What are British people better at doing than Irish people?

ElectronVolt

krissovo wrote: »

Climbing ranks in society, In Britain you can leave school with no qualifications and make a good crack of a career from starting at the bottom that pays well and rises through the ranks. In Ireland we are so hung up on leaving cert achievement its almost a joke.

Oddly enough, the statistics don't support that and, interestingly, both Ireland and the UK are dramatically more socially mobile than the USA, despite the perception. The current batch of Tories may well bring about a more American style mess though, by pulling out long established social supports.

One thing you'll always find is emigrants, to almost any country, have an opportunity to somewhat reinvent themselves. Even moving city within a country can give that sense of freedom.

In Ireland in general I've found people willing to take on all sorts of things without serious qualifications and work their way up. I hear these kinds of comments from French people who've moved here specifically to get their first job and some experience under their belt because they feel they're being caught with overly bureaucratic recruitment at home.

I'd also say that in Ireland, not one employer has ever asked to see my degree or leaving cert other than one multinational who demanded transcripts, but that was an American bureaucratic system, not an Irish one.

ElectronVolt

AngeloArgue wrote: »

What are British people better at doing than Irish people?

Preserving their culture and heritage.
In Ireland we have torn up our Georgian squares, we had a tram network from dalkey to howth we ripped up in the the 1960s, our satreets are full charity shops, 2 euro shops, mobile phone unlocking and cash for gold.
Ireland doesn't care about heritage

Have you been to Birmingham?

storker

maxwell smart wrote: »

Bombing Civilians? Don't get me wrong some Irish gave it a good go but the Brits really know how to do a good bombing.

They have better technology to do it with.

storker

Blahfool wrote: »

Queuing

I think we match them for queuing.The first time I got a bus somewhere in France it was a bit of culture shock as everyone waiting was just milling around the bus stop in no discernible order. I was wondering how the priority would work, and supposed that when the bus came everyone would organise themselves into the order in which they arrived. In my defence, I was only 17.

Of course, when the bus arrived there was a big rush to clump around the door, and the fastest got to board first. Among the fastest was not the Irish guy who was still hanging back to see how it would all sort itself out...

faceman

Public transport for sure
Most definitely British accents too

storker

Parliamentary speaking and debating...if you pretend the last few weeks didn't happen. But generally, their MPs and ministers speak more eloquently, more clearly, and spend more time looking at the people they're addressing. Irish TDs and ministers seem to be incapable of delivering a Dail speech without having their head buried in the script. It's like a flashback to school when you had to endure listening to a long reading from a textbook by one of the guys who wasn't very good at reading.

storker

faceman wrote: »

Public transport for sure

Definitely. I remember hearing moans about London buses and the London Underground when I lived there and thinking to myself "These people don't know they're alive.."

Timberrrrrrrr

storker wrote: »

I think we match them for queuing.The first time I got a bus somewhere in France it was a bit of culture shock as everyone waiting was just milling around the bus stop in no discernible order. I was wondering how the priority would work, and supposed that when the bus came everyone would organise themselves into the order in which they arrived. In my defence, I was only 17.

Of course, when the bus arrived there was a big rush to clump around the door, and the fastest got to board first. Among the fastest was not the Irish guy who was still hanging back to see how it would all sort itself out...

You have just described getting on a bus in Dublin

storker

storker wrote: »

Parliamentary speaking and debating...if you pretend the last few weeks didn't happen. But generally, their MPs and ministers speak more eloquently, more clearly, and spend more time looking at the people they're addressing. Irish TDs and ministers seem to be incapable of delivering a Dail speech without having their head buried in the script. It's like a flashback to school when you had to endure listening to a long reading from a textbook by one of the guys who wasn't very good at reading.

This a good one. They're infinitely better at delivery a speech from the head or heart and not 'ehhing' every second word.

TDs are like senior infants reading a scene from The Merchant of Venice.

ElectronVolt

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

You have just described getting on a bus in Dublin

To be fair, I find irish people tend to be pretty polite about queuing. Also Ryanair has us brainwashed into queueing up for all flights, even when we have assigned seats.

In general though, I think irish people have an outstanding ability to go into self criticism and pulling up negative stereotypes of themselves. To a degree English people can be similar but it's tempered by a dose of imperial arrogance when it goes too far. The balance tends to go one way or the other, depending on who you're talking to.

Also I don't buy the argument that English people are more direct. Some Northern English people can be fairly direct, but it's far from universal. I have has this discussion with American colleagues who interact with the UK and find they can be unbelievably indirect, often being polite to the point that nobody's sure what's been agreed. Also they can, just like us, be polite to your face and then either nasty behind your back or be extremely passive agresssive. Take the character played by John Le Muserier on Dad's Army, Sargent Wilson. He embodied that utterly polite but horrendously indirect and passive agressive thing.

There's that kind of Yorkshire straight taking stereotype like Norah Batty, but then Ireland has it to with the likes of stereotype of the Cork nun on Derry Girls, Sister Michael.

There are some differences and there's obviously very bad history between Ireland and England but they're massively outweighed by similarities.

Also if anyone gives me the trope that English politics is more forthright than our system : I would just point to the current Tories. They're literally unbelievable and also totally unable to be honest about what they're up to. It's all a game of trying to pull a fast one with spin.

The major differences I'd notice politically is that Ireland doesn't have the hangover of the class system and aristocracy and Irish politics, because of the design of the system (PR STV voting) tends to be about compromise and consensus building. The British approach tends to be more about power grabs. I wouldn't read that there's some deep cultural difference though - Ireland has has almost a century of proportional representation democracy, one of the only places in the world that can say that.

We also don't really have the clear left Vs right divide that still exists in UK politics, although I'm not convinced it still exists in the public - it's an industrial era politics of Labour vs Capital trying to function in a post industrial UK that's about a whole load of other things that don't fit neatly into those boxes and I think that's a huge part of the reason their politics has gone nuts.

storker

ElectronVolt wrote: »

The major differences I'd notice politically is that Ireland doesn't have the hangover of the class system and aristocracy and Irish politics, because of the design of the system (PR STV voting) tends to be about compromise and consensus building. The British approach tends to be more about power grabs. I wouldn't read that there's some deep cultural difference though - Ireland has has almost a century of proportional representation democracy, one of the only places in the world that can say that.

We also do referendums better...but then we do constitutions better too.

storker

Deleted User wrote: »

TDs are like senior infants reading a scene from The Merchant of Venice.

I'm pretty sure that's the only time I'll ever see a civil servant-written Dail answer compared with Shakespeare.

A Shropshire Lad

A Health Service

Raconteuse

So much stuff here is all in the head, found anywhere, confirmation bias etc. The one about the Irish (as if they're another group ) being two faced but the English being straight talking... and yet I thought the English were stereotypically over polite?

badabing106 wrote: »

British people will happily protest and confront politicians and tell them off. Everywhere Boris goes he gets an ear full. Just wouldn't happen in Ireland, and it certainly wouldn't be reported by Irish media people

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZuQwbLhPnA

There is non stop moaning at politicians in this country. As said, particularly during the water charges protests.

The one definite difference is the inferiority complex/navel gazing. I don't agree that the English are arrogant overall (just a certain type of English person but they are far from representative of the entire 50 million plus population) and they can do self deprecation but they certainly don't self flagellate like people here (and they're dead right not to).

Making proper tea - loose leafed and in a pot - crumpets, and muffins, inventing the internet, building railway bridges, outdoor markets, staging endless ghastly Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals up West that most Londoners wouldn't dream of going to see and oppressing ones inferiors.

Also, not sitting around wondering what Irish people do better, pomp and circumstance, boat races, Pimms, Wimbeldon and nonsense like the Changing of The Guard to give the tourists something to do.

dinorebel

beggars_bush wrote: »

I once met Enda Kenny in Liffey Valley shopping centre when he was Taoiseach and he was out canvassing for a referendum vote.
Told him to his face he was doing a **** job and needed to think about the people going out to work everyday.

Did he tell you you looked like a man who needs a days work?

Yer Da sells Avon

Candie wrote: »

Making proper tea - loose leafed and in a pot

I'd agree with this. My grandfather was from England and he made a great cup of tea. I remember his disgust when he discovered that my parents (neither of whom were tea drinkers) didn't own a teapot. He ended up making his cup of tea in a saucepan instead.

Yer Da sells Avon

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

I'd agree with this. My grandfather was from England and he made a great cup of tea. I remember his disgust when he discovered that my parents (neither of whom were tea drinkers) didn't own a teapot. He ended up making his cup of tea in a saucepan instead.

There isn't much in life that's more calming or civilised than a nice pot of tea and a rack of toast or a nice crumpet - or best of all a fruit scone with cream and strawberry jam. A genuinely uplifting experience.

That, and mercilessly oppressing Johnny Foreigner. :P

Yer Da sells Avon

Candie wrote: »

or best of all a fruit scone with cream and strawberry jam.

And a generous artery-clogging serving of full-fat butter.

Greentopia

Preserving their built and natural heritage. They list and preserve everything from phone boxes to cathedrals and strictly enforce the laws where you cannot change a light fitting practically unless you get consent if you buy a Grade I or II listed home, never mind ripping out sash windows hundreds of years old to put in modern double glazing. Or double height ceiling "spaces".

Another difference I see is they tend to favour buying second hand historic properties rather than new build, the opposite of here...though I think that's slowly changing. We've lost far too many vernacular cottages that would have been given protection in the UK. The attitude here is more "knock it down and build a bungalow with all mod cons". And make it six times the size. :rolleyes:


Better enforcement of laws generally.

storker

A Shropshire Lad wrote: »

A Health Service

Not for long!

Kermit.de.frog

I like English people.

One time I was in a bar in town with some visiting English friends not long a go. I swore to myself I would not utter a word of politics.

Two hours later I was like...

whisky_galore

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Controlling their dogs

We have free range mutts roaming estates and streets as if it was a developing country, all happy out...just having a walk for himself, you can't drive past many a farmer's gate without the obligatory sheepdog sprinting after the car. Pubs, restaurants and shops here can't stand dogs on their premises because of all the half arsed dog owners.
Don't get me started on our semi feral horse and pony population, or their owners.

ElectronVolt

@Storker my eyes!! Some things can never be unseen!

JupiterKid

Comedy. British comedy is the best in the world...no contest. Our comedy is darker, more about winding up and piss taking and it can be good at times. But the Brits do comedy best.

Taking care of and looking after their pets and animals properly. Much better awareness of animal welfare.

Town planning - the UK has a very good system of proper urban planning in place since the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act, which itself was a response to the orgy of suburban housing sprawl in and around London in the 1930s. Practically no one-off new build rural housing in Britain since the 1950s, and rightly so too. They created green belts around cities that they have stuck to.

Linked to a far superior land use planning regime in the UK is a proper recognition and preservation of their built heritage. Us Irish have been shockingly poor at respecting our built historic urban fabric and have only developed a real appreciation of historic buildings in the past 20 years.

Playing by the rules. Apart from the so-called “elite” who have a tendency to bend the laws and rules to suit themselves, most British are pretty good at following the rules. The idea of “getting one over the system” does not really figure in the mindset of the Brits.

Das Reich

Playing football.

prinzeugen

JupiterKid wrote: »

Comedy. British comedy is the best in the world...no contest. Our comedy is darker, more about winding up and piss taking and it can be good at times. But the Brits do comedy best.

Town planning - the UK has a very good system of proper urban planning in place since the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act, which itself was a response to the orgy of suburban housing sprawl in and around London in the 1930s. Practically no one-off new build rural housing in Britain since the 1950s, and rightly so too. They created green belts around cities that they have stuck to.

Playing by the rules. Apart from the so-called “elite” who the day to bend the laws and rules to suit themselves, most British are pretty good at following the rules. The idea of “getting one over the system” does not really figure in the mindset of the Brits.

I was surprised to learn that the most exported/remade British Comedy was Allo Allo!

Being British myself I think we generally follow rules better. If we are told something should/should not be done we follow.

We are (or once were) better at inventing stuff. Being creative. We invented "life hacks"!

Reading a few pages back.. I find it funny that some people still think British = English.

dd973

Does this thread basically mean English people?, what about Scots or Welsh (and English) people who don't self-identify as 'British'.

ElectronVolt

Emm, someone posted the British invented the Internet a few posts back.

Have a look at your internet history : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet

Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web while working at CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research) back in the early 80s, but the internet was a originally a US military project, The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) - it had elements of and inspiration by projects from the US (mostly) but also the UK and France in its origins.

cloudatlas

Didn't some politicians get attacked by water protestors. I remember Mary Harney got something chucked at her. Also one of the people who confronted Boris had an Irish accent. I think given the chance we would confront our politicians more but they aren't really out and about unless there's an election.