The Great Britain Appreciation Thread

mariaalice · 15-03-2019 10:52am

It's not perfect and seems to be getting worse, not better, but its is one of the world's superpowers and is a great country overall and despite all the carping its got a superb education system, the NHS, it's one of the mothers of democracy very ancient and historic fantastic film, theater, music, and litterateur etc.

Hundreds of thousands of Irish people got employment and prospered in the uk when Ireland had nothing to offer them except poverty.

Partition was nearly a hundred years a ago the second world war 80 years ago.

Which bring me to something I don't like the rise of nationalism in the UK which was never a feature until fairly recently, on the other hand, they have not swallow the mom Americanised cultures we seem to like here.

GS11 · 15-03-2019 10:58am

igCorcaigh wrote: »

What have the Romans ever done for us?

My first thoughts as well.

GS11 · 15-03-2019 11:01am

Duke Cool Battery wrote: »

Churchill looked down on the Irish, like you Kermie.

I'ma go with: awesome music, television, literature, comedy.

I would suggest there's a huge amount of the upperclass, or their descendants see us still as a bunch of savages.

mariaalice · 15-03-2019 11:03am

GS11 wrote: »

My first thoughts as well.

The new state after 1921, just wholesale took over the British system, P60 P45 is a good example.

mariaalice · 15-03-2019 11:05am

GS11 wrote: »

I would suggest there's a huge amount of the upperclass, or their descendants see us still as a bunch of savages.

Yea its a kind of arrogance in some sections of British society, but they are the same about the French etc.

buried · 15-03-2019 12:03pm

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whisky_galore · 15-03-2019 1:35pm

KaneToad wrote: »

A nation that has to put 'great' into their name is compensating for something...

Countries with the word "democratic" in them often aren't.

granturismo · 15-03-2019 1:39pm

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

They built all the nice houses in Dublin, and around the country.

I dont think they did the actual building work.

Lady Spangles · 15-03-2019 2:40pm

I think you all need to remember that "Great" Britain isn't referring to how awesome they are. It's because Britain isn't a country, it's an island of three separation nations on one small landmass.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 15-03-2019 3:35pm

Churchill was tight as an owl for most of his life. His secretary wrote a book about his habits, he'd be on the sauce from early morning to late at night. An impressionist would often have to read his nightly radio address during the war as Winiston would be too tight to speak in a coherent manner.

Oink · 15-03-2019 3:41pm

Allow me to share this gem from B&Q, this stalwart of British industry:

https://www.diy.com/departments/dewalt-heritage-black-tan-shorts-w36-/5055160049111_BQ.prd

Franz Von Peppercorn · 15-03-2019 6:23pm

granturismo wrote: »

I dont think they did the actual building work.

The buildings were commissioned by the Anglo Irish in most cases anyway.

JohnnyFlash · 15-03-2019 6:44pm

As an engineer by training, if not by practice; I've always had a huge grá for what Isambard Kingdom Brunel achieved. A man of extraordinary intellect and ambition. It really was an era of enlightenment. The thinking behind making rail the finest way of traveling and moving goods has never been surpassed.

Edgware · 15-03-2019 7:05pm

RobertKK wrote: »

Churchill was a racist, ran concentration camps, had people tortured, threatened to invade Ireland in WW2, was responsible for the Black and Tans, the partition of Ireland, partition of the Indian sub continent, millions of deaths in India.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/not-his-finest-hour-the-dark-side-of-winston-churchill-2118317.html

Far from something good about Great Britain.

Surely Cornish Pasties and Eccles cake would make up for all that

FrancieBrady · 15-03-2019 7:29pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

As an engineer by training, if not by practice; I've always had a huge grá for what Isambard Kingdom Brunel achieved. A man of extraordinary intellect and ambition. It really was an era of enlightenment. The thinking behind making rail the finest way of traveling and moving goods has never been surpassed.

Plus one - always fascinated by the achievements in engineering.
They certainly didn't squander all the spoils of empire anyhow, the educational centres they built paid dividends and their infrastructural projects were marvels, no doubt.

wexandproud · 15-03-2019 8:14pm

Omackeral wrote: »

Aaaaand unfollow...

was surprised it took so long to drag what could have been an interesting thread for a change , down to their level

The Rape of Lucretia · 15-03-2019 8:22pm

Ireland's greatest period was when it was coat tailing on the phenomenal power, glory, wealth, influence, innovation, and energy of Great Britain. It road the wave of being a global giant, the envy of all.
Ireland should appreciate its golden period 1800-1922. Thanks Great Britain.

buried · 15-03-2019 8:26pm

Thanks Aleister Crowley man, you greatly enhanced our reputation.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 15-03-2019 8:27pm

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Ireland's greatest period was when it was coat tailing on the phenomenal power, glory, wealth, influence, innovation, and energy of Great Britain. It road the wave of being a global giant, the envy of all.
Ireland should appreciate its golden period 1800-1922. Thanks Great Britain.

1/10

Laois_Man · 15-03-2019 8:33pm

Well you have to admire the Brits who can get away with certain stuff. Brexit for exaple, and a little bit of a conspiracy theory which may not be new to all - but it's really interesting nonetheless and shows how friends of the likes of Nigel Farage made a financial killing from insider trading whereby on referendum night, he released 2 concession statements (much to the bemusement of other leave campaigners).

The first was released within seconds of the polls closing, and the second 92 minutes later had Farage saying that his friends in the city were telling him that their private polling was showing 'Remain' had won.

These statements helped drive markets higher, Sterling surged to new highs and many firms who engaged in short selling made an enormous financial killing in the order of hundreds of millions when Sterling fell off a cliff at around 4 O'Clock the next morning.

Bloomberg consider it a fact that Farage knew, definitely before the second concession statement and probably before the first one also, that this wasn't true and that he had access to the results of private exit polling companies 'YouGov' and 'Survation' which had been commissioned by Hedgefunds and had been illegally streaming their polling results to their hedgefund clients throughout that day in real time - and their results were actually showing 'Leave' as the winners of course. Farage had a long standing relationship with Damien Lyons Lowe, the CEO of Survation. Furthermore, 'YouGov' and 'Survation' had previously told broadcasters who had tried to hire their services that exit polling methods wouldn't work on Brexit

Bloomberg have been investigating and their video here is less that 12 minutes long as is worth a watch

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-03-15/how-hedge-funds-gamed-brexit-to-make-millions-video

15-03-2019 9:06pm

RobertKK wrote: »

Churchill was a racist, ran concentration camps, had people tortured, threatened to invade Ireland in WW2, was responsible for the Black and Tans, the partition of Ireland, partition of the Indian sub continent, millions of deaths in India.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/not-his-finest-hour-the-dark-side-of-winston-churchill-2118317.html

Far from something good about Great Britain.

You forgot global warming and the rise of the illuminati.

Odhinn · 15-03-2019 9:07pm

Aegir wrote: »

You forgot global warming and the rise of the illuminati.

What is it in his post you have a problem with?

FrancieBrady · 15-03-2019 9:21pm

Aegir wrote: »

You forgot global warming and the rise of the illuminati.

The mythmaking about this odious man has been demolished. He got lucky when Hitler wasn't that bothered to push on into Britain and has been held up as some sort of paragon of bravery and heroism since.
You are more likely to see a story about his archaic viewpoints than the Pinewood studio myth of a statesman these days.

15-03-2019 9:53pm

Odhinn wrote: »

What is it in his post you have a problem with?

It is typical of the myths and bull**** that rolled out about Churchill. For starters, he was a 25 year old war correspondent during the Boer war, who was captured two weeks after arriving in the country, yet apparently he was somehow responsible for the concentration camps.

Similarly with the use of gas quote that Francis used. The full quote is as follows:

It is sheer affectation to lacerate a man with the poisonous fragment of a bursting shell and to boggle at making his eyes water by means of lachrymatory gas. I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes. The moral effect should be so good that the loss of life should be reduced to a minimum. It is not necessary to use only the most deadly gasses: gasses can be used which cause great inconvenience and would spread a lively terror and yet would leave no serious permanent effects on most of those affected

Lachrymatory gas is the correct name for what is more commonly known as tear gas. What Churchill was advocating, was that rather than bombing and machine gunning the rebelling Arabs in what is now Iraq, they drop tear gas instead. I k now which option i would prefer if I was on the receiving end.

then there are the statements about partitioning India and Ireland.....

Odhinn · 15-03-2019 10:05pm

Aegir wrote: »

It is typical of the (..............) and Ireland.....

I've some bad news for you there

https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/sep/01/winston-churchill-shocking-use-chemical-weapons

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/02/03/the-dark-side-of-winston-churchills-legacy-no-one-should-forget/?utm_term=.1cc9b8463832

I presume that "camps" was a reference to kenya
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mau_Mau_Uprising

And of course his attitude and actions during the bengal famine are well documented.

FrancieBrady · 15-03-2019 10:07pm

Aegir wrote: »

It is typical of the myths and bull**** that rolled out about Churchill. For starters, he was a 25 year old war correspondent during the Boer war, who was captured two weeks after arriving in the country, yet apparently he was somehow responsible for the concentration camps.

Similarly with the use of gas quote that Francis used. The full quote is as follows:

It is sheer affectation to lacerate a man with the poisonous fragment of a bursting shell and to boggle at making his eyes water by means of lachrymatory gas. I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes. The moral effect should be so good that the loss of life should be reduced to a minimum. It is not necessary to use only the most deadly gasses: gasses can be used which cause great inconvenience and would spread a lively terror and yet would leave no serious permanent effects on most of those affected

Lachrymatory gas is the correct name for what is more commonly known as tear gas. What Churchill was advocating, was that rather than bombing and machine gunning the rebelling Arabs in what is now Iraq, they drop tear gas instead. I k now which option i would prefer if I was on the receiving end.

then there are the statements about partitioning India and Ireland.....

I am sure the 'uncivilised tribes' were grateful as we were supposed to be for the humanity of the great civiliser.

RobMc59 · 15-03-2019 10:13pm

RobertKK wrote: »

Churchill was a racist, ran concentration camps, had people tortured, threatened to invade Ireland in WW2, was responsible for the Black and Tans, the partition of Ireland, partition of the Indian sub continent, millions of deaths in India.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/not-his-finest-hour-the-dark-side-of-winston-churchill-2118317.html

Far from something good about Great Britain.

Did you see the fabulous bronze bust of him with pride of place when trump met the Taoiseach?

buried · 15-03-2019 10:18pm

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FrancieBrady · 15-03-2019 10:29pm

RobMc59 wrote: »

Did you see the fabulous bronze bust of him with pride of place when trump met the Taoiseach?

Trump and Churchill....hmmmm

janfebmar · 15-03-2019 10:39pm

RobMc59 wrote: »

Did you see the fabulous bronze bust of him with pride of place when trump met the Taoiseach?

To many Americans, Churchill symbolises unflinching opposition to appeasement, first to Hitler, then during the cold war to Soviet communism.

The Great Britain Appreciation Thread

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