...So we're British.

[Panthino the Moth]

Tungska Butterfly

I agree, I visited England once, I went to Camden Town in London (it was for a school debating thingy - MUN. yes, I admit it, I was/am a nerd!) and found it to be incredably depressing. I prefer to make the distinction between being English (read: a chav) and being British (read: cool!).

But compared to Irish culture, Britain has a tonne going for it. So, English culture has gone down the crapper of late, agreed! But Irish culture is still the same. We've always had larger louts, it's just we used to go home and beat our wives and kids instead. We've always hated the English, and still gone over to England to get jobs. And then bitched about the English being racist when they tell us to go back home and stop stealing our jobs. And then when foreigners come to clean our McDonalds toilets we complain that foreigners are stealing our jobs, despite no Irish person EVER wanting to bring themselves down to washing toilets again!

And at least you should be proud. You guys have some unity over football. You've pretty much wiped out the skinheads. The only reason our lot crack out the tri-colour is to mock the English.

Seriously, when I was on said MUN trip, we were staying at a boarding school, who continued to fly the Union Jack. A few of the Irish chaps (friends of the people I went with, I met them once) decided this wasn't on, so removed it and tried to raise the tri-colour ... but they were too drunk to do so, so they just kicked it and spat on it ... that sorta sums up Irish history for you right there actually! Evann Boland couldn't have come up with a better metaphor!

MUN... I went to that once. Lots of girls from Dublin.

Don't tell me all this, I'm going there (for the second time this year) in a few weeks! Granted, for the first week, I'll be in Cork. So I should be a little safer there.

Wiped out the skinheads? You must be joking. Unity over football? People in my city fight over two teams called 'Rovers' and 'City'.

My whole family emigrated from Northern Ireland in the mid-1970s, and all buggered off to Australia.  

[Cpl Giroro]

Magna Carta

Yoghurt must always be mentioned-always-ever

.

Just a short passage from the magna carta, one of the lesser known pieces. Reinforcing the importance of yoghurt in our culture today.

Anyway, on a more serious note. Why is everybody so embarrassed about the British Empire and the slave trade? The british empire was incredible, other peopel had emires hundereds of years before us. And we wanted our fair share of glory. The Italians are proud of their empire, the French (Bastards) of theirs, why can't we have something to be proud of? As for the slave trade, the British, fine bought slaves from Africa, notice the use of the word bought, we bought theses slaves from other Africans, who were also using them as slaves, so in a way the Africans are actually more responsible than us. As for the Americans, they were actually kidnapping them, we stopped 30 years before the Americans and actually used The Queens Own Royal Navy to round up American slave vessels. Also the arabs were selling slaves for years before and after us. And breathe.  

[Boolean Julian]

I think you have a rather rosy view of the history of the British Empire. Did you, for instance, know that concentration camps were invented by the British during the Boer war? Also, I don't see the fact that other countries had empires as any justification for ours.  

[and_solo_said]

Lady of Spain

I think you have a rather rosy view of the history of the British Empire. Did you, for instance, know that concentration camps were invented by the British during the Boer war? Also, I don't see the fact that other countries had empires as any justification for ours.

They were around long before that. Though it is true, they were only first used in such a recognisable fashion by us in the Boer war...Not that it didn't spread quickly I might add. Besides, there's nothing wrong with concentration camps, we used them in WWII as well. Death camps are the problem.  

[Invictus_88]

and_solo_said

Lady of Spain

I think you have a rather rosy view of the history of the British Empire. Did you, for instance, know that concentration camps were invented by the British during the Boer war? Also, I don't see the fact that other countries had empires as any justification for ours.

They were around long before that. Though it is true, they were only first used in such a recognisable fashion by us in the Boer war...Not that it didn't spread quickly I might add. Besides, there's nothing wrong with concentration camps, we used them in WWII as well. Death camps are the problem.

There's quite a lot wrong with them, in my view.  

[Invictus_88]

Cpl Giroro

Magna Carta

Yoghurt must always be mentioned-always-ever

.

Just a short passage from the magna carta, one of the lesser known pieces. Reinforcing the importance of yoghurt in our culture today.

Anyway, on a more serious note. Why is everybody so embarrassed about the British Empire and the slave trade? The british empire was incredible, other peopel had emires hundereds of years before us. And we wanted our fair share of glory. The Italians are proud of their empire, the French (Bastards) of theirs, why can't we have something to be proud of? As for the slave trade, the British, fine bought slaves from Africa, notice the use of the word bought, we bought theses slaves from other Africans, who were also using them as slaves, so in a way the Africans are actually more responsible than us. As for the Americans, they were actually kidnapping them, we stopped 30 years before the Americans and actually used The Queens Own Royal Navy to round up American slave vessels. Also the arabs were selling slaves for years before and after us. And breathe.

For my own part, I don't mention it unless it's topical or provoked by someone's anti-empire idiocy. Though that's more often than you might think.

It's best not mentioned because of where we are now, and how far we've fallen. We've fallen a long way indeed.

That said, I've a lot of love for the Commonwealth, though I could suggest a few reforms.  

[AkibeJosephus]

I hate how expensive housing is at the moment. I've recently had to move out of my student house because the landlord was breaking the law (coming round to the house without giving the legally required 24 hours notice, and letting himself in at least twice without phoning ahead to find out if anyone was in, doesn't exactly make me feel safe) so now I'm reluctant to rent a flat once I graduate, but at the same time buying a flat is just WAY too expensive, especially for a new graduate.  

[ficklefiend]

Invictus_88

and_solo_said

Lady of Spain

I think you have a rather rosy view of the history of the British Empire. Did you, for instance, know that concentration camps were invented by the British during the Boer war? Also, I don't see the fact that other countries had empires as any justification for ours.

They were around long before that. Though it is true, they were only first used in such a recognisable fashion by us in the Boer war...Not that it didn't spread quickly I might add. Besides, there's nothing wrong with concentration camps, we used them in WWII as well. Death camps are the problem.

There's quite a lot wrong with them, in my view.

Well, at least we can say we left the gassing up to the Nazis. Though goodness knows how many poisonous weapons have come out of Britain...I'm sure we will have had in that somewhere as well.  

[ficklefiend]

AkibeJosephus

I hate how expensive housing is at the moment. I've recently had to move out of my student house because the landlord was breaking the law (coming round to the house without giving the legally required 24 hours notice, and letting himself in at least twice without phoning ahead to find out if anyone was in, doesn't exactly make me feel safe) so now I'm reluctant to rent a flat once I graduate, but at the same time buying a flat is just WAY too expensive, especially for a new graduate.

Not all landlords are dicks.