Blue Flu

It must be don't venture out into true suburbia enough. I only mentioned to someone a few months back how less hooning appeared to be, compared to my youth. Where exactly are you?

Well you get old Hippies, he's obviously a suburban subversive who refuses to 'get old'. Clearly showing that the 'system' has never 'broken' him, in the sense of being untamed. Still doing at sixty odd, what he was at seventeen. One way to never 'get old' even if the body becomes ravaged by time. Perhaps deep down inspiration of sorts being the underlying sentiment on closer examination?

Well been to Colombia and a great country to visit If not entirely safe. Only thing I noticed of any real similarity to Australia was the colourful parrots that inhabit both countries.

Doing hoon burnouts is part of the suburban/small town Australian ritual towards manhood. It equates the Parisian love of sitting in cafes discussing Freud or the latest government policy to suppress the proletariat.

Just bring a lot of colouring books to provide after dark entertainment. ..........

Plenty of iffy burbs. Choose well. Obviously Western suburbs blue ribbon in the main, but out of the price range of many. I've been looking at houses to relocate over the past year and it is hard connect all desirables. Perth is not a city for all tastes clearly.

Right. A Greeser then. Perhaps more a Gary Glitter fan and relate more to Leader of the Pack type? But Mini Coopers are cool. Will try and catch the final gig down Freo of Mod Squad .

Obviously can happen anywhere. I was only pointing out to another poster Australia is not the meek and mild place some may at first glance assume. Lots of aggro here as well. One difference though, at least I find, is the 'tribal culture ' for want of another term does not exist to any real extent in Australia compared to England.

Good to read London still maintains its anything goes street culture. I had feared it had been laundered and become more sanitized or at least conformist.

What I suspect is that a lot of so called England Football fans were not really fans in the true sense, at least at the venue I write about. Which was after the first game in Frankfurt. Don't recall opposition beyond it being South American. I think Ecuador. These guys, or a big proportion of them were heavy duty, hard core , while not attacking anyone that I noticed, full of malice and having go's at each other. Other occasions the chanting and singing was fine. Even Germans joined in singing 'Ten German Bombers' at times. You'd really need wet weather gear though, in order not to smell like a brewery. The amount of beer that was hurled around was nobodies business. I saw one bloke tip what appeared a pretty much full jar of beer over his son's head, who appeared to be about eight years old , kid though it a great laugh as did those around.

I know all Sloan Rangers these days and Hooray Henriettas. I expect some of the old grit survives. Overall I've heard English football culture is not as violent as times past. Still was in 2006 at the World Cup in Germany, and attended most England games, even if only at the fan fares. Still a lot of people looked liked Borstal or Brixton prison had thrown open their doors for the event. Some well hard cases about.

I guess the Vespa is in the garage as well. I've crossed Mods on several occasions now in Perth. Love the scoters. It could almost be Brighton 1966 from scenes I've seen when get a large group together. They often turn out to Mod Squad gigs. (last gig soon in Fremantle as band winding up) Over done Britishness but great. I feel the urge to play a Who song now.

Very little biff? Are you serious there's loads of it. Crowd controllers sort of keep it at bay inside a licensed premises , sometimes 'overstretching' their authority in my view, but outside pretty much anything goes. Aussies not shy of a punch up. But it was hard to beat Cairns (QLD) or Darwin even, for intoxicated , wanna fight English back packers. Two popular places in each city could fifty per cent of the time < I guess witness fighting. Always English. In fact the Cairns venue seemed to have a policy of not admitting Aussies as a rule to allegedly prevent trouble. English more than capable of instigating with the flimsiest of reasons regardless of pub security.

Never been to Kal. No fun at all without the odd bar room brawl. Although receiving a punch in the head for possessing a pommy accent , as my friend fromStoke on Trent, did out of the blue dampens the fun a little. (place Albany) Another Swiss guy , a full bottle of beer smashed across his head, (reason supposedly looking at this blokes girlfriend) (place Katanning) All last century. Yep sanitised world we live in now. Most likely libeled for hurting feelings or offensive behaviour.

I don't think trains during the day would pose too much of a problem in any Australian city. (Especially if dress your kids up in Chelsea gear and for good measure teach them that stabbing chant Chelsea used to chant ) It's not the big ones one needs to concern oneself with.....but no, knew lots of Chelsea supporters, as once lived near to their grounds. Incident happened after a Rhodesian (Zimbabwean ) guy got into an argument with a couple of blokes while playing pool and thought he'd take them on after the pub. He only realized later that they were part of a larger cohort of what turned out to be Chelsea supporters, highly volatile, and got scared for own well being. Spotted someone he knew in our group and made himself part of the group resulting in all being set upon outside the pub. Girls included. They actually went berserk and attacked anyone on the street at the time, resulting in charges of affray and a string of others. Just a night out in London.

Not to different from some small town Australian places . A foreign accent could back in the day in certain rougher pubs, even more a foreign look bring unwanted attention which could without too much effort lead to a smack in the mouth.

I never thought that London was a night time city, at least in my time there. Compared to across the channel it was tame. Expensive night clubs not with standing . But where I lived in Central London that was always a buzz regardless of time of night. Mostly non English people, probably fair to say, with very large short term population from around the world. There was late night cafe and restaurant culture to match. Lots of people simply walking around often from cultures that tend to promenade. But other places in England, I agree not a lot on offer after throw out time . I've never heard of North bridge being compared to Spain.. In the nineties, perhaps Newcastle? Seemed to be an excess of very young scantily dressed young girls out and about. Probably barely, if at all, of drinking age. I seem to recall far more clubs back then as well. Still people spoke about not going there due to too much trouble but I never incurred anything on a personal level, but there was a number of intimidating people about and was seldom out and about what I'd call very late at night. The aggravation was certainly very evident last New Years though. I don't bother to go there nights much anymore. Live in Leederville so why would I? Of course Perth has night clubs. Where hasn't? Not the same as having a night time culture though. As for Spain, (try' Los Rambles' for promenading at 3 in the morning and marvel at the sights and energy nothing similar in Perth by a very long shot.

I couldn't watch more than the first series of that. All tell me it was very good, but too close to home and in a sense perhaps promoted meth (ice) as an alternative to actually working. As I say, I didn't see much, (hence could be wrong) but don't think it pointed out the far ranging negative aspects that impacts on society.

I don't want to harp on about meth, I think I've made the point it is a scourge within our society. A simple visit to main centres will witness the effects of this grub drug has on people. Saying that it has been 'cleaned up' from a few months ago when both Freo and Perth were turning into meth centrals. I think I indicated it is everywhere in my area, (and I mean everywhere) but none to the scale of violence and anti social behavior experienced with neighbour who lost the plot . I wonder what your expectations about police involvement would be? Mine hasn't been positive. But I'll leave it at that. All ;l I know is I'll be very careful with any future purchase and struggling with an area that would find in comparison with Leederville (minus the illegal activity) Real Estate agents tell me it is everywhere. Sadly country number plates too often point towards illegal; activity indicators as well. (lots Down South , they don't call it Methdurah for nothing and Bunbury was a prime spot a few years back) Young fellow I was doing business with in my bank, when got talking about the meth houses in my area, mentioned he knows of at least five in Clarkson, his location up and running. Can't beat it. Better to choose wisely. Have rentals checked for meth production (often present spotless so visual condition no indication) As for FIFO workers, meths is popular as it doesn't show up in testing. A big reason why it's so rampant in mining states I expect.

You have a point, but there is such a thing as situational depression brought on my present location. Obviously, if that would dispense with a return to the past, we have no idea. It may wel not as things move on. On the other hand it may feel like never left within a few months of return. The longer away probably the harder it becomes.

The onus has moved to helping those addicted. That means away from those making a heap out of the making of this drug. Breaking Bad certainly has a lot to answer for. The only solution would be to either legalise this drug (all drugs) in order to take away the profit motive and corruption or enforce the law by returning to strong policing. That I mean a return to a dedicated meth force, activate a number just for meth that will result in action and investigation. Encourage like another state a few years back to get those making it to 'dob in' others doing the same. Then go after the syndicates that hide behind two million dollar house walls

One thing for certain is no one will admit to either the making or using of ice. I have asked former neighbour not to load meth into her car in full sight of my window. Obviously denied it was meth , but went on for months Blind Freddy would likely detect. Barely a care in the world. Until meth became clearly visible in neighbouring property, as mentioned I had no idea of its existence in the area. I had never met anyone involved or taken meth to the best of my knowledge. I knew a lot involved with other drugs, heroin was more the drug in the nineties , which on one occasion called an ambulance after a young woman lost consciousness outside my letter box in Highgate. That was pretty much the in drug of that time. I believe Canada is very bad as well with meth infestation. It's a drug more traditionally favoured by the poor Americans . Here in Australia the market is so lucrative , I believe WA with its large mining sector especially so. Again I am speaking of those making money from those vulnerable or stupid enough to engage with the grub drug. Not the users. The onus has moved to care for those impacted, with talk of even decriminalizing smaller amounts by top brass police. My question would be with Perth being close to the top of the world in meth usage how can there not be a drug problem? Perhaps not as overt as in Manchester, but still visible enough in recent years in places like The CBD and North Bridge. You don't have to go to the city to score meth. Lots out Joondalup way I've heard. But probably not as condensed as around my neck of the woods.

I know heroin is an issue in Glasgow as it is in many UK cities. I have witnessed it many occasions. Not a drug that incites violence though. Possibly not as addictive as meth either, although I'll leave that one for others to answer. I would suggest that it is not clear cut to compare Glasgow to Perth. It is not violence comparisons I am arguing about. Glasgow has a well known reputation as being among the most violent cities in Europe. A situation that has improved greatly over recent decades. AS for being unaware of the presence of meth, I'm more amazed at how many are fully aware of its presence (especially young people) and how easy it is too obtain. The large FIFO sector contribute to its world level useage . But I agree in that next door could easily be making it and the neighbour would be none the wiser , especially if don't promote it by selling it from their premises,. A lot of parents would likely be shocked as well if aware just what their kids were to. Many people in Perth, will not visit North Bridge, for fear of violence and crime. That is simply fact and nothing even new. I lived a short walk from there in late nineties and crime was an issue in the minds of people back then. I have changed my mind somewhat, being in denial to an extent, to arriving at the awareness it is an unsavourly place to be especially later at night. I still go there and see a certain amount of aggro if little actual violence but not out much later than ten o'clock these days. But I just recalled , renting out a flat in Highgate (very close to North Bridge in late nineties, to a Scottish couple from Aberdeen, they had a friend from Paisley , first night in Australia mind you, laid out by a single punch on the way back from a night club. Some tall blond haired bloke, probably a case of mistaken identity, approached both girls and said something about being on 'his patch'.Paisly girl told him where to go and was decked. Lucky girl friend with her. Police took details but never did find culprit.

I'll commence by responding to your London versus Perth critique. Obviously knife crime is of concern to Londoners and The Met. But the only place I have had a knife drawn on me was a late night train on the Armadale Line here in Perth when I asked a k fellow to cease harassing a young woman. He took his shirt off and produced a knife. The security were some train carriages down and on reflection he may well have been 'methed up' Far less aware of that grub drug back then. (2006) As for London, never felt really unsafe, but in certain areas would conceal money in shoes if coming out of a gig in a 'rough' area very late at night. So certainly had an awareness. Encountered street violence leaving a pub one night in Notting Hill , after one of our group got into a bit of bother with a larger mob of Chelsea fans which wasn't pleasant and took weeks of work during the court process. Broken bottles used but no knifes. Most likely a progression of street violence over time. (that was late eighties) But my take on knife crime is that it is more likely to be between gangs fighting over turf, perceived disrespect and/or drugs . I would be most unlucky if not involved in illegal activity to be stabbed. Obviously always a possibility in the instance a mugging goes wrong and mugger high on something, or simply with mental health issues or just the rare case of a physio bad ass. But when you know the city and in a sense the talk I've always found it fairly easy to defuse aggro situations there (London) probably less so here. It gets back to less people out and about in Perth. Not being noted as a late night city, in any shape or form, those out after a certain time, not even late by European standards tend to be out for trouble ,. but Perth has always been a bit of a 'punchy type place. Bored kids from the suburbs coming into The CBD or in days well past Scarborough Beach and still today Fremantle. I don't know if I rely too much on the stats.(but hope they are right) but only as good as those that comprise them .It's just that I don't detect any fall in meth. In fact in my inner city location it has escalated to concerning levels around me with a 'professional class' becoming involved. I can't say it is only meth going down , but that is only really what I'm concerned about. It doesn't take to much effort to 'make' things happen and present a rosier picture than really is. Remember Perth is still close to the top of the world in meth consumption. (you can read about the devastation of Seattle USA, has had to endure online. That I believe is around the same useage as Perth and Adelaide.) Adelaide of all places supposedly number one. Easy to find on You Tube the shocking effect of meth on the community of Murray Bridge out of Adelaide. I'd say meth is out of control. Too many making money out of it to do much more than attempt to disguise it. Too many making it to fund their studies and more)When the government gets serious, not talking in platitudes, like SA, where the present Conservative government promised a war on meth's if elected only to do nothing on gaining power. Absolute loads of impacted people in Fremantle during the semi lockdown. Police cleared it some weeks later, must have been after impossible to look away any more. Now far, far less. On a personal level, I'd detect on perhaps (incredible, I know) 40% of occasions when out and about on foot in my inner city suburb, alleged illegal drug activity. (loading up cars, concealing alleged drugs within motor vehicles, cars collecting , cycles used to deliver to I suppose you could call the syndicates. (cycles I suspect judged less conspicuous) But what ever. That is far, far more visible and apparent than before. Speaking with people it is most easily accessible most every suburb. Small towns as well.

No my friend, I have lived in many places around the globe. I knew the drug scene you could say rather well in London and Amsterdam. I can handle that. What i speak about is something very different. Far more concerning and not speaking about those vulnerable enough to become addicted. Perth safety? Actually felt far safer in London and most Euro cities than Perth. I worked until late nights for years taking the last train back to The City and never experienced the aggression on a personal level as was subjected to on the Perth transit system. Saying that saw violence on the tube and buses in London but was never really involved in it. Reason. Few on the street. Anyone out and about late is an easy target. Perth is dead at night time for most purposes. North Bridge, the main central going out area, is again in the news for violence , with police expressing concern that they are called to fight after fight, only to be often attacked themselves. New Years Eve in The City was most uncomfortable for aggressive behaviour. We went to an area full of migrants a lot of Asian and Middle East background to escape what was happening on the ground level. Like I have articulated, meth is everywhere in Perth. Many would be totally unaware what their rentals are being used for. The perpetrators often present very well using children as a prop. Yes NZ and Australia is badly impacted. I'm not even against drugs per say. Your choice. But meth is another level. Easily to become addicted and can induce a level of violence many have probably not witnessed. In Aussie parlance it's termed a grub drug. I last lived in UK in 2010. Outside of London well aware aggressive behaviour as witnessed it but some areas were always somewhat edgy even when I lived in UK.