What do you think of the UK?

I think I've had this conversation with my girlfriend in the last year.

I really have no desire to travel. The United States is massive, and there are so many different cultures that it would take a lifetime to even be exposed to them in all in this single country. I've already been to around 15 states, plus Puerto Rico. I've known people who have never left their city or their state in their lifetime.

But I wouldn't mind going to the UK. Not so much for political reasons, although it would be nice finally meeting other members of the libcom group, or posters I've "known" for years. No, I think I'd go because elements of popular culture are pretty familiar, but different enough that I've always been curious about them. I guess, specifically Caribbean or black influenced urban culture and music. That's what I grew up in, with hip-hop, salsa, reggaton etc, and I see grime, dancehall, dnb, garage or whatever they call it now the rough equivalents.

Oh, also, everything I know about the UK I've learned from libcom, rinse.fm, WW2 documentaries, Top Boy and Misfits.

I have no idea what Europe is like, but Britain seems more cramped, and capitalistic than the rest of Western Europe, also kind of scummier, if you will pardon me saying. I met a British gentleman last year and he told me that there isn't much wilderness like in the US, which sounds disappointing. But Scotland seems like it would make up for that with all the islands and fishpeople coming out of trapdoors.

I am more interested in places like France, but I like the idea of going to a completely separate country that speaks English, and also has their own weird expressions, as long as it's not Australia. England seems to be more capitalistic than other places, but I think the people are more unique than continental Europeans, which seems nice. Just vague impressions floating in my brain... I will tell you that when I do hear a British accent, it's either sounds like a fruit cocktail or a nice little sandwich.

Juan Conatz

Oh, also, everything I know about the UK I've learned from libcom, rinse.fm, WW2 documentaries, Top Boy and Misfits.

Top Boy is fantastic. From the vibe I get from a few people I know it's very realistic.

I don't know how you define Brithishness or whatever. It's a false concept. I do love it here though but then I'm fairly privileged. Life is pretty easy in many ways and I live deep in beautiful countryside.
I've never been that bothered about travelling but now that I'm unable to I crave it. I'm supposed to be going to Barcelona today with my GF and son - it's his 18th birthday present. We were goi g to take the CNT walking tour which I was majorly excited about but the medics have told me I can't go.
I have always wanted to visit the states but can't get a visa coz of my criminal record. All this shit sucks and I feel really sad about it this morning.
I guess what I'm trying to say is if you do get the opportunity to travel then take it.
Luckilym, I've got an anarchist friend I met online from California coming to visit in two weeks and a couple more including a Libcom poster coming over from Canada in July to visit me. Mountains and Mohamed and all that.
Also, I really hope that migrants feel welcome here. I know a bunch of Kurdish guys that now feel very at home here and say they have been made to feel very welcome which I must say surprises me but is great to hear.

Cold, wet and full of Poms. 2/10

I like my little part of it which stretches From Devon and Cardiff in the West to London and Kent in the East. Anything north of Watford or south of Portsmouth is a foreign country for me. Does that make me a Little Englander? What is a Little Englander?

The UK is shit.

Britain seems more cramped, and capitalistic than the rest of Western Europe, also kind of scummier, if you will pardon me saying.

The UK is shit.

It really isn't(I mean the geographical area) Capitalism is shit. Some people are shit. Your statement is way too broad.

To clarify: I love the country (Britain) and it's people (those with no special status) but I hate the nation state (UK).

Schmoopie

To clarify: I love the country (Britain) and it's people (those with no special status) but I hate the nation state (UK).

Ah, great, glad you weren't being a 'everything is shit' person.

Ah, great, glad you weren't being a 'everything is shit' person.

I know what you mean. That is an unhelpful attitude. Just for you, Noah, here is a foreigner's perception of England in the summertime:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lsRVO8NuSQo

Over the years I’ve lived in several places in the UK. Glasgow, London, Coventry, Birmingham, the Black Country, etc. There are some similarities though plenty of differences in the attitudes of the people I’ve met. There is also plenty of diversity and open ground in the UK if you’re prepared to seek in out. It is the south east of England where there is clutter and congestion.

On the English side of Wales, in Shropshire, walk the Long Mynd. On top it looks like open moor, though there are hidden deep valleys. In spring the Pembrokeshire coast is awash with wild flowers and the sea birds nesting on the cliffs. In north Wales where many speak Welsh, when last I was there some had been burning out the holiday cottages. Generally speaking the people were very friendly.

In East Anglia, where I am now, it was only last year they built a dual carriageway to link Norwich to the rest of England. I’m told when people move here they tend to stay. Some folk have never left the area even on holiday.

So to sum up, everywhere is the same – they are all different.

wojtek

For the foreigners, what are your thoughts on the politics, culture, the people, etc.?

And for the natives, what do you think 'Britishness' or 'Englishness' is?

I can't make up my mind as to whether I want to confine it to the UK, Britain or England - they are all such loaded terms.

I don't think Britishness or Englishness really have definitions, hence the trouble trying to define them for citizenship tests etc. I think Britishness was more of an idea/approach in the empire years and as the country has progressively lost that power and self-confidence there has been a loss of the self-confidence (arrogance) that founded it. There wasn't really an identity, such as is constructed in France, more an idea of leadership, the mother of all parliaments, workshop of the world, industrial revolution etc.
I think the terms are loaded but they also have some geographical relevance to them.
I still feel a strong connection to the area I grew up in and I'm sad that I'll never be able to afford to live there again (unless I fancy a room in a house share...) but that's an emotional connection to the place and the people (a lot of whom have gone anyway) and it doesn't really have anything to do with Britishness. I do like the darker side to British humour and comedy, but like most good things I think it's more universal than we tend to think. It's easier to conflate our country with what we think our own values are. People ask me about the Brexit and I have no idea, I don't have a connection to the country in that way (I'm not sure anyone does) and when I thought I knew what the general feeling of the population was I was probably just wrong.
I do feel sad that there seems to be a real lack of hope in a general sense. I'm no Labour supporter, far from it, but I remember Blair being elected and there was a real sense that there would be changes, and that things would get better and it doesn't seem like there is that kind of optimism anymore. I'm also living in a deeply pessimistic country where youth unemployment is, if anything, worse than the UK although again this could just be a product of age. Some of my students are taking part in the protests and I think a lot of it is fuelled by hope.
I think maybe I need to start getting involved in politics again, once my leg is healed I'd definitely like to observe a demo or two.

Noah Fence

We were goi g to take the CNT walking tour which I was majorly excited about

Out of interest, what is this CNT walking tour and where can I find out more about it?

wojtek

And for the natives, what do you think 'Britishness' or 'Englishness' is?

Similarly with sociological definitions of class or weird notions of 'class pride', I'm not interested in definitions of 'Britishness' or 'Englishness' either. But let's not allow any of that to prevent me from sticking my oar in ;)

I know Tory and Labour politicians have been banging on about this sort of stuff for years, whether looking at it in sociological terms or as some kind of patriotic litmus test - though it's normally a 'cricket test' they use. And as someone born in England, who has lived all but three of my 50-something years in this country, I honestly ain't got a scooby about cricket. Which means, according to that old scrote Norman Tebbit (and why isn't he fucking dead yet?), I'm not proper English (or British).

There's a lot I love about this country though. There's some really beautiful countryside, lots of greenery, and the cityscapes can be beautiful too - though many of the best bits are always being knocked down or gentrified. There are many things I'm not keen on, too. Some of these I loathe.

The people who live here are probably no better, no worse than the people who live in any other country - though we do have our fair share of resident arseholes. I'm using a generic 'average man/woman on the street' by the way, whoever they may be and for whatever that's worth, with no indication of class or location. I don't think generic types work particularly well anywhere, but in terms of indicating some measure of 'Englishness' or 'Britishness' they work less well, especially with all the cultural/sub-cultural variety you get depending on people's class, background, what football club they support, which borough, town, area, region or UK national entity we're talking about, or where they or their family have emigrated from.

I grew up in Salford and I'm regularly visiting Manchester and Salford for family and football. But as an adult, I've lived in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Stafford, various parts of East and North London, Hastings/St Leonard's-on-Sea and now Leicester. The experience of each of these places was completely different, and that includes the various areas and boroughs within London I spent 16 years in. That's something I've always quite liked about this country. But then, I know you also get similar variety in other countries too.

The last 12 years I've lived a couple of hundred yards from what the UK tabloids call 'Britain's most multi-cultural high street' (google it if you like). My next door neighbours on one side are from Lithuania, the other side are Afro-carribean. Across the road are a family of Asians from Tanzania, there's an n-th generation Leicester born-and-bred guy and his grown up kids who visit fairly regularly, then there's some young Romanians, also a Polish family and an old Irish fella who lives on his own but who's grown up son checks up on to see he's all right. We all get on pretty well and don't mither each other too much, despite the proximity of two-up, two-down terraced-house life. And that's something else I quite like about it here as well.

Sister Ray

Noah Fence

We were goi g to take the CNT walking tour which I was majorly excited about

Out of interest, what is this CNT walking tour and where can I find out more about it?

Just a Google search will find it for you but this has got some pictures

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g187497-d2336674-i65156187-Spanish_Civil_War_Tour-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

That's an interesting question.

I live here, and I do really like it, overall.

I couldn't care less about any sort of nationalism, however I self-identify as English more than British or UKer or whatever. I guess primarily because I have only lived in England in the UK. Not that "England" is a homogenous entity by any means. And I guess I don't identify primarily as a "Londoner" because while I've lived here for 20 years and gone to school here since I was 7, I'm from the outside.

But even London is far from homogenous. Some people say that London is basically a different country from the rest of the UK. Which is kind of true, but different parts of London are completely different from one another - say Lambeth and Kensington & Chelsea.

I've travelled a fair bit and lived for short periods in a couple of other countries. However I think if things stay relatively as they are, there is nowhere else I would rather live, long-term.

I love the US, and go there as much as I can. However there is no way I would want to live there and be a worker (long hours, no holidays, insecurity, shit healthcare). And other places, say in Europe (like Germany, Scandinavia, France etc), may have better working conditions, but just don't have the same kind of volume and quality of culture and diversity that we have in London. And Australia is too fucking hot and full of things that will eat you, and Australians.

I do want to spend more time seeing more of the UK, as I don't really get out of London that much, and I've probably seen more of the US than I have of my own country!
Juan Conatz

Oh, also, everything I know about the UK I've learned from libcom, rinse.fm, WW2 documentaries, Top Boy and Misfits.

ha ha, that must give you a pretty funny view of it, but probably pretty accurate. My view of Ireland is based entirely on Father Ted.

UK (London) is hard work. Everything takes more effort, everyday stuff as well as wage labour. Housing which I could afford (houseshare, then mini flat) was of appalling standard.

Weirdly enough I loved it! Despite the insane pressure on everything it is a living place.

London is a real urban culture which gives a buzz. You can wander aimlessly for hours and be sure you'll be OK because there's always a pub when you need it. (I know they are declining)

Gender roles are a bit over the top and the class system very explicit.

That's a brief Scandinavian perspective. Could write an essay...

Removed in protest of Libcom policies allowing posting of texts by racists

I could easily think Britain is a nation of alcoholics.

S. Artesian is spot on and reveals the secret of the success of UK capitalism.

Finally, I just told them "Underneath this suit and tie, I'm really a girl." That stopped the questions... for awhile.

In the UK, the government now recommends an equal quantity of alcohol consumption for women as it does for men. It's called sexually equality: both sexes are advised to poison themselves at an equal rate. Drink!

A major UK contribution to the world is English bitter. I well remember the first time sitting in Cockermouth, and supping Jennings the local brew. The soft water made it appear strange and soapy. However the second pint revealed its true wondrous taste.

Auld-bod

A major UK contribution to the world is English bitter. I well remember the first time sitting in Cockermouth, and supping Jennings the local brew. The soft water made it appear strange and soapy. However the second pint revealed its true wondrous taste.

Auld Bod, you truly are a marvelous, interesting and kindly fellow and yet you casually make the absolutelty outrageous assertion that real ale has some positive qualities. It is a well known fact that strong lager is the only beer fit for human consumption and the the beer reserved for the alcohol illuminati is the sweet nectar of the wonderful Purple Tin, Tennants Super, which I am reliably informed, runs in glistening golden streams through all of heaven collecting in the the favourite landmark of our passed brothers and sisters, The Jakey Falls.
Now that you have this knowledge within you I hope your epiphany is swift and that to your lips, you never again raise a flagon of muddy water with a couple of rusty nails and a little bail of hay in it.

Tenants is fookin rank, as is its rival, Special Brew (which, if the label is owt to go by, the Queen of Denmark sups on her royal park bench). I used to drink both years ago, purely to get pissed quick. Now I'm more sensible (allegedly), developed finesse and go for the craft ales and a nice single malt. Mind you, I never get pissed either. Haven't been proper bladdered since 1989.

Fucking hell Serge, I never had you down as a folk bearded Morris dancer skipping round the maypole hollering 'hey nonny nonny' at the top of your voice. Pah! Craft ales forsooth.
And listen up, don't ever mention the Viking piss imposter Special Brew in the same breath as God's gift to the taste buds and brain cells again.
For all my speed, crack and heroin habits and the many sensual pleasures they bestowed upon me, nothing comes anywhere close to Super T. They have left me with many fragrant memories, but the Tennants has left me with a for more palpable gift, namely a place on th liver transplant list. What a treat! You don't get that with your piss weak pond water.

I believe Tennants Super and Spesh have had to reduce their alcoholic content due the high mortality rate of regular users. So maybe what you get these days is a bit more palatable. Either way, I'm sticking to my nice bottle of Old Ballsack or whatever my craft ale of the day is called.

S. Artesian, now you've introduced alcohol to the discussion, it looks like this thread has found its true level.

I can't believe I forgot to mention booze.

Ed, one of the libcom admins, moved to Italy (where amusingly, Tennants and Special Brew are sold as the equivalent of fancy Trappist beers in the UK) and went out for drinks with some Italian friends. After the first round he asked who wanted another drink, and they answered "Why?"

S. Artesian

Several actually asked me, "Why do you drink so little?" They couldn't believe me when I told them the reasons why, and that after all these years, I really had no desire to have more than a single pint, or a single drink.

Finally, I just told them "Underneath this suit and tie, I'm really a girl." That stopped the questions... for awhile.

That made me lol, for real

I’ve had some very good ale at the Upton-upon-Severn Folk festival, where the Morris dancers take over many of the narrow streets, all knee bells and whacking sticks. Guess that would be purgatory for you Noah. Even better is their Jazz festival, again run over several days, dozens of gigs, all types of jazz, and every pub blasting it out. Not for anyone as sensitive as you Noah.

Funnily enough AB, the techno band of which I am a member have a gig at little festival in Chelmsford on Sunday and we are currently trying to employ the members of a pagan Morris dancing group from Maldon to do their thing during one of our numbers.
Now I'll bet that causes you not a little surprise?

Totally stunned.
Maldon I've heard that's where they do the mud racing. Probably a good bunch of folk.

What do I think of the UK? Very conformist and conservative, class system going stronger than ever before. Very sexist and xenophobic. Too many buns, too much sportswear, crudeness, very uneducated unrefined sheeple. A rich culture (Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wilde, Morris, Russell) neglected and ignored by most of the British public who much prefer the X Factor, Facebook etc. I guess it's not always the case but on the whole thats what the people are like. The most popular newspapers being the Daily Mail and the Sun. A working class that are their own worst enemy. The ale houses and countryside are nice though, as is the national dish (being curry ofcourse).

Too many vegans!

fidel gastro

What do I think of the UK? Very conformist and conservative, class system going stronger than ever before. Very sexist and xenophobic. Too many buns, too much sportswear, crudeness, very uneducated unrefined sheeple. A rich culture (Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wilde, Russell) neglected and ignored by most of the British public who much prefer the X Factor, Facebook etc. I guess it's not always the case but on the whole thats what the people are like. The most popular newspapers being the Daily Mail and the Sun. A working class that are their own worst enemy. The ale houses and countryside are nice though, as is the national dish (being curry ofcourse).

See also: elitist twats.

(Unless your post was being ironic in a way I didn't get)

Steven.

fidel gastro

What do I think of the UK? Very conformist and conservative, class system going stronger than ever before. Very sexist and xenophobic. Too many buns, too much sportswear, crudeness, very uneducated unrefined sheeple. A rich culture (Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wilde, Russell) neglected and ignored by most of the British public who much prefer the X Factor, Facebook etc. I guess it's not always the case but on the whole thats what the people are like. The most popular newspapers being the Daily Mail and the Sun. A working class that are their own worst enemy. The ale houses and countryside are nice though, as is the national dish (being curry ofcourse).

See also: elitist twats.

(Unless your post was being ironic in a way I didn't get)

Nope- I'm being serious. It's never elitist to better yourself, or to learn- the more one learns the better. I think Jeremy Corbyn's National Education Service is a bloody good idea, much needed by the majority of the British public.

Go on Fidel, get stuck in son!!!

fidel gastro

Steven.

fidel gastro

What do I think of the UK? Very conformist and conservative, class system going stronger than ever before. Very sexist and xenophobic. Too many buns, too much sportswear, crudeness, very uneducated unrefined sheeple. A rich culture (Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wilde, Russell) neglected and ignored by most of the British public who much prefer the X Factor, Facebook etc. I guess it's not always the case but on the whole thats what the people are like. The most popular newspapers being the Daily Mail and the Sun. A working class that are their own worst enemy. The ale houses and countryside are nice though, as is the national dish (being curry ofcourse).

See also: elitist twats.

(Unless your post was being ironic in a way I didn't get)

Nope- I'm being serious. It's never elitist to better yourself.

but it is elitist to think that the pinnacle of UK culture is a handful of dead white blokes. Jesus Christ. Or to look down on people are using Facebook (like that means anything about anyone's cultural tastes?!) or watching the X factor.

If "bettering yourself" means being an up yourself ball bag, then I'll stay where I am, thanks

fidel gastro

Nope- I'm being serious. It's never elitist to better yourself.

You are Mrs Bucket and I claim my £5!

I've always held the view that instead of rising above our class, we should aim to rise with our class...

...admittedly, there might be a bit of a wait.

Fidel #33

I think we can all get better informed, educated, call it what you will.

Why hold other (working class) people in contempt? To claim the British working class are their own worst enemy (and you presumably have transcended it) is elitist. Bettering yourself is good - inferring you’re better than the common herd is crap politics.

i've visited england twice and enjoyed it very well. on the second occasion i gave a paper at cambridge, spent the week in the town, of those 7 days, it rained 6. england!

Steven.

I love the US, and go there as much as I can. However there is no way I would want to live there and be a worker (long hours, no holidays, insecurity, shit healthcare).

i've worked almost my entire life on at-will contracts, and on the two occasions when i had a union, and in both cases needed protection, they did absolutely nothing.

Libcom is just ace at the moment.

petey

i've visited england twice and enjoyed it very well. on the second occasion i gave a paper at cambridge, spent the week in the town, of those 7 days, it rained 6. england!

hmmm "at Cambridge" or in Cambridge? Ha ha

Steven.

I love the US, and go there as much as I can. However there is no way I would want to live there and be a worker (long hours, no holidays, insecurity, shit healthcare).

i've worked almost my entire life on at-will contracts, and on the two occasions when i had a union, and in both cases needed protection, they did absolutely nothing.

yeah, America sucks

Its cold and gray and everything costs to much

Steven:

Ed, one of the libcom admins, moved to Italy (where amusingly, Tennants and Special Brew are sold as the equivalent of fancy Trappist beers in the UK)

Even stranger, in Holland White Lightning® is venerated in this manner.

If you drink Special Brew® in combination with smoking Cheddar Cheese® laced with Golden Virginia® it has the amusing effect of making you walk directly backwards. It's fun - try it! But only in Holland - it's illegal in the UK.

Fidel Gastro:

...Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wilde, Morris, Russell...

Surely not Bertrand Russell?

They had a special guest beer in the alternative bar I went to yesterday.

Fosters.

Super T is rank, it's like awful beer with cough medicine in it. A mate of mine used to drink it, he spilled a bit on the floor one night and it stripped off the varnish.

A lot of people drink quite a lot here and public drunkeness is more common than it used to be, but in general people still drink less when out. I don't think I've ever seen a french person have more than five drinks in a night.

at Cambridge would mean at the uni, in would mean somewhere in the city.

Removed in protest of Libcom policies allowing posting of texts by racists

Oh, Parson Jack Russell – the famous dog breeder. That's ok then.

Super T is rank

My god, I thought I'd seen it all on this website, animal abuse, rape play and chief knows what else given the Libcom thumbs up, but this appalling blasphemy goes too far.

Stormfront, I'm on my way!

fidel gastro wrote:

I think Jeremy Corbyn's National Education Service is a bloody good idea, much needed by the majority of the British public.

Absolutely, bring back national service by all means. Bertrand Russell proposed that the state should issue colour-coded "procreation tickets" to prevent the gene pool of the elite being diluted by inferior human beings. Putting down our class has been the national pastime for fucking centuries, sure away and read a book.

Don't miss it, never coming back.

Steven.

hmmm "at Cambridge" or in Cambridge? Ha ha

grrrrrrrrrrr

jef costello

at Cambridge would mean at the uni

newnham college exactly

All I know is that

BBC > US public tv

Blatantly shitter than the rest of Europe.

Steven.

fidel gastro

Steven.

fidel gastro

What do I think of the UK? Very conformist and conservative, class system going stronger than ever before. Very sexist and xenophobic. Too many buns, too much sportswear, crudeness, very uneducated unrefined sheeple. A rich culture (Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wilde, Russell) neglected and ignored by most of the British public who much prefer the X Factor, Facebook etc. I guess it's not always the case but on the whole thats what the people are like. The most popular newspapers being the Daily Mail and the Sun. A working class that are their own worst enemy. The ale houses and countryside are nice though, as is the national dish (being curry ofcourse).

See also: elitist twats.

(Unless your post was being ironic in a way I didn't get)

Nope- I'm being serious. It's never elitist to better yourself.

but it is elitist to think that the pinnacle of UK culture is a handful of dead white blokes. Jesus Christ. Or to look down on people are using Facebook (like that means anything about anyone's cultural tastes?!) or watching the X factor.

If "bettering yourself" means being an up yourself ball bag, then I'll stay where I am, thanks

could only think of emma goldman, lucy parsons and maria spiridonova and voltarine de cleyre at the time. None of them were british. Have thought of one since, ethel mcdonald. Wether she made well known and significant contributions to british culture and literature though i'm not sure. I guess i was thinking mainly of literature.

I guess my view of the uk is more of the part of it where i am and not necessarily the whole of the uk.

Dunno about Britain but this video is basically a four-minute guide to what England looks/feels like:
[youtube]uPmNxobIoWI[/youtube]

I actually find it pretty hard to describe the UK outside of London but in general, I would say:

Negatives
Weather is miserable 9/12 months
The food is shite
People are way too deferential to rules and generally a bit cynical
We prefer to put up with shit than 'make a scene' (whatever you do, don't make a scene!)
[South-East, esp London] We're unfriendly and passive-aggressive
More like America than the rest of Europe
While living abroad I also found out that basically everyone in Europe considers us to be dirty

Positives
We've got a great drinking culture (go drinking in Sweden or Italy and you'll see what I mean)
English breakfasts
Queuing
People here are hands down the funniest in the world
More like Europe than America

fidel gastro

could only think of emma goldman, lucy parsons and maria spiridonova and voltarine de cleyre at the time. None of them were british. Have thought of one since, ethel mcdonald. Wether she made well known and significant contributions to british culture and literature though i'm not sure. I guess i was thinking mainly of literature.

I know right, can't think of any women or non-white people who made "well known and significant contributions to british culture and literature".. WTF?

Well, I'm Australian. There's a lot in common between Australia and the UK; like I don't get either country's obsession with the monarchy and cooking shows. Generally speaking I found the UK to be a lot more unfriendly than other countries I've visited though, seems like there's some sort of ingrained cynicism that makes me glad that my great-grandparents left. I spent a few months in Glasgow and was pretty eager to leave, went to Amsterdam and felt my mood lift considerably. The surveillance state was overwhelming, makes Stalinist countries like Vietnam actually feel like the worker's utopias they make themselves out to be. I did like the worn-in feel to the place though, we lack that in Australia, no real sense of connection to the past. I was impressed by the activist scene too, real up and at 'em attitude I haven't seen for a while in Australia, not since the hey-day of blockades about 15 years back. Oh yeah, what's with all the fucking Fosters? That stuff's only become available here recently and noone buys it.

Steven.

I love the US, and go there as much as I can. However there is no way I would want to live there and be a worker (long hours, no holidays, insecurity, shit healthcare).

What is a 'holiday'?

Agent - it's a vacation.

What is a "vacation"?

Landlords' euphemism for the process of kicking you and your family out onto the street?

Agent - it's a vacation.

Noah Fence

Agent - it's a vacation.

You posted this twice already.

And I was joking when I asked that.

Agent - it's a vacation.

Ed

People are way too deferential to rules and generally a bit cynical
We prefer to put up with shit than 'make a scene' (whatever you do, don't make a scene!)

That's all very southern of you, Ed. But then, where I come from, we'll start an argument in an empty room :D

Talking of where I come from, it's my old local...
[youtube]q9PNoYSKx0A[/youtube]

Ed

The food is shite

Agree with most of what you say, however this is one stereotype which is no longer valid. While it's true that a lot of food is shit (as is the case just about everywhere outside of Italy, Spain, China, France, Japan), eating out there is loads of absolutely amazing food, particularly in London but also elsewhere, including many of the world's best restaurants. We also have massively diverse cuisine, much better than most places.

With the rest, this particularly is spot on:

Negatives
More like America than the rest of Europe…

Positives

More like Europe than America

As is this:

People here are hands down the funniest in the world

Champion Ruby

Well, I'm Australian. There's a lot in common between Australia and the UK; like I don't get either country's obsession with the monarchy and cooking shows. Generally speaking I found the UK to be a lot more unfriendly than other countries I've visited though, seems like there's some sort of ingrained cynicism that makes me glad that my great-grandparents left. I spent a few months in Glasgow .

I think I've spotted yer problem there big man.

Oh and I like the IT Crowd. And Peaky Blinders.

You brits make good television sometimes

This is a good reason to like the UK.

https://youtu.be/XvsdlIY9sJw

A lot of what British people eat is crap but like Steven says a lot of very good stuff is pretty easily available and the variety is usually pretty good.
And French restaurants are desperately aping UK/US trends and ethnic restaurants can be more open about their origins, in the sense that rather than just Chinese/lebanese/kebab places you can eat a variety of different food from or inspired by a wide vairety of cultures and traditions. I sound so food network :(
I ate in a very good Korean street food place the other day. If I start talking about comfort food I'm throwing myself out of a window.

I remember getting picked up at the airport in Glasgow by a friend who started talking to someone in the lift and I thought she'd bumped into a friend but it was just a casual chat. But I think that's something that happens in general in big cities where you don't and can't know the majority of people you meet, athough I do like the french habit of greeting the room when you go into a shop, I remember an old lady doing it on the metro.

Now that you mention food... and Glasgow... the worst ever pakora I ate was what I bought in the city centre there. It must have been refried at least 10 fucking times. Second worst I got was in Moston, Manchester. Possibly refried only 8 or 9 times. My stomach still lurches at the memory.

I'm not so sure about the level or quality of culture in the coming while. This recent interview with David Graeber had some interesting closing points.

http://magazine.ouishare.net/2016/01/the-era-of-predatory-bureaucratization-an-interview-with-david-graeber/

Expanded upon a bit more here: http://thebaffler.com/salvos/despair-fatigue-david-graeber

The impact of 3rd level fees and the lack of affordability in London, for studio and work spaces as well as rent more generally, probably still hasn't been felt yet but it is beginning.

After living in London for almost a year I’d got to like Italian food. So on a visit to Paisley, just outside Glasgow, in 1976, I ordered some lasagna in a café. Boy was I disappointed, it was like chewing warm rubber.

Years ago the best eating out in Glasgow was Indian. There were several good cheap places under the heilin’ man’s umbrella. They did a roaring trade. All gone now, part of a dual carriageway. I’ve heard there is good food available in places like Byers Road. Not been back in yonks.

I travelled outside of Australia for the first time in 2012. It was pretty mindblowing to see the origins of a lot of the colonial stuff.

In the UK at Christmas time, things actually looked like they do on Christmas cards. Actually, a lot of the Christmas things make more sense there than here. I don't know why I found that so hilarious.

As others have pointed out, it seemed really common for people to drink until they couldn't control themselves. That happens in Australia, but I saw it a LOT when I was there. The level of alcohol-fuelled violence seemed about the same.

Poverty there looks way more grim, and ready to play sport at any time. Again, it's similar here but there are more people wearing shellsuits there.

First class carriages on trains. What the actual fuck. And the Tube is actually a tube.

Chip butties are monstrously disgusting and your entire culture should be ashamed of it. You can make a chip sandwich here, of course, but no-one pretends it's normal. Food in general was of a lower quality than what you can get here.

I only heard it a couple of times, but I couldn't believe the posh English accent wasn't a parody.

Also this:

I think England is a fantastic country that is a credit in that it's contributions to Science,literature,culture,sport etc are groundbreaking and this is due to its people not because of the parasites in Buckingham Palace or the brothel of Parliament or the rapefest and butchery of the British Empire.
Paraphrasing Rocker loving your country is separate from patriotism which is love of State.Our oppressors deliberately confuse these facts in order to manipulate us and promote Nationalism as a break on class consciousness.
The natural beauty of our countryside,the regional differences of Mancunians,scousers,cockneys,Geordies etc and the idiosyncrasies that involves and the contributions to the world at large eg;Stephensons Rocket,DNA structure,Babbages Computer etc
These were a great influence for people worldwide with no need for bloody imperialism or the butchers apron of the Union Jack.

infektfm

Oh and I like the IT Crowd. And Peaky Blinders.

You brits make good television sometimes

ha ha that looks like the kind of thing I would say to annoy revol68. The IT Crowd was made by Irish people

Hahaha! Such lolz!

Lumpen

I travelled outside of Australia for the first time in 2012. It was pretty mindblowing to see the origins of a lot of the colonial stuff.

In the UK at Christmas time, things actually looked like they do on Christmas cards. Actually, a lot of the Christmas things make more sense there than here. I don't know why I found that so hilarious.

As others have pointed out, it seemed really common for people to drink until they couldn't control themselves. That happens in Australia, but I saw it a LOT when I was there. The level of alcohol-fuelled violence seemed about the same.

Poverty there looks way more grim, and ready to play sport at any time. Again, it's similar here but there are more people wearing shellsuits there.

First class carriages on trains. What the actual fuck. And the Tube is actually a tube.

Chip butties are monstrously disgusting and your entire culture should be ashamed of it. You can make a chip sandwich here, of course, but no-one pretends it's normal. Food in general was of a lower quality than what you can get here.

I only heard it a couple of times, but I couldn't believe the posh English accent wasn't a parody.

Also this:

I was referring to the big book of british smiles ofcourse, classic.

I'm from England and have travelled around Europe quite a lot.

There are lots of stereotypes getting flung around on this thread. One thing I'd say is don't judge a country by its portrayal in the establishment media. They tend to be London-centric and deeply conservative. At the moment, following Brexit, there's also a curious atmosphere which, for outsiders, may appear conservative and isolationist but it's way more complex. England is a very divided country but the left is presently struggling to organise. I'm optimistic about the future, though...

It's been a very functional country so it's not aesthetically beautiful like a lot of European countries although there are a lot of nice cities which get ignored: York and, Bath are as nice as anywhere I've been to in Europe. There are some very liberal places, too. Bristol and Brighton are great cultural hubs; particularly Bristol. Lots of radical bookshops and charitable things going on.

Like everywhere in the world, England has some great people and a decent art scene.The 'poor food' stereotype is untrue. It's very diverse for food owed to post WW2-immigration from the Commonwealth. Right now there is a lively movement of socialists, anarchists and other progressive groups which are beginning to create their own media and their own culture. After years of corporate domination, people are getting to grips with the power of the internet and things are moving at an astonishing rate.

The weather is shit, though. That's my only grumble. After this it's not radically different to many other places.

The other thing is that it's been a great place for the arts and also comedy. The music scene has always been cutting edge; particularly in electronic music. This is still the case now.

fidel gastro

What do I think of the UK? Very conformist and conservative, class system going stronger than ever before. Very sexist and xenophobic. Too many buns, too much sportswear, crudeness, very uneducated unrefined sheeple. A rich culture (Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wilde, Morris, Russell) neglected and ignored by most of the British public who much prefer the X Factor, Facebook etc. I guess it's not always the case but on the whole thats what the people are like. The most popular newspapers being the Daily Mail and the Sun. A working class that are their own worst enemy. The ale houses and countryside are nice though, as is the national dish (being curry ofcourse).

That probably is crap politics but it also rings true to me. You have to admit that the British, especially the English, actively go against their own interests and are the least militant in Europe and you can probably put it down to a serious inability to think for themselves. They come across as obsequious. Thats what I think Fidel is getting at here, aswell as a 'poverty of spirit' that is certainly present in the UK and elsewhere in the world. To ignore that is to fail to face reality.

Well, a different place from where I'm from.

Aside from that, I find Brits to be fun, interesting yet grumpy people.
I mean, if it was shitty weather here much of the time, I'd be grumpy too.
Take that back, I don't need crappy weather to be grumpy.

In days of old, I used to find the Brits to be much closer to some of
us in the US than others (aside from the Germans and Aussies). Perhaps it
was simply some commonalities based on language, music (rock, reggae,ska)
and so forth.

That said, I can see how it can be seen as a world unto itself and difficult to
get into its mindset.

Great TV and music and literature. As do other countries, but certainly Britain can be prod of it.

England though is absolutely filthy, not just London, all urban areas and much of the countryside, and the air tastes of dirt in London.

Also it is really crowded.

The food is ok though not as good as New Zealand or Australia especially the fish and chips, which are universally soggy and tasteless.

The old buildings are amazing though and just as good as what you can find anywhere else in Europe.

Fish and chips is a seaside (coastal) food obviously you can eat it anywhere but the fresher the fish the better, hence you eat it by the sea. Fish and chips in cities is usually crap because it is not fresh.

wojtek

Gentleman = doormat.

Do you speak from experience?

The UK is shitty and cool