What I like about being British.

[Clever Dic]

In response to a rather regular poster constantly trying to run down our country with particular scorn for the English I would like to put forward some reasons to be quite happy being British.
He starts with a sinking ship the Titanic so I will.
HMS Birkenhead a troopship with family aboard struck a reef in 1852 of the south African coast the usual drill of every man for himself would have condemned most of the women and children to death as there was not sufficient boats.
Officer commanding colonel Sexton realising this ordered the men to form up on the deck as the ship sank beneath them , this they did allowing the women and children to escape. Colonel Sexton and 48 men did not.
This selfless act aquired the nick name "the Birkenhead drill" Fredrick the Prussian Kaiser had the story read out to every one of his regiments.

So in no particular order the things I like about being British,
Stoicism in difficult circumstances.
British humour,
4 distinct countries in one , yes rivalries but also shared values.
Tolerance.as a nation we are not prone to regular revolutions,coups or bouts of exteme left or right wing politics.
Inbuilt sense of fair play with a love of the underdog.
British TV.
Eccentriciy a very British trait.
Free and sometimes irreverent press and media .

What do you value being British ..

 

[Kevtherev]

+1 for British humour
Plus the all round British way of life

 

[Ashtree]

On the matter of the HMS Birkenhead, a more sober analysis of the event can only conclude that extremely poor command compounded by careless seamanship led quite unnecessarrily to the accident and subsequent launching of the lifeboats.

Shades of Brexit if you ask me.

http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Women-Children-First/

 

[wanton dwarf]

In response to a rather regular poster constantly trying to run down our country with particular scorn for the English I would like to put forward some reasons to be quite happy being British.
He starts with a sinking ship the Titanic so I will.
HMS Birkenhead a troopship with family aboard struck a reef in 1852 of the south African coast the usual drill of every man for himself would have condemned most of the women and children to death as there was not sufficient boats.
Officer commanding colonel Sexton realising this ordered the men to form up on the deck as the ship sank beneath them , this they did allowing the women and children to escape. Colonel Sexton and 48 men did not.
This selfless act aquired the nick name "the Birkenhead drill" Fredrick the Prussian Kaiser had the story read out to every one of his regiments.

So in no particular order the things I like about being British,
Stoicism in difficult circumstances.
British humour,
4 distinct countries in one , yes rivalries but also shared values.
Tolerance.as a nation we are not prone to regular revolutions,coups or bouts of exteme left or right wing politics.
Inbuilt sense of fair play with a love of the underdog.
British TV.
Eccentriciy a very British trait.
Free and sometimes irreverent press and media .

What do you value being British ..

Having lived abroad the only people who come close to a UK sense of Humour are the Dutch.

 

[wanton dwarf]

On the matter of the HMS Birkenhead, a more sober analysis of the event can only conclude that extremely poor command compounded by careless seamanship led quite unnecessarrily to the accident and subsequent launching of the lifeboats.

Shades of Brexit if you ask me.

http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Women-Children-First/

I think I smell stale Irish export produce piling up on the border ... what no customers ?

 

[Ashtree]

I think I smell stale Irish export produce piling up on the border ... what no customers ?

You are in total denial about the eventual outcome.
SM and CU for you in perpetuity. Gotta keep the Japanese in Sunderland etc,.

 

[Walterp]

You are in total denial about the eventual outcome.
SM and CU for you in perpetuity. Gotta keep the Japanese in Sunderland etc,.

I cannot see the practical route to this, although I can grasp your reasoning; are there not (at least) three obstacles?

First the Tory party first needing to defenestrate their Right Wing, because they are emphatic about it being merely 'transitory'.

Secondly because Labour will continue to move its position closer to a referendum on the outcome, and suggest it is inferior to membership?

Third, is this all the UK negotiating with itself? What will the rest of the EU say?

 

[Ashtree]

I cannot see the practical route to this, although I can grasp your reasoning; are there not (at least) three obstacles?

First the Tory party first needing to defenestrate their Right Wing, because they are emphatic about it being merely 'transitory'.

Secondly because Labour will continue to move its position closer to a referendum on the outcome, and suggest it is inferior to membership?

Third, is this all the UK negotiating with itself? What will the rest of the EU say?

EU simply have NO other alternative but to dig in very deep regarding any future trade deal with UK!
As Barnier said recently somebody needs to educate the British people about the consequences of leaving the SM and CU.
That education will come out in the wash once the real negotiations take place once the British have caved in on the divorce cheque.
Post the referendum the mood was nothing short of "OUT NOW"!
Then TM stupidly triggered article 50. Put the country up against the clock with a gargantuan amount of technical and political issues to resolve. Then she compounded her difficulty by calling an election and effectively losing it. More time lost.
OUT NOW is dead and buried and replaced initially by a very short transition period. I think a year to two was mentioned.
Then it was a three to four year transition.
Now it's a transition which suits business.

Now Toyota have publicly said this nonsense has to stop ...... or else .......

There will be some sort of paper / agreement in the end called somethin or other. A new and deep relationship! With "friends" in Europe.
In essence though SM and CU advantages will still accrue to Britain for a high price and no doubt for mercy's sake Britain will get some totally irrelevant concession to sell to @wanton dwarf et al.
Oh, the invoice for all those billions will still drop through the letter box down at the treasuary!

 

[Clever Dic]

EU simply have NO other alternative but to dig in very deep regarding any future trade deal with UK!
As Barnier said recently somebody needs to educate the British people about the consequences of leaving the SM and CU.
That education will come out in the wash once the real negotiations take place once the British have caved in on the divorce cheque.
Post the referendum the mood was nothing short of "OUT NOW"!
Then TM stupidly triggered article 50. Put the country up against the clock with a gargantuan amount of technical and political issues to resolve. Then she compounded her difficulty by calling an election and effectively losing it. More time lost.
OUT NOW is dead and buried and replaced initially by a very short transition period. I think a year to two was mentioned.
Then it was a three to four year transition.
Now it's a transition which suits business.

Now Toyota have publicly said this nonsense has to stop ...... or else .......

There will be some sort of paper / agreement in the end called somethin or other. A new and deep relationship! With "friends" in Europe.
In essence though SM and CU advantages will still accrue to Britain for a high price and no doubt for mercy's sake Britain will get some totally irrelevant concession to sell to @wanton dwarf et al.
Oh, the invoice for all those billions will still drop through the letter box down at the treasuary!

I did at one time go to the cold tap for cold water. No need for that now you and Walter post.

 

[czechmate]

Leicester City winning the Premier League

 

[Billhook]

To answer the original question, I like the fact that for a thousand years our laws were formed from the bottom up, not from the top down by a bunch of unelected failed politicians.

On the other question of trade. Everyone keeps talking about trade in numbers of people not in profitability. We have a 70 billion pound trade deficit with the EU. Does that not mean anything?

If I buy my chemicals and fertilser from Ashtree for £170 and he buys my wheat for £100 I will have made a £70 loss.

If I buy my chemicals and fertiliser from Clever Dic for £170 and he buys my potatoes for £400 it would certainly make me want to deal more with Clever Dic than Ashtree

Not surprising that our national debt is nearly two trillion and our borrowing is up again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40679277

 

[Henarar]

To answer the original question, I like the fact that for a thousand years our laws were formed from the bottom up, not from the top down by a bunch of unelected failed politicians.

On the other question of trade. Everyone keeps talking about trade in numbers of people not in profitability. We have a 70 billion pound trade deficit with the EU. Does that not mean anything?

If I buy my chemicals and fertilser from Ashtree for £170 and he buys my wheat for £100 I will have made a £70 loss.

If I buy my chemicals and fertiliser from Clever Dic for £170 and he buys my potatoes for £400 it would certainly make me want to deal more with Clever Dic than Ashtree

Not surprising that our national debt is nearly two trillion and our borrowing is up again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40679277

so better of not to deal with them then, tell them to fork off
makes you proud to be British

 

[czechmate]

so better of not to deal with them then, tell them to fork off
makes you proud to be British

Swearing at people makes you proud?

 

[Henarar]

Swearing at people makes you proud?

sometimes chucking a few f**ks about is the best thing if folks are being complete arsewipes which they are

 

[czechmate]

sometimes chucking a few fudges about is the best thing if folks are being complete arsewipes which they are

I suppose we are all different. I hate to admit, I have sworn at folk. I have never felt good, never mind proud, about it afterwards.

 

[Henarar]

perhaps they didn't really deserve it and that's why you didn't feel good about it
best to save it for those that deserve it

 

[jendan]

To answer the original question, I like the fact that for a thousand years our laws were formed from the bottom up, not from the top down by a bunch of unelected failed politicians.

On the other question of trade. Everyone keeps talking about trade in numbers of people not in profitability. We have a 70 billion pound trade deficit with the EU. Does that not mean anything?

If I buy my chemicals and fertilser from Ashtree for £170 and he buys my wheat for £100 I will have made a £70 loss.

If I buy my chemicals and fertiliser from Clever Dic for £170 and he buys my potatoes for £400 it would certainly make me want to deal more with Clever Dic than Ashtree

Not surprising that our national debt is nearly two trillion and our borrowing is up again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40679277

I thought following The Great Repeal Bill,many of our laws will revert to the ones HenryV111 made? How can that be from the bottom up?

 

[Danllan]

A very good idea for a thread, but I think it probably impossible for anybody to respond to well. Briefly...

Well, I suppose this can't be a nationalistic response, because I am sure a Frenchman or a Japanese would find himself in a similar position regarding his country; it is like looking at a woodland across a valley and being asked to describe every single shade of green in the leaves, never-ending and perhaps beyond the power of words to convey.

And there are many, many contradictory elements; for example, I loathe the way we put-up with the sneering from the likes of the usual suspects above, but I have a deep love for our national tolerance that allows all forms of dissent and disagreement to be expressed and would never see their or other voices silenced.

@Billhook has mentioned the law, really the Common Law, which is an historically unique system and it is an expression of the common sense of the country - and not something placed upon the country. After a fair amount of study there is a real beauty to be found in this law, that politicians and kings could neither contain nor destroy, but it is not perfect and will always be a work in progress.

No, can't do it, there are simply too many things to enumerate.

 

[Danllan]

I thought following The Great Repeal Bill,many of our laws will revert to the ones HenryV111 made? How can that be from the bottom up?

Claptrap, whoever has explained the Bill to you has, no doubt, had an agenda.

 

[jendan]

perhaps they didn't really deserve it and that's why you didn't feel good about it
best to save it for those that deserve it

It never really works,or has the desired effect,and is usually followed by a tit for tat,"and feck you too".Best to get your revenge by more subtle ways afterwards.