General Chat

Irrespective of your country of either birth or residency what are the top ten things that make your country great? For me being English first then British and sorry but never European the ten best things about England for me are:

1.The countryside from throbbing cities to wild remote coast
2.The press - a lot of it total drivel but also free
3.The weather - yep the variety and the seasons
4.The police (despite the few bad apples) doing a tough job
5.The people who largely live in harmony irrespective of relgious or cultural differences
6.My flag
7.The armed services - the best in the world
8.The arts from cinema to theatre
9. Sterling NEVER EVER make me use Euro's
10. The fact that I'm not French (lol last ones a joke)

Hi Col,

If I am in another country and someone asks my nationality ,I always say I'm BRITISH never English
Why because I have a British passport.

Now as for top ten things about my country are there any left ???

~~ waves to Marilyn

Hi Col,

Can't choose, just luv it here. xxx

1. The beautiful coutryside
2. My flag{s} lol
3. The History
4. The people
5. The real British food {ok not technically English lol}
6. Its Castles
7. It looks good on a map
8. We embrace different cultures
9. Darn Col this is hard ~ good classical writers
10. ok I give in I like the weather too

Hi Colin

Would say the good ol, British Humour lol

Sadly that too seem,s to be on the wane

Ray

Errrr apart from my family and friends who live in the UK nothing...I wouldn't live here if I had the choice. Much preferred other countries I have lived in.

x

Can I just add..........

The ability of the british folk to stand in a queue

and best of all

English gardens.........in all seasons .

Amanda : )

Hi
prefer my Norwegian Kroner to the British pound,and i like the Euro saves me constantly changing currencies. also both kroner and euro haven't devalued that much recently
Did notice that British isles haven't moved into the middle of the Atlantic so still part of the European continent. So de facto you're Europeans which in no way takes away you being proud of your country and your nationality

THE ROYAL FAMILY
all the pomp and glory

Terry, I quite understand you liking your own currency and possibly the Euro,We are not as far as I (and many others) are concerned Europeans,we never had a vote on it,Yes our currency has devalued,but so have a lot of others,and no the "British Isles" have not moved.However, We are and always have been "An Island Nation" and hopefully will always remain so.Apart from a couple of forays to save Europe in "Two world Wars" To save Europe from the German Jackboot, Which we have only just stopped paying for.We don,t really have a lot in common with them.And We are Really Proud Of Our Country.Oh and as Europe is so good,Why is it that its accountants have refused to sign off its books consistantly?Could it be because of all the Fraud going on there? I wish you well,**M**.

I will ditto Staffordshire Col 100%, and I must add a little of my own:-

Why is it that a person from Ireland can say they are Irish?

A person from Scotland can say they are Scots?

A person from Wales can say they are Welsh?

So why can I not say I am English?????

I will never be European, I will not ask for a metre of material, I always ask for a pound of what ever, I will not use a receipe that gives its instructions in kilos, and no I do not buy petrol so don`t have to ask for a gallon.

Which brings me back to who I am....Yes I am 1) English...2) British....3) proud to be both.

I have to agree we live in England therefore am English although my Dad lives in England his blood is Irish ~ Is it more to do with where you live, where you were born or the blood withn you

You miss the point the French are proud of being French, they are French first, the Dutch are proud of being Dutch The Norwegians of being Norwegians etc. And they all think of their country as being the best place in the world.
There was a reforrendom on Europen membership in the then EEC and the majority of Britain voted to join.
As for saving Europe from the Nazi jackboot, think there was also an element of saving one self as well. The Battle of Britain was fought with extrem bravery and loss of life by the RAF to stop an invasion of Britain.
Do find it rather condesending that in some way you regard my family as being some how second class because they are proud of being Norwegian, Greek , Polish or Irish or whilst remembering that they have some British roots wich they are proud of that somehow they should not be proud of their own country.

1. That I live in a country where I can be proud of my mixed heritage ( oh yes I can lol ) English, Irish...maybe a touch of French or Spanish way back ?

2. The beauty of the countryside

3. the architecture and sheer vitality of London.

4 The arts, theatre , music , cinema, art (paintings,sculpture etc)

5 watching horses being ridden down a country lane still ( saw 3 this afternoon :)...)

6. Gardens :)

7.That you can travel to the sea in a day.

8. the seasons, I would hate to live anywhere it was 'summer' all the time lol.

9. freedom of speech, and the democratic process ( flawed though it sometimes is)

10. (have to put 2 in here but connected ) Literature and free libraries :)

Terry, no one was being "Condecending, You just chose to take it that way,as for the Battle of Britain,please do not try to educate me on that,I lived through it, and My Father was one of those Pilots who flew in it.Every one is proud of their Country and should be,but do not be Condecending your self by assuming we are Europeans we are not. and We,did not have a vote on it as it stands now,it was for a so called "Trading Partnership"We have not had a referendum Even Though Promised one.**M**

1. The beauty of the countryside
2. The vitality of our cities
3. Our pubs
4. Our history
5. Our wonderful swear words
6. Our architecture
7. That we are such a democratic country
8. The weather
9. Our culture
10. Our ability to adapt and change to each successive wave of immigrants that have been coming over for hundreds of years, who add to what we are.

I think if you are not part of the contenent of Europe that is to say Europeans then which contenent is the UK part of then? As far as I can see there is no contenent of the British isles.
Even before the European Union, even in the time of William the first and even in the time of the Romans and before that it was part of Europe and the people Europeans of that is to say people living in that continent with its included islands
You are mixing an oppossion with the European Union with a geografic fact.

Uggers I like your last one I think we are leaders in embracin and excepting other cultures x

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ to Terry x

Just to re-iterate,We are an "Island People" not European,Possibly before the "Ice Age" we could have been part of it ,but after it melted we became an Island and always have been since then.S o I cannot see your point of argument,end of **M**.

I'm quite happy to be European:)