This is clickbait from the Telegraph. But it does tell us something about how the UK - esp. exceptionalists and Brexiters - view the US.
It even tells us about the end of Empire.
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It even tells us about the end of Empire.
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Comments
Their attitude can be summarised as "ours".
No need to think about the complexities of culture and politics.
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The reality is much more complex.
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To the exceptionalists, Ireland is a mixture of cute gombeenism, just green Britain (with lucky passports) and rebel scum.
Either way, there's no interest in hearing from it.
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They're "countries" with "laws" and "citizens", as real as Syldavia and Borduria.
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They have no idea of the history of the island of Ireland .
Is it that an England-dominated parliament decreed a Welsh assembly couldn't be mature enough to manage their own affairs, even to the limited extent granted to Scotland (Q?)
However where Scotland's Parliament has taken on further responsibilities, Welsh Assembly devt appears to have stalled?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/29/london-somerset-house-to-reveal-salt-stair-after-fire-renovations?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Great thread.
Thank you
I used to work in call centres and there's something to do with accents.
Americans hear a British accent and they immediately think it's classy and they treat you according.
Europeans hear a British accent and they act like you are going to rob them.
I can't see them giving up any time soon. This is why Musk tweets about civil war here. He
Allies are purely transactional. The “special relationship” is a farce and always has been.
No thanks.
Where can I sign up?
And I agree with everything you say.
Anyway, Republicans, no matter what Trump says, will never accept woke Canada into the US. It would move American politics to the left forever
Sad…
I'm not sure any country in Europe would damage itself so on the basis of exceptionalist self-image.
This isn't journalism. It is kamikaze abnormality.
(Brit in America: “Oh! You have Beyoncé too! How British!”)
Do beans belong in a fry? [*ducks]
Still recalling the Spanish sociologist who pointed out to me in 1991 that all European shared youth culture was essentially American.
Either way, America is no way as English as some exceptionalists would like to believe.
"Two countries separated by a common language"
As to Germanic heritage, on Jan 13, 1795, Congress considered a proposal to print the federal laws in German as well as English.
And Scots is British (although many of the Scots who left in the Clearances probably didn't see themselves as that)
French not encountered it, not sure how much French emigration there was. Apart from exaggerated French accents in cooking, or when using French loan words.
I've not encountered any American who conflates Scotland with Britain: it's Scotland, Ireland, England (no mention of Wales).
Obviously usual provisos: not all Irish, etc etc...
There are definitely some powerful influences at work here.
And join with the US trading block, not even join with the block but become the 51st state and allow the federal govt of the US to dictate to us,
Technically there is zero miles at the border as the border runs down the centre of the channel.
Entirely correct regards Ireland, who already has access to the EU SM
Even Northern Ireland is effectively in the SM for goods.
Because he couldn’t handle the "pitch"!
And why did the American refuse to play cricket?
Because they couldn’t understand the "rules"! 😜
But then, he'll be accused of that whatever he does so why not just do it...
But yes, I get your point completely.
And agree.
It's almost like it's become some religious dogma with them...
He has no ambitions and no integrity so it is likely that he will achieve very little…other than having been the PM.
Or do you just care abt spouting prejudiced nonsense?
Some (white) EU cits chose to leave🇬🇧b/c Brits were oh so much not against their immig'n.
cc: @eumarauder.bsky.social
Racism/xenophobia (+islamophobia,antisemitism) is lived experience.I wouldn't claim to know what it's like to be faced w/ racism when one is non-white.I believe it's worse than white+foreign accent.It doesn't negate that germano- & francophobia (ia.) are alive&well.
Unless they're from US, then I just chastise their state flags. Humorously. I hope.
There are of course the usual sheep-shagger jokes (to which I usually reply that sheep are so last millennium, goats are the way forward, or we may shag em, but it's you that eats them when we're done).
Practically everyone with a foreign accent or a notable surplus of melanin (often even if born and raised in the UK) had rage inducing stories of encounters with Brexiters of all ages.
Lots of both faculty and students left.
Here though I was talking about my own experience of racist Brits: they hate the brown people before they come in, the white cop it once they're here. Unless AU/NZ/CA/US. Generally.
*but only if they're white.
Attention-seeking nonsense from a needy scribbler.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpd8ex4l3o
I don't see why they'd go to the effort of killing when bribery's so much easier.
I wouldn't say wafer-thin. They're in government after all.
https://bsky.app/profile/nialloconghaile.bsky.social/post/3lee3wwto422p
Which, to anyone outside the UK (like Niall) is functionally the same thing.
#YouYesYet
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window
I’m convinced the end of empire moment won’t happen until NI, Scotland and Wales become independent.
It'll either be rightly reunified with the rest of Ireland or remain in the UK, as in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement.
The 6 most north eastern counties of Ireland which constitute the completely artificial, gerrymandered Statelet of Norn Iron will never be "independent".
Britain and indeed much of Europe is subordinate to all its big new digital businesses.
Read Vassal State by Angus Hanton.
Tufton Street, Farage, Matthew Elliott, Steve Banon, et al..
A brexit right wing plot which has all been in plain sight for the last 9 or so years.
BUT.