Having lived in oz for 34 years and previously living 30 years back home it does your heart good to see the amazing scenes from the Jubilee - starting life at 68 Highfield Lane down the road was a house owned by SFC where John Christie used to live then moving to many places and ending up here down under I cant help but wish I was there back home experiencing the delight and unifying scenes that I have seen these past few days - there have been tears unashamably doesnt it make you all so proud to be British ?
No you don't mate. It's summer and its bloody freezing cold and the rain keeps chuking it down. Add to that the fact that the country is skint and being run into the ground by a bunch of Eton Toffs I think you are a lot better off where you are are. Anyway if you are so proud to be British why are you living in Australia? I bet the Aussies love you rabbiting on about the Roayal family and how great England is. Take note of Thomas Keneally and push for your own head of State. Why should we pay for Queenie and then you borrow her from time to time for free.
It is "Great" because it's not "Lesser Britain" (Brittany) The "great" has nothing to do with its worth - politically, spiritually, or morally. The political union is the United Kingdom of Great Britain (the geographical island) and Northern Ireland.
I'm proud to be English and British and I enjoyed the last few days very much. I like to see people enjoying themselves and they certainly did (even when damp).
Rather the royals than an elected alternative who would owe their job as much to political patronage as to being any good at something. In other words knowing the right people at the right time and having the 'correct' opinion on things. Who really cares that the monarchy is undemocratic (rhetorical question!). At least we know it is undemocratic, if we had an elected person we would more than likely just be fooling ourselves that it is democracy in action. Am I proud to be British? Yes I am but that doesn't mean I can't bemoan the state of the country. I sometimes imagine that a clever enemy spy ring took over running the country in the early 60's. They certainly couldn't have messed things up anymore than successive governments have.
Haven't really given it much thought, but Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan would all have to be in there.
I dunno, just an aggregation of the important things I guess - quality of life, crime rates, healthcare, diversity, tolerance, etc.
Ok. I'm surprised to see you include Singapore, where public assemblies are illegal without a police permit, and executions per capita are "possibly the highest in the world" according to Amnesty, above Spain, Italy or frankly most of Europe, for example.
Without criticising all the other countries in the World, I know that I would not want to live somewhere else. I am at home here and, though I love to travel and recognise how beautiful many places are, this is my comfort zone.
It is slightly restrictive on the old personal liberties at times, but it's also an extremely wealthy, green country with high quality of life, great education and healthcare. Controversial choice I suppose, but it does seem a rather lovely place to be.
Well, I would not consider anywhere that rules its citizens with such an iron first in any way 'lovely' but I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
I still regard the US as the best country in the world even with its problems (no health care,obesity,crime rate etc) I think it's the best country in the world.
I guess its what you want from a country. Secenery? Activities? Public services? Jobs? So many criteria and different for everyone but Holland is a great country, I would say that being half dutch but the serivices are great the people are freindly and funny if alittle blunt and its in a good location so near england and not to far from the alps. Personally my favourite would be Switzerland if only the people wernt so bloody grumpy(sterotyping I know). Canada has probably the best wilderness, one of my life ambitions to go trekking round there! Having said that Britain is a beautifull country with incredibly varied scenery. It has its fair share of problems but I fell very proud to be british the fact our little island has had so much influence in technology and science is quite incredible in my mind (and we created all the good sports )
I've travelled a fair bit and everywhere has its ups and downs, good bits and bad bits. However no-one can put on a bash like the British can.
