehicle which carried many people, in Paris around 1820.
Back to Lime: if anyone lives near to Saint-Astier (Dordogne) they could join a tour of the underground quarries and factory, which is being organized by the Traditional Lime Co (Eire) agent on Monday morning, 25 Avril. If you contact me, I can give you a contact number. The tour is free, and was advertized on the Dronne Valley Network.
Vincent you know exactly what my point was, the word bus is used in the Irish language. Now, deflection aside, can you point to even one current English language article in the Irish Times, the Irish Independent or even that august journal from your homeland, The Wicklow People :-) that uses the term "Eire" rather than "Ireland". I'd be surprised if you can, because it would make as much sense to me as them using "Sasana" instead of "England". The bottom line is the name of the Country in English is "Ireland".
I note The Traditional Lime Company uses the term "Ireland" not "Eire" :-) http://www.traditionallime.com/books/index.html and were I a little closer I'd love to join your tour.
John could you possibly share the names of the polish guys