What is British and what is English?

There has been so much in the US press lately about Ssshhh… you know who, BP… I don’t want to shout in case the President is reading this.

Anyway, there has been so much said and there seems to be so little understanding about just who or what is British and who exactly is English.  Or come to that who owns BP and if its BRITISH Petroleum or what.  Just for the record BP has not been BRITISH for a long time. It is in fact 39% American and Britain some 40% owned, I think. BP also employees LOTS of Americans So, “BO” can’t point the finger at BRITAIN but at the workers who were on that rig!(who were American and from other companies OTHER THAN BP!!

OK, lets keep on track.  You Americans who read this I just want to explain a bit about the UK or Great Britain as it is also known and how it’s made up and it’s not ALL called England!!

First of all Her Majesty the Queen is the “Queen of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” and not just England.  The island of Britain which of course includes Scotland and Wales which also both countries in their own right that form the United Kingdom.

Culturally, whilst we are all similar in that we speak the same language (mostly) we are in fact quite different in many ways.  Just for the moment lets forget about the Scots hating the English, the English hating the Welsh (and vice versa) the Northern Irish hating the Irish in the Republic (forget the Republic for the moment also because it has nothing to do with England) and of course the Welsh hate everyone else – only joking!

Other ways you can tell up apart is that all those people from Scotland wear long skirts called Kilts(remember Braveheart and Mel Gibson … hmmm)  and all those people in Wales wear, not sure what, but that they often wear a leek in their lapels like a flower – for all my Welsh readers please remember I AM writing this for Americans!!

Now, the Irish, that’s our “British Irish” who will tell you they are Irish but also British and if you dare ask them why they don’t have a government in a place called Dublin, they will tear your ears off.  They will also tell you in no uncertain terms that they are BRITISH. Remember, NOT English!  OK, but be careful if you ask this same question of a “nationalist” person from Northern Ireland as they will probably tear your ears off too if you suggest that they have a government in Westminster – that’s in England by the way.

I hope you keeping up with me here?

Back to England again.  This country is made up of lots of different people including many thousands from Scotland, Wales and Ireland (both North AND South) and also many more thousands from the former Commonwealth and most of Europe.  To be fair it’s hard to find a true Englishman these days given the degree of inter marriage over between all the peoples of the British Isles, the Romans, Vikings, Normans and the Saxons over the centuries.  England, for simplicities sake, comprises 48 Counties which have quaint names like Cornwall (ooops, they don’t think they are English but we English ignore this), Bedfordshire and Sussex and many more.

Now look at this lovely map and see how all our little countries fit together!

Now just remember,  when you tell everyone how you “beat the English” in that war you had back around 1776, how small ENGLAND is…. so how easy was it to “beat” us? 

Now, at the top of the map is Scotland and these days Scotland has its own “Scottish Government” which released that mass murderer back to Libya. We in England didn’t do it. And don’t forget, the British Government can’t tell the Scottish one what to do because  Scotland is not a State (Like Alabama or New York or Texas) and Britain is NOT a federal state. Americans need to remember this if they are politicians and want to summon British politicians to give evidence in America.  Also remember its good if American political bodies provide evidence to “friendly fire” enquiries held in the UK in future,  then we may be more cooperative with you. 

Now, back to the map.  That bit of green with the little flag with a dragon on it, is Wales.  Wales is not IN England! There are lots of things about Wales that the English love.  Its hills and valleys and the cottages that are often for sale there at knockdown prices but for some reason though these cottages often mysteriously get burned down?

Now the Welsh have their own distinctive language which is spoken by many Welsh people but largely in the north and west of the country.  Wales is not a separate state as it is a “Principality” but it does aspire to a form of self government similar to Scotland. I am sure its more complicated than that so I apologise unreservedly to the Welsh for my over simplification of matters.  Other than that I don’t mind the Welsh until they start getting free medical prescriptions at the expense of the English tax payer!

I am exhausted and bored with this subject now and ask that any interested parties either drop me a line, post a comment or simply insult me in anyway you fancy if you feel offended in anyway by my description of your homeland or heritage.

Before I go, the map.  I have marked it up for you.  England has the flag of Saint George, Northern Ireland has the same flag but with a “red hand” on it which is very symbolic to “loyalist” Ulstermen.  Never question its presence without wearing your running shoes.

The next one is the Welsh Dragon, that’s easy – it’s Wales.  Then you have Scotland, the Saltire or Saint Andrews cross.  Don’t worry about that flag you can’t insult a Scot – but remember it’s always polite to say “that’s a nice English accent you have there Taffy, where are you from” …..

Finally, that little island tucked away between all those big islands that make up the UNITED KINGDON (or GREAT BRITAIN) is called the Isle of Man – and no, it’s not a gay enclave off the coast of Lancashire.  I am not sure what purpose the Isle of Man serves nor am I sure if they are English or not.  I have been there once and that time I did actually see a UFO!

I almost forgot, what IS an Englishman?

Try this:

The English (from Englisc) are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn.

Just putting on my body armour and helmet now and hunkering down to await the flak!

Is it summer?

After several days of clearing the garden shed, cleaning out the garage of empty packing cases left over from our return from Ibiza, planting a new shrub in the garden, feeding the lawn and finally buying some plants for the front of the house. What can it all mean?  I suppose that now I have started wearing shorts and layering on factor 50 to my head, I have to conclude,  it must be summer. 

The clincher must be cutting the grass every week which is now becoming lush and green and the fact that I seem to be thinking plants all the time.

As it’s summer, we have had a short break in Brighton with the obligatory meal at Indian Summer “the only Indian restaurant in Brighton”  We had lunch a few weeks ago at Chilli Pickle in Brighton another fine eatery which I cannot recommend highly enough.  We stayed at “One Broad Street” in the care of the ever humorous, helpful and Queen of Granola making, Ramola!! (and Mary who we have never met).  This is a fantastic little place just far enough away from the busy centre of Brighton and near enough to the sea to be perfect.  The rooms are bright and clean and full of little quirks that reflect the personalities of the owners of this B&B.  We love it there and plan a return visit in the not to distant future.

There was another “first” this visit to Brighton with a visit to the Brighton Pavilion and the current exhibition about the many hundreds of Indian Soldiers who  were treated there during the First World War when the Pavilion was used as a hospital.   I was a little disappointed by the rather small nature of the exhibition but it did have some excellent photographs and a short film showing King George V during a visit to the hospital and presenting a Victoria Cross to an Indian Army Officer, Jemadar (Lieutenant) Mir Dast of the 55th Coke's Rifles ( Frontier Force ).  He insisted on standing to attention to receive his medal despite being very weak after having been gassed.  Much of scene at the hospital was so similar to scenes today of our wounded soldiers recovering and rehabilitating at another “Brighton Pavilion”, Headly Court today.  History does have a habit of repeating itself doesn't it?  We still need the same “Help for Heroes” today!!

Pray we don’t have a hung parliament!

I know it’s easy for many people to chant “lets give them a chance” or “a coalition would be best” or even “a hung parliament is probably best for us all”. Let me just say NONE OF THESE ARE GOOD IDEAS!

Firstly, letting the LibDems in will be terrible beyond belief to all those floating voters who (1) Hate the EU (2) Hate Gordon Brown and New Labour including Blair or (3) don’t vote consistently.  Why?  Because they are further to the left of British politics than Stalin or Pol Pot! That’s Why! [Oh and the Labour Party]

Let me give you ten good reasons why not to let Cleggy near power.

1) Lib/Dems are just not squeaky clean & holier than thou at all

2) The party isn't as Liberal or Democratic as they will tax the pants off us!

3) Vince Cable isn't as good on financial matters as he takes credit for

4) The Party is led by a closet social engineer and exponent of every form of political correctness called Nick Clegg

5) Their existing MPs are not worth a penny

6) They're just as bad on "tax & spend" as the current Labour lot, if not worse. “it’s only cost a penny on tax” I hear them muttering even as I type

7) They're the worst pro-EU party of the lot and that that's not a good thing for all you all you rabid anti EU people who don’t want to vote Labour or UKIP or even BNP!

8) They're one of the worst pro-global warming / Pro-climate change / pro-Scam green tax parties of all, just when it's been exposed as a massive fraud.

9) They've not really changed that much since Jeremy Thorpe was leader or Charles Kennedy or…..

10) An update, [thanks to John Redwood]  and back to Vince Cable again..... he's a "serial flip-flopper"

I would rather fly in the face of 42 years of consistent Tory voting and vote Labour ( even with Gordon Broone at the helm) than suffer the open toed sandals of a powerbase of LibDem MP’s  nannying us into our graves that they will have us dug with our hard earned taxes.

A Final reminder to those of you who hate all things PC… beware the LibDems.

Who hate extra taxes, beware the LibDems

Green taxes, want them?  Beware the LibDems!

Ah that’s better now I have got it off my chest  and with thanks to John Redwoods own Web Pages!

http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/09/14/can-you-think-of-a-better-name-for-the-liberal-democrats/

To have or not to have that is the............

There are some weird things going on here in dear old Great Britain, the ancient seat of parliamentary democracy, the land that gave the game of cricket to most of the world (don't have anything to do with this silly "World Series" stuff our old colony has for baseball!), cricket does have an actual World Cup!

Now, there is a movement among our great leaders, well leaders for the time being as there seems to be a move towards the "green shoots" of election fever showing at present, to have us all carry "ID Cards" ... yes, photographic identity cards just like our neighbours in Johnny Foreigner land across the water on that place we used to call "the continent". Now we English have not had to have an identity card since the end of the second world war and see little reason why we should have one now. After all, if you think about it we already have loads of identification material to hand, admittedly without a photo but it has always been good enough for our friends the "Old Bill" or the tax man or Social Services people to identify us. Anyway horror of horrors we read today that we have to show photographic ID cards if traveling by air within the dear old United Kingdom!!! So as we don't have ID cards, yet, so we have to show our passports! Well darn me I am sure that not every traveller or citizen(or is it subject) within the United Kingdom actually has a Passport? Recently it was announced that our popluatlion has risen to just over 61 Million but in 2004 when we there were still 60 million of us only 6,070,626 passports were issued to UK Citizens (Subjects!! I'm a Royalist) .. Now given that such a small percentage was issued that still leaves several millions who clearly never go abroad and thus don't need a passport or indeed may never require one or want one. Now when these poor souls go on holiday to Scotland, the Isle of Man or Northern Ireland by air some jobsworth is going to demand "photo id" or a "passport" ... Doh! I know we are possibly being forced down the route of having ID cards whether we want them or not but this is a push too far for me. Not only is a Passport £77.50 but I have heard it said that an ID card will cost over £90!! Don't the Government have enough photos of me? I have one on my Driving Licence and another on my Pensioners Bus Pass, another on my Passport (yes, I do go abroad) and heavens knows where else my smiling face has been stored.

Having just recovered from reading about these new travel restrictions on we Free Citizens (Subjects!!! ) I then read that two serving police officers who both work in the same place but on different shifts and are close friends have come up with a brilliant way to cope with their child care arrangements and save money. They will look after each others children while the one or the other is at work, and in the words of that famous Meekat, Simples!

But oh no they can't because some loon who works for the wonderful Ofsted has decreed that what they are doing is "illegal" I dare say that this degree qualified individual (Travel and Tourism perhaps) who was incidentally "tipped off" by a well meaning neighbour of one of the hapless PC's, has concluded somehow that they are receiving a "reward" ... the particular "official" must have trawled though every word of the ridiculous regulation that has been dusted down to throw our two innocent victims. What on earth goes on in these peoples minds when there are real villains and bigger fish to fry and real children to be protected. I can't help but wonder what possible interest the "well meaning" snitch of a neighbour has in reporting this arrangement by two sensible women. Anti something?

What else can happen to us ?


New News, New Neighbours!! Our new neighbours move in next door tomorrow.... fingers crossed.