english or british or european or what?

[Kinoulton]

But for years we insisted that foreigners select their nationality from Yugoslavian, USSR (or even worse Russian), etc.

We didn't allow them to put Serbian, or Latvian, did we?

So why should administrators in Australia or USA give a dman whether we're Welsh, English or what? It's of no use to them. UK is all they need to know.

[dailywaffle]

English, and it really annoys me how on forms you often don't have the choice of English, i mean i probably have Welsh and Ireish and allsorts in my :censored:, but i was born in England and raised here and so i consider myself English.

Why should it annoy you? Legally you are British. I'm pretty sure that you don't have an English passport.

Nothing wrong with being proud to be English, but I genuinely don't get the 'anti-British' perspective at all.

Please feel free to help me understand. :oD

[Rizzo]

dailywaffle, I can't speak for anyone else, but I consider myself English first, British second - for the simple reason that Britain covers other nationalities and I was born in England (in Leicester).
I do have Welsh ancestry though, and my husband has Scottish ancestry so I'm happy enough to be British too.

I don't, however, like being a "EU citizen" which sounds like something from 1984.

[Kinoulton]

I don't get the EU b****cks at all.

We were happy to be friends and traders with places like USA, Australia and India when those places were weeks away by boat.

Now that we can be anywhere in the World the same day, and can operate ecommerce as instantly with NZ as we can the office next door, it's suddenly important that we jump into bed with the Germans and French. Why? Can we now only be friends with countries we can reach by bicycle?

I will never be European. Ever ever ever ever ever.

[WharfedaleTiger]

Yorkshire and English. I really don't think about being Brtiish at all.

[dailywaffle]

dailywaffle, I can't speak for anyone else, but I consider myself English first, British second - for the simple reason that Britain covers other nationalities and I was born in England (in Leicester).
I do have Welsh ancestry though, and my husband has Scottish ancestry so I'm happy enough to be British too.

I don't, however, like being a "EU citizen" which sounds like something from 1984.

We sort of agree, you're happy enough to be British when required (e.g. ID forms). Its people that dislike being British that puzzle me ..... with the exception of those who don't believe in the Union. I can certainly understand their reluctance to be considered British.

As for the EU, what's the problem? I'm perfectly happy to be both British and European.

Citizen of the world, that's me!

[banbury tiger]

English but British aswell.

[WharfedaleTiger]

dailywaffle, I can't speak for anyone else, but I consider myself English first, British second - for the simple reason that Britain covers other nationalities and I was born in England (in Leicester).
I do have Welsh ancestry though, and my husband has Scottish ancestry so I'm happy enough to be British too.

I don't, however, like being a "EU citizen" which sounds like something from 1984.

We sort of agree, you're happy enough to be British when required (e.g. ID forms). Its people that dislike being British that puzzle me ..... with the exception of those who don't believe in the Union. I can certainly understand their reluctance to be considered British.

As for the EU, what's the problem? I'm perfectly happy to be both British and European.

Citizen of the world, that's me!

Agreed-the EU's a great thing politically and economically speaking-I don't udnerstand those who don't want further intergration.

[Gate]

The EU smells of week-old wee and now exists to further itself rather than any meaningful ideal or economic benefit. Everything to be harmonised, because that means the field is occupied by Community rules and nothing can be changed except at Community level - which means the machine ensures it is fed in perpetuity. And so we get little pieces of foolishness like the requirement that first-aid boxes must have green crosses on them, not red, because only green will be understood across Europe, honest, people will suffer and die for lack of understanding of what that white box there with the red cross on it actually contains. My aris.

And I speak with my impeccable Euro credentials as a a Krauty octoroon.

[Rizzo]

There are too many ridiculous rules and regulations and H&S laws as it is, without us having to adopt ones sent by Brussels - things that are often totally incompatible and inadaptable to English/British circumstances. I dislike the concept of being dictated to by the HQ of a European Union based in another country. (and before anyone mentions it, I dislike being dictated to by any other country - USA or whoever included.)
I was discussing this with a French friend the other night online, she says she considers herself French first, European second. I say I consider myself English first, British second and that's it.

I'd be interested to hear what Angelo and Ze Stade Fan think about this discussion too.

[WharfedaleTiger]

ost of that is press propaganda guys, there are a lot of problems with the EU (In perticular the democratic defect) but much of what you say is incorrect. They do not try to harmonize everything and the EU has broguht great benfits to Britian. The only real problem is loss of sovreignty to the Commission/Council of ministers but that will eb rectified.

Your comments are a throwback to the EU of the 80s and 90s when there where some nutters in it who did, for example, want to straighten bananas. NOw its far less centeralised and far more understanding, easpecally since the Local Goverment treaty was signed (Which Britian didn't sign up too-our loss).

[Kinoulton]

Awell thought out argument there.

But still. The French are arrogant and smell. The Germans are boring. The Italians are fantastic people but damned lucky they live in such a fruitful land. If they'd inherited Iceland, Holland or Saudi, they'd all be dead by now.

[kevf]

ost of that is press propaganda guys, there are a lot of problems with the EU (In perticular the democratic defect) but much of what you say is incorrect. They do not try to harmonize everything and the EU has broguht great benfits to Britian. The only real problem is loss of sovreignty to the Commission/Council of ministers but that will eb rectified.

Your comments are a throwback to the EU of the 80s and 90s when there where some nutters in it who did, for example, want to straighten bananas. NOw its far less centeralised and far more understanding, easpecally since the Local Goverment treaty was signed (Which Britian didn't sign up too-our loss).

I class myself as a yorkshireman, although born ina british military hospital in singapore, so techically if we are going on where you were born i'm british as it was classed as sovereign land.... but i was only 7 weeks old when i flew back to yorkshire and i lived there for most of my life until i joined the RAF... i'm not really bothered i don't particularly care where you come from if your obnoxious i wont like you if your not obnoxious i will like you (yes even if your welsh :oD )

My problem with the EU is not that they bring out rules that may seem silly at times, but that we are the only country that follow them... you go to france and look how long for example they hang there meat ... think the EU its a maximum of 28 days... what do we citizens of the UK do follow it... even had a cheese farm shut down the other week because it was deemed not H & S it was the only place making this particular cheese... so a heritage is lost the french or the italians wouldn't stop production.

[WharfedaleTiger]

Thats not exactly the EU's fault is it then... Besides most of the laws actually do make sense nowdays...

[Gate]

What is the Local Government Treaty that the UK didn't sign up to? There is a European Charter of Local Self Government, but that is a Council of Europe instrument and nothing to do with the EU, and the UK signed it in 1997.

Having worked in the EU field, my experience is that (a) the organisation will take as much as it can get, and works on "competence creep" or the "ratchet" effect - once a field is occupied, the EU is in and Member States displaced, and the competence is never repatriated; and (b) Kinoulton is completely right, except that Germans are much less boring when you take them out of the company of other Germans and get them drunk.