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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Can Science Tell Us the Meaning of Life? Mon Dec 23, 2024 19:54 | Dr David Bell
At Christmas time, Dr David Bell reflects on what has true value in this world, the limits of science to tell us what that is and what a baby in a manger might have to say about it.
The post Can Science Tell Us the Meaning of Life? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Non-Crime Hate Incidents Surge in Half of Police Forces Despite Government Crackdown Mon Dec 23, 2024 17:46 | Will Jones
The number of?non-crime hate incidents?recorded by police has surged in half of Britain's forces despite attempts by the previous Government to crack down on the practice, official data show.
The post Non-Crime Hate Incidents Surge in Half of Police Forces Despite Government Crackdown appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Reeves?s Simplistic Thinking Spawned This Budget from Hell Mon Dec 23, 2024 15:44 | David Craig
Simplistic linear thinking by Rachel from Accounts and the Treasury spawned this Budget from hell, says David Craig. A systems thinker would have known it would send the economy into a doom loop of recession and decline.
The post Reeves’s Simplistic Thinking Spawned This Budget from Hell appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link British Drivers Steering Away From New Cars In Their Droves Mon Dec 23, 2024 13:00 | Sallust
British car-buyers are turning away from new vehicles in their droves and keeping their reliable old petrol models going for far longer as Labour's Net Zero war on affordable motors heats up.
The post British Drivers Steering Away From New Cars In Their Droves appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Britain on Brink of Recession After Growth Revised to Zero Following Reeves?s Horror Budget Mon Dec 23, 2024 11:09 | Will Jones
Britain is on the brink of a recession after official figures were revised to show zero growth in the third quarter of the year and living standards fell, with Rachel Reeves's horror Budget blamed.
The post Britain on Brink of Recession After Growth Revised to Zero Following Reeves’s Horror Budget appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Slave Tourism in Ireland and UK

category national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report author Tuesday September 19, 2017 12:06author by Mack MThomais Report this post to the editors

Legal Modern Day Slavery Ireland - Ireland s latest tourism opportunity

Several foreign based volunteer networks are placing unsuspecting travellers in exploitative and manipulative situations and cashing in on free labour with no rights or security.

Every so often people whom wish to broaden their horizons and experience new cultures will eventually need to travel beyond their hometowns and security of their families and friends. Some go the conventional route and suffer the tourist traps that are practically in every open country in the world not to mention the gruelling itinerary of transport airports and the draconian security measures that must be negotiated along the way. This is the first impression people get of other countries and the cultural experience is often drained by the gauntlet of paranoia that is modern travel.
Some victims of this forlorn industry anxious to recover the adventurous spirit and reclaim the stage from the Philistines that have destroyed the last bastion of freedom which is travel,got together and came up with a unique idea ,volunteering whilst travelling. The principle is to connect travellers with hosts in various countries along a persons chosen travel route and the hosts would accomodate the travellers for a set period of time in return for a willing pair of hands on various projects the hosts were undertaking. The traveller would live with a family and experience first hand the life of various people in their diverse cultures whilst doing some good for the region in assisting the host with a variety of tasks. Sounds great a win ,win for everyone. The online volunteer networks such as HelpX.net Workaway.info and Workers on Organic Farms (WOOF) are examples of these networks whom connect the unsuspecting travellers with hosts for a fee without ever meeting their hosts and with no working hours or conditions agreed to before signing up.

These tasks and work expected are not with official volunteer programmes or not for profits in the main ,but with private individuals and increasingly hostels ,hotels ,restraunts ,farms and other business in Ireland . Many are requesting childcare assistance and help with elderly relatives without any vetting procedure beforehand . These sites are there for anyone to see and there are host opportunities all over Europe and indeed worldwide ,however a quick glance at the host listings available online clearly show that Ireland and the UK have the largest demand and Ireland is by far the worst offender of volunteer requests per population and size. The statistics show that on the Help X site Ireland currently has 1,062 work exchange placements alot of them in private enterprise and small business compared to England at 1077 Wales 202 Scotland 382 and Northern Ireland 65. The travellers whom use these sites are often required to work 8 hours or more without breaks and as they are in a different country have no recourse to relief as they are dependant on their hosts for accomodation and meals if any are provided. The WORKAWAY.info shows a similar trend with the Republic of Ireland and England with the biggest demand for free labour and from their various profiles many are registered business exploiting this free labour.

Travellers leave references of their experiences in reviews and many are not very flattering with many complaints of conditions and treatment with their hosts . How these sites can circumvent our laws and labour rights so blatantly beggars belief and how employers are cashing in on this free labour when there are so many unemployed and homeless is disgraceful. I would also say that these sites started out as a positive and interesting way to travel however there are always people whom will take advantage and many have come to rely on this form of labour as the norm often in violation of law yet the authorities turn a blind eye to the detriment of the traveller many trapped for months in atrocious conditions and exploited for long hours of work for a bed and a -plate of food. It is interesting that the Republic of Ireland is the biggest benefactor and applicant of this type of labour as can be seen from the volunteer websites hosts lists and this is concerning ,as the Irish seem to accept this as normal and shows the social psychological mindset of its people. Maybe the large influx of these modern slaves each year which is very much under the radar is a result of the abandonment of rural Ireland by government or a more sinister result of greed . Researching these websites there seems to be an air of entitlement from some of the hosts whom seem to be making demands of what they want from volunteers rather than promotion through attraction. Whatever the social development emerging from this modern phenomena it certainly raises questions as to how it is being allowed in the name of cultural experience as the reviews from some travellers show distress ,unhappiness and exploitation.

The websites can be viewed by readers for their own perusal at

HelpX.net
Workaway.info
WWOOF.NET

They include a county by county list of hosts whom are relying on this labour instead of employing locals and most worrying people requesting childcare and elderly care without vetting

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