Celtic PHers: What’s the problem with the English?
Discussion
I fully expect this to be deleted or padlocked as racist or something or other very soon but I’m quite pissed off ATM. How come all of a sudden as an Englishman I am solely responsible for all the woes in the world that Ireland, Scotland and Wales are suffering?
The straw that broke the camel’s back was this evening in a restaurant in Barcelona sitting at a separate table next to two Irish businessmen discussing business opportunities in the Middle East with their Spanish counterparts. The gist of the conversation from the older Irish fellow was that the Arabs trust the Irish in business more because like them they “hate the English” (I use the quotes deliberately and accurately). His younger and rather drunk companion cackling in agreement.
This comes off the back of 18 months working in Brussels and sharing a local pub with the 30 something, university educated, Scottish intelligencecia, whom somehow after a few drinks managed to boil down every social problem Scotland is suffering to misgovernment from Westminster and the English. Hell, I was even told once that the reason the Scottish Premier Football League was in such a mess was because of English dominance of the BBC leading to bias in reporting English football games over Scottish ones.
Now don’t get me wrong. I have made lots of Irish friends as an expat in my travels of Europe (not so many Scottish or Welsh but I think that is because there seem to be less around). I drink in mostly (fake) Irish pubs abroad since there seems to be a dearth of good English ones. I also enjoy the contributions of the Irish PH’ers EricMc, Up-The-Dubs et al.
I am aware of most of the history of the union. However I grew up blissfully unaware of the issues between the countries of these isles and the victimisation I feel as a result of being English breeds resentment in me rather than sympathy. It also seems to be something of a new concept, certainly not something my father was aware of.
So what gives? What is it you lot want from us? Break up of the union? Well quite frankly ATM that suits me fine. But will that stop the sniping and bad feeling? I doubt it. Sorry I’ve
ed up your countries for you by virtue of where I was borne but I really didn’t have much choice in the matter. 
The straw that broke the camel’s back was this evening in a restaurant in Barcelona sitting at a separate table next to two Irish businessmen discussing business opportunities in the Middle East with their Spanish counterparts. The gist of the conversation from the older Irish fellow was that the Arabs trust the Irish in business more because like them they “hate the English” (I use the quotes deliberately and accurately). His younger and rather drunk companion cackling in agreement.
This comes off the back of 18 months working in Brussels and sharing a local pub with the 30 something, university educated, Scottish intelligencecia, whom somehow after a few drinks managed to boil down every social problem Scotland is suffering to misgovernment from Westminster and the English. Hell, I was even told once that the reason the Scottish Premier Football League was in such a mess was because of English dominance of the BBC leading to bias in reporting English football games over Scottish ones.
Now don’t get me wrong. I have made lots of Irish friends as an expat in my travels of Europe (not so many Scottish or Welsh but I think that is because there seem to be less around). I drink in mostly (fake) Irish pubs abroad since there seems to be a dearth of good English ones. I also enjoy the contributions of the Irish PH’ers EricMc, Up-The-Dubs et al.
I am aware of most of the history of the union. However I grew up blissfully unaware of the issues between the countries of these isles and the victimisation I feel as a result of being English breeds resentment in me rather than sympathy. It also seems to be something of a new concept, certainly not something my father was aware of.
So what gives? What is it you lot want from us? Break up of the union? Well quite frankly ATM that suits me fine. But will that stop the sniping and bad feeling? I doubt it. Sorry I’ve
ed up your countries for you by virtue of where I was borne but I really didn’t have much choice in the matter. t1grm said:Lets not forget its the flipping Scots who are running Westminster, with us having no reciprical powers!!!
whom somehow after a few drinks managed to boil down every social problem Scotland is suffering to misgovernment from Westminster and the English
btw - don't the Maltese love us?
The straw that broke the camel’s back was this evening in a restaurant in Barcelona sitting at a separate table next to two Irish businessmen..............
..........who have about as much chance of getting what they were after as Ariel Sharon.
Get a grip man, those people are to be PITIED.
MoJo
..........who have about as much chance of getting what they were after as Ariel Sharon.
Get a grip man, those people are to be PITIED.
MoJo
Look, you can always pick people who have that kind of attitude. The Irish don't hate the English. Its racism (of a form).
You would not believe the level of anti-Irishness, poor country etc (ahem, second wealthiest country in the world) I experience in the UK - but I put it down to THAT 10% you get everywhere.
If anything Englands stock has been rising in the world (bar Blair and Iraq). Don't focus on the negative, be proud of you britishness and damn the begrudgers.
NEXT
You would not believe the level of anti-Irishness, poor country etc (ahem, second wealthiest country in the world) I experience in the UK - but I put it down to THAT 10% you get everywhere.
If anything Englands stock has been rising in the world (bar Blair and Iraq). Don't focus on the negative, be proud of you britishness and damn the begrudgers.
NEXT
Most of Ireland got out of the Union 80 years ago and, by and large, I feel most Irish people have probably got any anti-Englishness out of their system by now.
As Scotland and Wales are still in the Union, maybe the resentment is felt more strongly there.
All I know is that I have no problems with ANY English people.
As Scotland and Wales are still in the Union, maybe the resentment is felt more strongly there.
All I know is that I have no problems with ANY English people.
Well you can't blame the English for LIKING the Scots: after all without them we'd have no decent roads (MacAdam), no telly (Baird), no phones (Bell), and we'd be riddled with disease without penicillin (Fleming).
As for the Irish, well the railways would never have reached as far as they did, nor would the canals. But at least they gave our army some live firing practice. Shame the tradition can't continue with that sector of the population known as 'itinerant'.
NB: I have both Scots and Irish ancestry... but I'm English, dammit
As for the Irish, well the railways would never have reached as far as they did, nor would the canals. But at least they gave our army some live firing practice. Shame the tradition can't continue with that sector of the population known as 'itinerant'.
NB: I have both Scots and Irish ancestry... but I'm English, dammit
Eric Mc said:
Most of Ireland got out of the Union 80 years ago and, by and large, I feel most Irish people have probably got any anti-Englishness out of their system by now.
As Scotland and Wales are still in the Union, maybe the resentment is felt more strongly there.
All I know is that I have no problems with ANY English people.
Agreed but, these chaps certainly didn't have Belfast accents
I appreciate they were probably just a couple of bigoted assholes of which there are more than enough from every country including England but this was just another example of what seems to be a rising tide in the last decade or so to me. The incident just got me thinking about the wider political/social impact.Eric Mc said:
300,000 Irishmen fought in WW1 and over 150,000 from Eire (which was neutral) fought in WW2.
Outside of England, the country which has received the next highest number of VCs is Ireland.
Far more Irishmen have died fighting FOR Britain than ever died fighting against Britain.
England, not Britain, Eric... that was the point.
wedg1e said:
Well you can't blame the English for LIKING the Scots: after all without them we'd have no decent roads (MacAdam), no telly (Baird), no phones (Bell), and we'd be riddled with disease without penicillin (Fleming).
pushing it a little far. we don't use the baird system for tv we use the system originally created by farnsworth, and there are three people all competing at the time to invent to the telephone.
I did spot that but The British Army is essentially an "English" institution with its roots in the English class system.
The clever thing the English always did whenever they "occupied" new territories was to always offer the newly conquered natives an opportunity to "share" in the management of the new regime. This was done by offering the original chieftains titles under the "English" system and also allow them to raise and maintain their "militia" or armies - as long as they swore alegiance to the English monarch. Later on this also meant converting from Catholicism to Ptrotestantism. It was this system that laid the foundations of the great Irish and Scottish regiments of the British Army.
It may have been British but it was always England who called the shots.
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 17th January 00:03
The clever thing the English always did whenever they "occupied" new territories was to always offer the newly conquered natives an opportunity to "share" in the management of the new regime. This was done by offering the original chieftains titles under the "English" system and also allow them to raise and maintain their "militia" or armies - as long as they swore alegiance to the English monarch. Later on this also meant converting from Catholicism to Ptrotestantism. It was this system that laid the foundations of the great Irish and Scottish regiments of the British Army.
It may have been British but it was always England who called the shots.
>> Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 17th January 00:03
tinman0 said:
Well you can't blame the English for LIKING the Scots: after all without them we'd have no decent roads (MacAdam), no telly (Baird), no phones (Bell), and we'd be riddled with disease without penicillin (Fleming).
pushing it a little far. we don't use the baird system for tv we use the system originally created by farnsworth, and there are three people all competing at the time to invent to the telephone.
Yeah I know, but why let facts get in the way of a wind-up?
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