Philistines like to fawn over their bourgeoisie.

Tried telling you that this monarchy stuff is stupid back in '76, but you wouldn't listen. *says the slave republic*

Paine wrote: A French bastard landing with an armed Banditti and establishing himself king of England against the consent of the natives, is in plain terms a very paltry rascally original. It certainly hath no divinity in it. However it is needless to spend much time in exposing the folly of hereditary right; if there are any so weak as to believe it, let them promiscuously worship the Ass and Lion, and welcome. I shall neither copy their humility, nor disturb their devotion.

Paine was also British-American, so technically you tried telling yourselves but wouldn't listen.

An Englishman who moved to (British) America, advocated independence in the above-cited Common Sense, was read widely by Patriots during the American Revolution, sided with the Continental Army against the British, and then spent the remainder of his life (after spending some time in Europe being persecuted) in the US. The point is that the British Empire got humiliated by 13 colonies in the American Revolution and then again by the US in the War of 1812.

Which whipping was that? Something with the Irish? In any case, it seems we're all in agreement that the British ruling class are and always have been bastards.

As long as they're not French.

Nothing compared to the whipping we gave the British on those hot days of August!

Wait, you couldn't have given me a better hint that you were referring to the Irish-English conflict than the word "August" and Sinéad O'Connor (rest in peace) doing a Prince cover? I'm not sure about other people, and I'm also not that read up on the Troubles, but I don't immediately associate Sinéad with the IRA! Like one would think that "My Little Armalite" would have been a much better clue than "Nothing Compares 2 U." Also, the idea of Americans intentionally supplying the Irish with Armalites, an American weapon, in order to carry on the fight against the British is pretty amusing, even though that obviously was not what happened.

In all seriousness though, bourgeois national liberation struggles, while maybe improving the condition of the lower classes in some cases (if even), have invariably failed at achieving genuine freedom for their participants and at ridding the new society of its class character. Such failures were seen after the American Revolution where, besides the literal enslavement of hundreds of thousands of African Americans and the continuing eradication of the indigenous population, a new kind of industrial wage slavery soon developed in the northern states before spreading to the rest. While it might be fun to remind the British (especially the proud patriotic Brits who actually care about this stuff) that we threw off their monarchical yoke and kicked their arse 250 years ago, one should also recognize the limitations and often reactionary nature of such struggles.

the idea of Americans intentionally supplying the Irish with Armalites, an American weapon, in order to carry on the fight against the British is pretty amusing, even though that obviously was not what happened.

or is there more to it... how else does one explain this clip of Biden, who's part Irish, talking about how the Black and Tans got the hell beat out of them? or what about this video of Biden singing "Come out Ye Black and Tans"?! Although it is a bit surprising that Biden would leave in the line about how the British "slew them ol' Arabs two by two"—don't really have much room to speak there Mr. President!