The Gypsy and the State: The Ethnic Cleansing of British Society

This new and expanded edition tracks the impact of the 1994 Criminal Justice Bill and Public Order Act on the lives and fortunes of Gypsies in Britain. Confrontation between the Gypsy and the State carries implications for the way British society caters for the needs of all minority groups, and the book argues that Gypsies and Travellers are one of the least regarded minority groups in Britain. Paradoxically, the authors argue that the discrimination they face derives largely from legislation framed to assist them. The book provides a history of Gypsies in Britain, examines the public policy and planning issues which surround the future provision of legal camps and describes attempts to deliver basic education and health services to nomadic families. In this new edition, the authors analyse both the way in which local government has responded to the new policy environment since the Criminal Justice Act was passed, and the dramatic intervention of the courts in modifying its impact. A major new chapter places the Gypsy experience in the context of the race and prejudice debate and offers some explanations for the hostility and antagonism which itinerant families face. This book provides an excellent account of how policy really gets made and examines with insight and objectivity the consequences for all those involved.