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

1) Lord Archer is in jail
2) Jonathan Aitken went to jail
3) The word "wanker" - so expressive, rhymes with banker and spanker
4) The Stevens Report
5) Strong black tea with milk and sugar
6) The tories got rid of Margaret Thatcher when she finally went barking mad

There are any number of reasons I am NOT proud of being British, which is why I was surprised any reasons why I am.

B

I'd agree with most of that. (What was the Stevens Report?)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/2958011.stm

Controversial!
1...tick
2...tick, but a bit samey
3...not entirely convinced
4...why? Because it was published? After listening to McGuinness' mendacity again today, I'd find it hard to agree. Facing up to past crimes needs to be a two-way street, and the IRA are still Evil.
5...oh dear
6...Yeah, but the trouble was there really was No Alternative. Next up, we could all name a hundred people more competent than Major. Shortly after that, none of us could thing of anyone less competent than Hague. Until they found the next guy...

Anyway, I'm now definitely minded to come up with six of my own.

Six reasons why I admire the British

1. strong black tea with milk and sugar
2. the best sense of humour in the world
3. the consitutional monarchy
4. London
5. Rock revival in the sixties (all those bands)
6. Nationalised health care


Six reasons why I don't admire the British

1. pub food
2. too many cars in a small place
3. football hooligans
4. allowing Thatcher to remain in power for so long
5. I can't think of any other reasons.

btw, Ben- I was recently modded for a conversation I had in January for no other reason than it contained the words *w**k* and *w****r*. Also, they have a slightly different meaning here, but close enough that they are a mystery to most US residents.

I wrote a whole bunch of stuff on this topic then decided, why get involved? What difference would it make after all? Even the admirable complimentary things would probably be misinterpreted.

So, sorry, nothing to say and I'm saying it.

Pin, you are probably right, but these six occurred to me last night. I know Archer and Aitken are samey - but at least it proves that it wasn't a fluke. Yes, the Stevens report because it was published, even though it was published in the teeth of obstruction and resistance, it gives me a glimmer of hope that it was published at all.

I was just so astonished to discover that there are ANY reasons that I am proud to be British, that I felt I had to share. I could reel off a couple of dozen why I am irritated, annoyed or even ashamed to be British.

Thanks Lil! I guess the constitutional monarchy is something we think foreigners don't get, and they think we don't get. It makes very little odds to me, though I deeply mistrust the Labour party's ability to introduce constitutional reform, and it would only be the Labour party who would abolish the monarchy. I *completely* agree with you about the cars, btw. I always go through a very specific strand of culture shock arround "the roads are so crowded/the roads are so emtpy" when I travel back and forth.

cl - I am curious, what is the Canadian usage - and does it differ from the American usage and does that differ from the British usage?

I am sorry you didn't feel able to share, but respect your reasons for not doing so, Analiese.

B



B

1) As a single woman, I can go out by myself without being hassled or frightened (not everywhere, I know, but enough places)
2)I can go into a pub and say loudly that the government (or one of its policies) is rubbish without risk of imprisonment It is possible to be a republican and an atheist without penalties.
3)There are laws against discrimination (not always applied, but at least they're there)
4)The BBC World Service (most of the time)
5)The countryside / wide open spaces (England does not equal the south east; Britain doesn't equal England)When people want to build all over it, we fight for it. We try and conserve places and plants and animals.
6)Free education and free health care (I know, I know, but the bones are still there)
7)Theatre, music and books are still relatively cheap.So are museums and galleries. We look after many of our old buildings
8)Friends Reunited
9)Even with all the awful things that have happened to The Times, the letters page is still literate, amusing and informative and the crossword puzzle hasn't been dumbed down. As a natural Guardian reader, I appreciate being somewhere where the government doesn't control the press. It's not completely frr, I know, but it's a lot better than anywhere else I've lived.
10)Monty Python, Douglas Adams ad inf

reasons to be proud:

1. cheese
2. chocolate
3. motor cars
4. pubs

to not be proud

1. real estate prices
2. class differences
3. soccer hooligans
4. wimpy burger

I had a long conversation with my German teacher about cars, once.

She loved British cars: Jaguars, Morgans, Lotuses, and I said "but they are so unreliable! You have Mercedes, Porsches, Audis" and she replied "but they are so unromantic!" Actually I think she said "boring", but there you go.

Ben

Admire -

1. Tea
2. Great Beer
3. McClaren motosports
4. Silverstone
5. Python
6. Churchill (sp?)

Courtesy

Hi Ben
Cool post.
Reasons to be proud
1) The weather, A great source of dinner conversation trivia.
2) Humour, our uplifting global legcay, which brings us back to
3) The weather which affords much of the above humour.
4) Freedom to discuss (not change, merely discuss) politics, religion and a woman's age, which of course one mustn't mention at dinner so that brings us back to
5) The weather...which we may discuss at dinner and which we also cannot change.
6)Our decaying NHS which still offers more health care than elsewhere at the cheapest rate. Difficult to access by public transport which is often hampered by
7) The weather.
8) 'Nether Bottom' and other wonderful names bestowed on our ancient villages which of course we cannot reach because leaves on the line mean the trains can't get there. This is almost certainly due to
9) The weather.
10) Music... we are pretty good at that and even manage to produce number one hits on our favourite icons
11) The weathermen!

This lot?

http://www.theweathermen.net/

Or these?

http://www.discogs.com/artist/The_Weathermen

Case and rest?
Take care
Boots

Where's the John Ketley, Michael Fish one?

Oops, mistake, I think I meant these:

http://www.aurorascarnival.co.uk/weathermen.htm

Oh! Couldn't resist it:

http://www.thefunnybone.com/topsubmissions/submit881469923.shtml

We're obsessed! I want to hear the song....
'Johm Ketley is a weatherman
John Ketley is a weatherman
John Ketley is a weatherman
And so is Michael Fish'
Aaaah That's better...sounded a bit like Greebs though vey undoglike!
Take care
Boots