[quote[What I'm not proud of is the keychain I bought at Heathrow. The thing broke after 2 days. What happened to you (Britain)? You used to be a manufacturing powerhouse. Now look at ya.[/quote]
Useless government after useless government, selling everything. That is what happened. And don't get me started on Heathrow, and the last terminal they opened.
I'm sorry, this is going to be a long post This isn't meant to be trollish, I appologise if it comes over that way.
Half Scottish, half English. Consider myself Brit.
Am I proud?
An interesting and colourful history, I enjoy studying it. Do I like the history? Well, like most nations, there are dark moments. I love reading it and researching it, that doesn't mean I support what the english/british/europeans did. But history is my passion. As is politics. But no. I'm not proud. Whilst I'm happy to call myself British, I am not proud of my nation these days.
We've gone from an industrial and manufacturing powerhouse to a crap hole. Since 1994, our politicians have moved closer together, converged into the group we have now - 3 parties, filled with self-serving, corrupt, spineless cretins. Wastes of humans. Politicians with no experience or knowledge of the real world. All of them spouting the same bullshit, trying to get the same people. Theres only a select few MPs in the 'big 3' who have stuck to their political guns, and are branded 'raving socialists' or 'extreme (racist) rightwing loons'. We have politicians, who are meant to represent the 'working man' - who went to some of the best private schools in the country, and Oxbridge unis.
It pains me that the people of this country were stupid enough to vote Thatcher in three times (once was enough!). It pains me even more that this 'socialist' Tony Blair was voted in by such a moronic public. Twice.
I'm not proud. A lazy public, who want to call in a cheap eastern european *builder/plumber/etc*, but then complain that they have no jobs. A rude public, an alcoholic and sex mad public, who go out and get plastered on Wednesday nights, then have a quickie up a lamp post round the back of the night club, get knocked up or get yet another STD. I'm not making this up. My town - Wakey - is (or was last year) the EU captial of teen pregnacies. We have an awful ammount of STD clinics for 16 year olds. Specially opened for 16 year olds.
Almost all the industry has gone. The only things we make ourselves these days is military equipment - but thanks to the spineless cretins in power, we don't get it. Billions wasted on a tank project (FRES), that was supposed to deliver 2000 light tanks by 2006. 4 years later, 7 billion over budget, and they haven't even picked a design yet. Meanwhile, 1 labour ex-defence minister has now recieved a wonderful job on the board of directors at a defence firm.
We have an awful transport network. Slow, expensive, it rarely, if ever works. Look at the railways. The track is owned by one group. The locomotives are owned by (...5 last time I bothered counting) companies. The rolling stock is owned 3 others, and the stations by yet another. Freight is run by 3 different groups, who are split up again and own/run different things. Want to buy/make more rolling stock/locos? Ha, good luck. My town had Britain's last railway plant in it. Sold to a Spanish company. Who decided to close it, in 2004. Now, if we want to buy trains, we have to go to Italy and Spain. And, my town (and the few surrounding) have suffered, as a fairly big employer has just buggered off.
We have an odd population, as I've already commented on. Ask them what they want nationally, and they'll usually say a good NHS, public transport and defence force. But pay for it? Hell no. They'd rather have a 60in plasma TV and the latest BMW than have to pay taxes for it. Then there's the media. Gutter press at it's finest, and lets not forget the Daily Dianna stories from the express. How long has she been dead?
Where would I go? I like the idea of Russia, having visited a few times. The people are friendly, polite, and the few I've really gotten to know are hilarious. But I'm not going to kid myself. I was born on this island, and I want to end my days on this island. And whilst I'm not proud of what Britain is these days (and where it's going to end up, thanks to the centralised liers) - I don't think I could live anywhere else. Where else do people complain so much, and in such an entertaining way?
