Saints are rather more widespread in their fame and veneration. After all, St George is celebrated in many other countries, just as Devon-born St Boniface is the patron saint of Germany. I can see a new thread coming on...
Only sometimes. I also hate people who press an already lit button on a lift or keep pressing the button at a road crossing.
My favourite author is the Welshman Ken Follett; Pillars of the Earth is probably my favourite novel. But I am not a fan of William Black. Sorry.
I hear you load and clear - also people who keep pressing the doors open button on a train before the light has come on
We may not need the other nations financially but we have evolved as a union of states which is co-dependent and I firmly believe that the ramifications of separating the union are not as simple as saying that England will be okay. Yes we are the only one of the four which has a GDP significant enough to support its individual population but we do utilise many resources from the other countries including primary industries such as timber, coal and energy production. Also the other member nations would not be part of the European Union (as they would not qualify to be part of it) and therefore significant labour issues would occur, not to mention border control problems and what occurs to people who are living in a different part of the UK such as my friends from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (Would they be deported?). Devolution is a very complex issue and we are defiantly strongest as a union even if the majority of each population would rather become independent. As for Farah success, your sarcastic comparison with curling is foolish as Athletics is a very popular sport throughout the UK with many clubs competing at different levels rather than a sport which has only ever had strong roots in one part of the UK and is a very difficult sport to undertake due to the need of a dedicated ice rink and other equipment. But middle/long distance running will get increased coverage and have an increase in participation (although in inner city areas I doubt it will have almost any impact because without sports in and around the school system it is often hard for parents/children understand what sports are available in the local community - but thats another debate!)
Excuse me, SCA. You accuse of me of sarcasm and foolishness but then end your argument with the very point I was trying to make about the inner-cities. The success of a 'British' runner will garner some interest, granted, but the actual practise of taking up such an activity in a deprived area is near impossible. The Mo Farah success will only offer rewards to children in the inner-cities if our government coupled it with financial investment. So yes, I may be cynical, but not foolish. As for breaking away from the other UK countries: it could work. As you say, the other nations offer resources, which we would continue to buy. The Soviet Union was disbanded and offered financial benefits to the new states created. The same could be said for the former Yugoslavic country. But you make out that non-membership of the EU is a bad thing. I don't really get that notion. Not that I care what happens to the other countries.
If we're talking about who or what we hate, surely it's only a matter of time before Houndal makes a contribution?
Nice to see Alfred the Great (rightly the only Englishman to have been awarded that title) getting some coverage on a footie board! And a plug for Thomas Hardy too! I bet he doesn't get a look in on the Millwall board. As for repeatedly pressing lift buttons, I do that to get my own back because my life has been a failure and I started losing my hair in my twenties. Hardy would have understood.
Some don't even come here - Owen Hargreaves for instance. Canadian born, played his football in Germany. First time he stepped upon our shores was to represent England at Wembley. Go figure - as they say.
Another passing thought, or rather observation. St Georges Day is 23 April as is Shakespeare's birthday. I saw no mention either event on the BBC or in the papers, not even the Daily Mail. However they are quick to publicise St Patricks Day (not even relevant to the UK), St Davids Day, Burns Night etc etc. Why such an anti-English agenda by the media?
Ponders if you weren't being sarcastic when you compared the potential popularity of Athletics and Curling then I apologies for assuming you were (a problem of remote communication i suppose). I stand by my statement that comparing Curling to Athletics is foolish (I wasn't calling you foolish just the comparison) as the infrastructure required would take massive amounts of investment whilst athletics has this in place across most if not all of the country. As for the issue of inner city environments and investment you're right that without significant influx of funds and the appointment of people who really want to improve the sporting resources in deprived areas then uptake of sports will always be minimal unfortunately I'm not sure this will happen in the near future. But this success should still increase the participation in other areas and any positive influence on younger members of society is good in my books. As for the EU again we are on a subject I fear we will disagree on. The positives including free movement of citizens, freedom of trade and academic benefits (I work in a university and most of the money which supports my post is funded from EU grants which involve training partnerships, staff exchanges and collaborative research) out way the cost of being part of the EU. I do understand that at the moment the EU is poorly run with laws not being implemented equally within all member countries and squabbling between members influencing decision making which prevent it meeting its true potential (Although I don't agree with domestic laws being influenced by EU legislation when it has no bearing on international relations)
Because nobody really celebrates St Georges Day or Shakespeares Birthday. To be honest, St Patricks Day is more popular over here than it is in Ireland, mainly due to the fact that the Irish don't limit their excessive alcohol intake to just a single day a year
