Apparently they can't be choosers or so you would like to think. From the tube station to work, a walk which takes less than 10 minutes even with my little legs, I counted off five separate beggars, one tag team couple and two Big Issue sellers. From my offices along the Euston Road to other departmental buildings there is a beggar on every other lamp post or phone box. We are an equal opportunity society and this is reflected in the variety of nationalities and regions represented amongst our begging brethren. Do you spare any change when a paper cup is waved in your direction? Do you respond to the tug of your trouser leg with a poorly written sign being held up by a doe eyed Roma child saying she's starving? Do you wonder why such a strapping chap purporting to be hungry and homeless has better trainers on than you and is chatting on a mobile phone that is newer than yours? What should be done about these panhandlers or are they a symptom of the society in which we live and something we should just accept?
There is no chance I would give money to somebody with a poorly written sign. I would probably put a sign below their sign with an "*" then correctly spell the word they ****ed up.
A fella asked me for 10p for a cup of tea the other day,I gave him 20p and told him to get me one as well.
I only give money when I am convinced it will be spent on class a drugs and not squandered on food or tea.
The wishy-washy left leaning side of me thinks how on earth do we allow people to sleep rough in today's society and the other more cynical side thinks that on close inspection many of the beggars are economic migrants from Eastern Europe who are here legally but are committing an offence by begging. Perhaps they should be rounded up by Plod, three strikes and you are in Wormwood Scrubs for a week or two (full-board of course) then if you get done again it is a one way ticket back to the mother land. There are so many cracks in the system that I don't anticipate this will ever work. There are always gangs of men at the top end of Tottenham Court Road who are picked up as day labour by subbies, the ones who are left behind simply walk up the road to where the next spare lamp post is and sit down for a days begging.
The ones who make me laugh are the shoeless beggars. Do they honestly think anyone will believe they are so poor they can't afford shoes?
There was a beggar outside the mental hospital in Balham who used to ask for Ten Pence but it sounded like Tampax. I was always tempted to drop a tampon into his cup. Never did though, chickened out. True story.
A beggar said to me the other day "Can you help me out mate?" I replied "Aye, which way did you come in?"
