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Things that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has going for it
When you said 'best' sovereign state, did you mean the 'most heavily taxed'?ii) Our lovely grey weather, especially when hiking across the South Downs in a tee-shirt.
iii) The best beer on the planet - Adnams Broadside.
iv) Errr.... that's about it.
v) Sorry, almost forgot - the world's largest collection of potholes and traffic cones.
We do have good ale. And cheese. Good cheese.
Agree with the ale and cheese.What about fish and chips?
And music…
And fine writers in the English language :-)
Jim wrote: "And fine writers in the English language :-)"With proper spelling ;~)
Music: The Stones, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Marc Bolan, Amy Winehouse, Peter Green, Eric Clapton...
Our wit and verbal dexterity. Understanding of irony.
irony tablets.
And I'm from the irony age.
Geoff (G. Robbins) (The noisy passionfruit) wrote: "irony tablets."Can you iron your tablets?
That's the irony of iron tablets; they can't be ironed.
Our humour! I miss the British wit and our exchange of sarcasm and banter. The Danes I work with have no clue when I'm being sarcastic and are as dry as wallpaper to talk to. I'm actually starting to suspect Scandinavians are actually Scandin-aliens.
It's all those bright blue eyes, blonde hair and nordic looks.The aliens have focused on the packaging, not the content
Will wrote: "It's all those bright blue eyes, blonde hair and nordic looks.The aliens have focused on the packaging, not the content"
Ha! Well put, Will.
I do think the British have an admirable ability not to take the rest of the universe seriously, which probably has something to do with the climate and the way it is always taking the piss.
It's the birth place of some of most of the best authors in the world.Beautiful country sides.
How Brits form orderly queues everywhere, even in a crisis!
Kirsty wrote: "It's the birth place of some of most of the best authors in the world.Beautiful country sides.
How Brits form orderly queues everywhere, even in a crisis!"
Especially in a crisis.
Stephen Fry and Brian Cox.
Patti (baconater) wrote: "Stephen Fry and Brian Cox."Are they a couple now?
I hope not! Stephen's new hubby would object, I hope!
And Kath would as well. She's had her eye on Brian for a while...
Unfortunately, searching chipmunk cheeked UK scientist on Google doesn't throw his name up in the results!Shocking.
Good. I can have him all to myself. Oh, and Mrs Chipmunk-cheeks will want a share too, I expect. Ratbag!
This might be controversial but, despite all its flaws and problems, I think our NHS is fantastic, certainly better than the US system where you pay thousands for every treatment you receive.
That's the truth, Claire.
Far from controversial Claire, I think it could make a claim to be a self evident fact
Indeed in 2014 there was a survey which showed that it was the besthttp://www.commonwealthfund.org/publi...
When you look at it, you can see it's been achieved by not throwing a lot of money at the issue either, (compared with the US)
Interesting that the 1st, 3rd and 4th achieve their ranking on the lowest expenditure
The worst, the US is massively more expensive
I think the problems we are currently experiencing with A&E are transitory. No cpmfort to those who have to suffer though.I was reading a report that says that since the NHS Direct service was replaced with 101, the number of advisors, who are not qualified nurses and doctors, unlike their predecessors, are increasingly advising that the person gets an ambulance or is taken to hospital, as they cannot be triaged effectively.
Well I've just got off the phone to my doctor's. Just want an appointment for something which, thankfully isn't urgent. I got an appointment for Feb 9th. No wonder people are thronging in A&E!
You see, Claire? It is pretty safe to say that Geoff and i occupy opposite ends of the political spectrum, but this is an issue on which our differences are minor
Kath wrote: "Both eyes, and a dribbly chin! ;)"Snap!
vi) And the unique British ability to drift right off the subject in less than 30 messages.
Will wrote: "Far from controversial Claire, I think it could make a claim to be a self evident fact"Will wrote: "You see, Claire? It is pretty safe to say that Geoff and i occupy opposite ends of the political spectrum, but this is an issue on which our differences are minor"
That's good to hear. The number of people I hear complaining about it suggested it might not be so well perceived as it used to be. I think it's still fantastic, people just don't think for themselves in the same way any more.
Geoff (G. Robbins) (The noisy passionfruit) wrote: "I think the problems we are currently experiencing with A&E are transitory. No cpmfort to those who have to suffer though.I was reading a report that says that since the NHS Direct service was r..."
I would agree with that, at least certainly the second part. I won't get on my soapbox about 111, I have plenty of stories about it.
Just as a little aside though Geoff, it's 111 not 101, 101 is the police non-emergency number ;). Which is actually another great service, I've used it a couple of times.
I work in the NHS, though thankfully I haven't been a customer since I was a child. I'm a big fan but anyone can see there's a million things need fixing. A&E isn't one of them mind, it's the way patients are handled pre A&E that's the issue. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I'm also a fan of the range of ales brewed in this country, which I'm drinking while watching the football.
Kath wrote: "Oh, I have competition! ;)"A joint effort perhaps?
Patti (baconater) wrote: "You lot crease me up."Me too.
Pete wrote: "vi) And the unique British ability to drift right off the subject in less than 30 messages."On a good day we can do it in one!
I wish to point out that discussing Brian Cox is right on target for the subject of this thread. :) There's nowhere else in the world you'd find a Brian Cox.
Or his Granny. Mrs Smith.Off subject? Us? ;)
What makes this country great? Tolerance, a sense of humour, good writing, benign (ish) climate, beer, history, eccles cakes, the welfare state, democracy, full English breakfasts.Oh, and the fact that my wife and son live here.
What makes this country not so great? That's when we forget the good stuff, when we let personal interest get in the way of the greater good. When we insist on rights without thinking about responsibilities.
The A&E crisis? I'm afraid that is a sign of things to come. We're an increasingly ageing population which means that the welfare state is getting much more expensive year on year. Living longer means more money spent on pensions and healthcare.
And that in turn means that we either spend less on the welfare state or we pay higher taxes. That's the unavoidable truth that no politician will tell you in the next 100 days before the General Election.
Looks like we are going to need that sense of humour.
Chocolate and cheese. Hmm...cheese...
Kirsty wrote: "How Brits form orderly queues everywhere, even in a crisis!"I see you've never caught a bus from Hammersmith :(
I reckon that pretty much covers everything to be honest.
Tomorrow's topic: things to take with you on a 3k hike across the South Downs.