BREXIT thread

Current Affairs
7051

Examples please

I saw pretty much none of this

London felt a very welcoming place then, at least outwardly

People were genuinely friendly and everything felt of the world, rather than England

It was a case of “here’s what we are and what we have, come and share in it” rather than “we’re great and we’ve showed the world and rubbed their noses in it”

In four days I saw or was a participant in numerous little interactions which made me think this

The only thing I saw that looking back on it was a possible harbinger of what was to come was the cover of an Evening Standard with a full spread cartoon with all Britain’s gold medal winners, festooned with Union Jacks

Perhaps the people who were watching on television in the shires were taking different lessons from the people who were actually there

London is different from England

There are many Englands and they co-exist very uneasily

There is the England of the south and the north, and everywhere in between

There is the England of the upper class and the underclass

There is the England of the internationalists and the inward looking nationalists

There is the England of urban and rural

There is the England of black and white

There is the England of blue and red

There is the England of the old and the young

The relationship, overlap and opposition between the different Englands is fascinating

No other country in Europe has more contradictions, complexities and neuroses

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7052

slimebags like Farage and Mark Francois being given free reign in the media isn’t helping, the gammon lap it up

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7053

The time of the Olympics was a time of summer holidays in the life of Britain

It wasn’t real life

Some people imagine summer holidays to be different things

Some people imagine them to be about experiencing what other places have to offer and learning

Some people imagine them to be about imposing themselves on others and taking advantage of others and behaving obnoxiously and asserting an ignorant “dominance”

This latter thing is a very British thing to do - perhaps it’s there that you see their ingrained sense of empire and anti-intellectualism at its most exposed

The Tories and their associated press have promoted anti-intellectualism and the me me me culture for decades

This has come home to roost now

7054

2012 was excellent. Parts of the opening ceremony were incredible.

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7055

Ok, a very personal reflection from me there. I just remember standing on London Bridge in the middle of Olympics 2012 and having a real sense that the whole city seemed drunk on something. There was an incredible energy in the air, you could feel it as soon as the plane landed but mass-intoxication is a very dangerous thing. I should have said “seductive energy” or “mass-intoxication” instead of “dark energy”. It was just an intuitive thing that I felt at the time, that this feeling would get out of control. Obviously the tournament was class, that’s what was sending them over the edge.

Also the Union-Jack-waving was out of control and has been ever since, I don’t know what’s wrong with them. They’re jingoistic as fuck and I’m a fucking RA-head. That cruise ship video is a little scary.

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7056

As a member of the cruising community this offends me greatly. Then again I specifically avoid P&O Cruises because they are “aimed at the British market” which is definitely a signifier of something.

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7057

Same way that when all the apartments in benidorm were being built back in the day they were designed in a way to attract the needs of British butcher’s wife… Look what a lovely place benidorm turned into on foot of this.

7058

Agreed

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7059

Explaining = losing.
You were in it to the neck.

7060

I was on a P&O cruise on my honeymoon and that fucking Union Jack flag waving shit happened every evening as we were pulling out of the port and the Brits full to the gills from the all inclusive warm lager

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7061

Brittania rules the waves

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7062

Louis theroux needs to do a documentary on these cruise loving creeps and their disturbing Irish counterparts

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7063

You’d want your head examined going to an all inclusive with brits, the utter wankers, unless there’s a decent quorum of Russians there, who quieten them directly

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7064

There’s a cheap all you can eat Chinese in lanzarote, the tans staying in apartment beside us ate there every night. Sums them up

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7065

The time the Brownlee brothers won the triathlon probably was a bit of a demonstration of Little Englanderism looking back on it

But the Mo Farah thing felt really positive - apart from the drugs - somebody insert some whimsical wordplay here please

7066

That’s what we have Sid for :slight_smile:

7067
7068

Harris making a big push for his award from the queen in the sindo today.

7069

He believes instead of “pandering to Ireland’s grumbles” the UK should make clear if there is a no deal Brexit it would impose tariffs on Irish goods if Ireland is going to impose tariffs on UK goods.

He really has no clue

7070

Jonathan Powell was very good on Newsnight last night

1 Like