Northern Ireland Suffers Clown Shortage

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ir ... %40BBCNews

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves.

[hammerofglass]

Oh good. With any luck the profession will be extinct soon.

[Madner Kami]

[...]

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a shortage of the performers, as many returned to their home countries when the first lockdown came into force in early 2020, according to Mr Duffy.

[...]

"Because all the circuses in Europe and in England have been up and operational for the past six months, that huge pool of EU artists are already back at work and up until last week we haven't been able to even get visas issued for non-EU artists and entertainers," Mr Duffy said.

[...]

First HGV-drivers, now clowns. If only someone could have warned them... But hey, maybe this situation can be as easily solved as the HGV-driver problem: By simply removing requirements. If HGV-drivers can get a license without ever having had to reverse their vehicle with a trailer, than I am certain that clowns can get a clowning-license without ever having been funny or something.

And if all else fails, just import some politicians from Westminster. I'm laughing aplenty, when I see those.

[TGLS]

If HGV-drivers can get a license without ever having had to reverse their vehicle with a trailer

That seems dangerous.

[Madner Kami]

If HGV-drivers can get a license without ever having had to reverse their vehicle with a trailer

That seems dangerous.

Welcome to the BrExit-reality. I stopped posting about it a while ago, because it got more absurd the more time passed and I felt nobody would believe it anyways...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove ... r-shortage

Up to 50,000 more HGV driving tests will be made available each year thanks to government action to streamline the testing process.

[...]

HGV driving tests will be overhauled, meaning drivers will only need to take 1 test to drive both a rigid and articulated lorry, rather than having to take 2 separate tests (spaced 3 weeks apart). This will make around 20,000 more HGV driving tests available every year and mean drivers can gain their licence and enter the industry more quickly.

Tests will also be made shorter by removing the ‘reversing exercise’ element – and for vehicles with trailers, the ‘uncoupling and recoupling’ exercise – and having it tested separately by a third party. This part of the test is carried out off the road on a manoeuvring area and takes a significant amount of time. Testing such manoeuvres separately will free up examiner time, meaning they can carry out another full test every day.

Car drivers will no longer need to take another test to tow a trailer or caravan, allowing roughly 30,000 more HGV driving tests to be conducted every year.

[...]

I mean, it's not like towing a trailer is kind of an important thing in the live of a H(eavy)G(oods)V(ehicle)-driver...

But hey, I am sure that giving out 5,000 temporary visas to EU-HGV-drivers (you know, a job that is in low supply of man-power on the continent already), which run out on christmas eve by default, will fix everything.

[chaos42]

what is with people hating clowns? they just want to entertain people. this is why i don't like films like it -it just make kids afraid of a person trying to entertain them.

now i can understand that some people have an issue with it thats not what im talking about. im just saying the random hating of people who are clowns.

[clearspira]

[...]

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a shortage of the performers, as many returned to their home countries when the first lockdown came into force in early 2020, according to Mr Duffy.

[...]

"Because all the circuses in Europe and in England have been up and operational for the past six months, that huge pool of EU artists are already back at work and up until last week we haven't been able to even get visas issued for non-EU artists and entertainers," Mr Duffy said.

[...]

First HGV-drivers, now clowns. If only someone could have warned them... But hey, maybe this situation can be as easily solved as the HGV-driver problem: By simply removing requirements. If HGV-drivers can get a license without ever having had to reverse their vehicle with a trailer, than I am certain that clowns can get a clowning-license without ever having been funny or something.

And if all else fails, just import some politicians from Westminster. I'm laughing aplenty, when I see those.

120,000 drivers short in Poland. 60,000 drivers short in Germany. Is that due to Brexit too?

*giggles*

[hammerofglass]

what is with people hating clowns? they just want to entertain people. this is why i don't like films like it -it just make kids afraid of a person trying to entertain them.

now i can understand that some people have an issue with it thats not what im talking about. im just saying the random hating of people who are clowns.

Lifelong phobia. Actually hits harder for mascot costumes with fixed expressions, but the fake face painted over a clown's real face sets it off.

[McAvoy]

Never had an issue with clowns. I actually was going to go out for Halloween as Twisty the Clown from American Horror Story.

That was in 2016. That whole clown thing that was happening and then eventually people started to shoot the clowns. I definitely wasn't doing that.

I do understand the phobia of clowns. I think it has something to do with the face. Humans use the face for alot of things. Disrupt the face in real life and the brain goes haywire.

[chaos42]

i don't get that. Ive had friends who had no nose and i didn't even really think about it, he just didn't have one, happens. i don't see why face paint and such would make people crazy