100 Worst Britons

decampos · Post by **decampos** » Wed May 21, 2003 12:07 pm

Keith Jordan wrote:The Monarchy represents almost a thousand years of British history, heritage and culture. I feel it is important to have icons to remind and promote such history and our future. It is who we are. You may not like a small proportion of your tax money going to them but I am sure they bring more monoey into the country through tourism.

Anyway, the Queen performs many useful functions and represents our country when Tony is too busy blowing other countries up. She is a great ambassador and I am sure does many great deals behind closed doors for this country.

I think lack of respect for the queen is reflective of the breakdown of society, the commercialisation of our lives, the trivialisation of the family due to TV, video games and other crap.

Respect.

I agree with some of what you say. I get very saddened with this country's self-deprecating disillusionist attitude towards all things English which just serves to unravel our identity even further. I had an argument with a work colleague just the other day about how Tony Blair didn't have our national flag in shot when he was addressing the nation (just shortly before the war). He was appealing to our unity, to our cohesion and all the things the union jack was forged on and it wasn't even there! what was that about? and we don't celebrate St. George's day? why on earth not?

Having said that though, I don't think our monarchy is all that relevant in this day an age. I have a bee in my bonnet about talentless and careerless toffs and snobs born into a deeply privileged lifestyle especially when they're so subsidised buy our loot. The tourism argument is a good one but I'm sure people will still flock to this country to see a dead queen.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Wed May 21, 2003 1:18 pm

Trouble is - I don't think the royals DO bring in more money to the country through tourism than we have to spend collectively on taxes. It would be interesting to find out...

I mean if the monarchy were all over-thrown tommorow and we had 'President Blair' as head of state, people would still go and visit places like Buckingham Palace out of historical interest anyway.

Also a lot of tourism in this country seems to centre around other places too - Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford, the Beatles places in Liverpool, London generally etc..
Maybe as a country we should look to the future more and not cling on to useless, old fashioned ways of living.
Royals squabbling and divorcing left, right and centre - Princess Margaret alcoholic, prince Harry having pot!! Does this really make us Brits look good??!

I agree that Britain should be more patriotic (flags waving and all that), but I think we could do that without the monarchy.. infact we might do that more.

Sorry if this is controversial

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Wed May 21, 2003 4:19 pm

I hate the idea of patriots and it seems to me a disgrace that people can actually be proud of the country they were born in. As if they had any effect where they were born in the first place.

decampos · Post by **decampos** » Wed May 21, 2003 4:35 pm

David Smith wrote:I hate the idea of patriots and it seems to me a disgrace that people can actually be proud of the country they were born in. As if they had any effect where they were born in the first place.

Who am I a disgrace to?

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Wed May 21, 2003 4:44 pm

Not a disgrace to anyone, but i find it a disgraceful though that's all. Each man to his own i've always said, but i just think if we're proud then it should be off something we control ourselves.

Why could i be proud of Scotland. Sure, it's a nice country, but i didn't have a lot to do with being born there, my parents just met there.

Post by **Keith Jordan** » Thu May 22, 2003 3:05 pm

David Smith wrote:Not a disgrace to anyone, but i find it a disgraceful though that's all. Each man to his own i've always said, but i just think if we're proud then it should be off something we control ourselves.

Why could i be proud of Scotland. Sure, it's a nice country, but i didn't have a lot to do with being born there, my parents just met there.

You are a very sick boy David Smith.

Humans are pack animals and live in families, in communities, in countries. You should be proud of your country, what you are a people represent and have achieved. Britain made the first electronic computer. The company was ICL and made 2 for the post office. We discovered penicillin. etc. etc. My point is that you should be proud of your country as a collective of people, communities, achievements etc. It saddens me that you are so dissatisfied with life and/or your country.

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Thu May 22, 2003 3:13 pm

I'm not dissatisfied with life or my country, i just don't think people should start getting prud about their parents meeting up in a certain country. I'm happy with Scotland as a country, and if we were in a war and they needed people to fight i would support them e.t.c

However, what i do not agree with is things like The Highland Games where there's flags everywhere and bagpipes. It's sickening to then hear a farmer or something going up and telling everyone why he's so proud his parents got up to something in the north of Scotland. As if he'd done anything to help Scotland become the place it is, sure, he can say he likes it, but don't claim to have a lot of national pride, that just encourages racsim.

Post by **Keith Jordan** » Thu May 22, 2003 3:16 pm

You seem to be of the opinion that the place you were conceived and born was coincidental? I believe it was not. That is you family history and context. You were lucky by being born into a great country. Some people are not born into stable countries and it affects them mentally as they grow. You are a lucky one and should be very, very, very proud of you country and family history and place in the world.

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Thu May 22, 2003 3:19 pm

I would say it's coincidential yeah. Your family may have worked hard to live in a great country, but in the end you can't choose your family, it's only coincidental who your parents are.

Post by **Keith Jordan** » Thu May 22, 2003 3:25 pm

David Smith wrote:I would say it's coincidential yeah. Your family may have worked hard to live in a great country, but in the end you can't choose your family, it's only coincidental who your parents are.

You cannot choose your family because it is them who create you. You are made from their genes, their biology. That makes your body. They feed you and do stuff to your brain - which is not always good. But that is no reason not to be proud of your country. You are who you are largely because of where you were born. Don't be forgetting that Mr Smith. But I imagine this is your problem: you hate your parents!! Welcome to the club.

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Thu May 22, 2003 4:37 pm

I feel fortunate to live in Scotland, but i couldn't say proud. Many familes are disadvantaged from the start by living in places like Ethiopia that have mass starvation. For this reason i feel it would be totally slefish and distasteful for me to say i'm proud o not live where they do. My parents work no harder than theirs do and they're in the shtuck because of where they're born.

As i said, i'm lucky, but i;m not proud. I would think the country i'm in doesn't have much effect, if i was english, irish, welsh, aermiacn or spanish e.t.c then i feel i'd be much the same, aslong as i still have the same parents.

And i'm not going to say i'm proud of parents for raising me the way the did, that's just needless.

Beatle Neil · Post by **Beatle Neil** » Fri May 23, 2003 4:00 pm

er.............'100 Worst Britons', folks?
Anyone remember that one?

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Fri May 23, 2003 4:29 pm

Nice argument we had going there, but yeah lets go back to topic.

Martin Basheer should not have gotten on, if Michael Jackson didn't want to look like a weirdo then why agree to have the documentry made. He's no worse than the journalists from The Sun.