h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry swl, but isn't that how the Brits describe every other coutry?

Aw, Pastey! Just as I was starting to feel so special!

Sorry Frenchie, but I think over the years us Brits have managed to be casually racist against pretty much every single other nation in the world.

But don't worry, I think some still hold a special place in their hearts for the French

This time last year (or thereabouts) my days working at home were considerably enlivened by having the Olympic torch relay up on a second laptop on the desk. I had thought this was an unrepeatable experience, but the journey of the coffin through Westminster would do, I think. I mean, there's a bit of a relay, and there's a chance of noisy crowds. Ideally somebody would be carrying the Tory torch, mind.

Mol

"the French are seen as an uncouth, ill-mannered rabble with no idea how to conduct themselves with decorum or dignity."

Wheesht man, you're Scottish. A nation whose idea of dignified decorum stretches to a fetching turn of bare-arsed transvestism.

This post has been removed.

Grim.

This really is in the true spirit of Thatcherism alienating our European nieghhbours and offending the Scots

I hates to see posts being yikesed, especially over an issue of
nationalist stereotypes. Pardon my French but it's all Greek to me.

In Canada, where we are oh-fish-ally bi-lingual on account of not
doing a genocide on the froggies what were here first, we only use
the expression Pardon my French when we allow a mild expletive to
slip into a conversation. This because the Quebecois are famous
for uttering their Mon Deus, Sacre Bleus and Tabernacks!

It has nothing to do with race, religion or any other form of 'hatred',
just a recognition that they spice up their language with almost as
many 'naughty' outbursts as the English with their 'bloodies', and
'swounds' and ...well ...etc.


~jwf~

PS: Note to Mods
If any part of this post ruffles your feathers just use
your asterisk button to clean it up, eh. Most of it makes
sense and I have really tried to avoid moderation in making
my point that 'pardon my french' is an expression of mock sincerity
about language use and not a condemnation of the French lifestyle.
A few keystrokes by you as opposed to me having to retype this whole
thing not really knowing where I may have offended.

I still haven't understood the reasoning behind Thatcher being afforded a 'ceremonial' funeral when other ex-PMs have not.

Callaghan, Wilson (won 4 elections), Heath, Douglas-Home, Macmillan, Eden - none of them had the same honour.

So it isn't just being a PM that gets you the honour, there seems to be a value judgement going on, unless a deal has been done, and all PMs will be given a ceremonial funeral from here on in.

PP.

>> it isn't just being a PM that gets you the honour <<

I think it's the war thingy.
From what I hear only the military types
will be paying much attention while civvies
will be about faced as the iron lady goes
to that great smelter in the SKY.


~jwf~

More to the point Atlee was not afforded a "state" funeral in spite (or perhaps because) he brought about the National Heath Service and Welfare State, which most Brits would see as two of the greatest and best political changes of the last century.

I think the reason Thatcher is getting the honour is because we have an unpopular neo-thatcherite government that sees political advantage in holding up Thatcher as a national saviour.

It's public spending that has created the mess that we are in.
The cost of a state funeral will just add a little more to the debt.
Death duties should compensate a little for the cost.
The policing bill will be more that that incurred in suppressing the miners.

Death duties should compensate a little for the cost..... What..your expecting all of her wealth to be declared ect with what her son made from arms deals ect he could afford to pay for it and bury half the current government as well. Its totally and utterly wrong for her to be buried on "money raised by taxes" could/should have been paid for by donations from her cronies family ect.

The cost has been met fully out of the Scottish Block Grant.

"It's public spending that has created the mess that we are in."

It was deregulating the banks and financial services, making borrowing too easy, selling off public housing and failing to support manufacturing........now who did all that

Anyone get the feeling that if "our" politicians spent less time shouting accusations across the house at whose fault everything is or pursuing ideological goals, and more time actually solving issues, we'd all be better off?

I'm absolutely fuming at the moment. Fuming. Rather than being stuck in an indefensible position and unable to backtrack, as I'd rather charitably assumed, it seems that a quasi-state funeral such as that only accorded to the likes of Churchill wasn't enough for the Establishment. Instead, there's the nonsense of silencing bells, of wall-to-wall sycophancy, of editing out any note of dissent or disagreement from the news coverage. I believe this is called the manufacture of consensus.

Oh yes, let's allow a token gesture acknowledging that she was a "divisive" figure and pretend that constitutes balance. Marmite is a divisive foodstuff, but it didn't decimate communities, support Apartheid, bring in section 28, send the numbers of people living rough skyrocketing, sell off the family silver for a pittance, or cut special educational needs provision so that a shy, awkward 12 year old in a crap comprehensive in South East London had to wait over four years to get even an offer of help. Presumably a yuppie needed a tax cut to buy a third Porsche or something, I don't know - I wasn't paying attention at the time.

Well, none of this in my ducking name. Absolutely none of it.

Just three remaining wishes:

1) That the funeral coverage finishes with the words "... and that was a party political broadcast on behalf of the Conservative Party". And maybe everyone else will get their say later.

2) That Clement Atlee, David Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill will finish spinning in their graces sometime soon.

3) That others can channel their rage somewhere positive, like here http://donthatedonate.com/ I'll be donating later today.

Even your rants are more eloquent than anything I could hope to achieve.

She deserves a 21 gun salute, with the last gun propelling her body into the Thames ... maybe.

Didn't Churchill say "History is written by the Victors"? I think the handling of Margaret Thatcher's passing & her state sanctioned apotheosis has created quite a bit of resentment amongst those for whom the Thatcher revolution left them on the scrap heap. Thatcher said there was no thing as a society & I think that is her legacy.