Why is Britain crap at everything?

[Seneca]

OK, not everything, since we still have the BBC.

But it seems we got everything wrong since Attlee left office - we tried for a mix of European statism and American laissez-faire, and by inspired incompetence, chose the worst possible option in every single case.

We have a monolithic, state-controlled health service, which is failing horribly.
We have a privatised rail system, which is failing horribly.
Our heavy industry is failing horribly.
We don't have a single well-planned city on our island.
We can't play all those sports we invented.
We get foot and mouth - it's a minor bother in Holland and Taiwan, but here it decimates our rural industry.

Is there a single aspect of British life that either Europe or America doesn't do better? Apart from the BBC...

[sachmo71]

Independant Films
Castles
Stonehenges (no one could even TRY that one!)
Museums
imperialism
Soccer
Monarchy
Making Chunnels (well, that was 50-50 but I think it was an ENGLISH idea!).
Hey, you invented golf, and tennis. So we stole them, but England still owns the rights, and St. Andrews is the coolest course in the world.
Teletubbies...kids love em!
Tanks(yup...English idea!)
Making big mustashes look cool
Dark Beer
Rain and clouds

I'll think of more later...

[Seneca]

Originally posted by sachmo71
Independant Films

Our film industry was dead from the 70's till the mid 90's, and even then, we've been living off numerous carbon copies of two or three hits.

Castles
Stonehenges (no one could even TRY that one!)
Museums
imperialism

I'm talking about Britain now - we want to be a dynamic, modern country, not some bloody living museum

Soccer

We needed a bloody Swede to make us good at that

Monarchy

The Scandinavians and Dutch have really cool monarchies - we've got a bunch of weirdos who think the whole world smells of new paint.

Making Chunnels (well, that was 50-50 but I think it was an ENGLISH idea!).

And the trains coming in from France have to slow to half-speed to run on our tracks.

Hey, you invented golf, and tennis. So we stole them, but England still owns the rights, and St. Andrews is the coolest course in the world.

Isn't St Andrews in Scotland? Incidentally, since Scotland got it's own parliament, it's becoming more and more groovy and Scandinavian, with free higher education, higher old age pensions etc... Further proof that England is crap.

Teletubbies...kids love em!

Eh-oh! How proud I feel.

Tanks(yup...English idea!)

We only needed them because our WWI generals were so useless.

Making big mustashes look cool

We did, rather, didn't we...?

Dark Beer

Actually, you're making me feel better now.

Rain and clouds

Florida does that better, and it gets more sun.

[red_jon]

Our problem is, we half-do everything. We're conservative and liberal. We're privatised and nationalised. We're European, we're American.

Unfortunately by the time we do do something, it's too late (we'll join the euro too late and be excluded from the EU yet more, mark my words...)

[Chowlett]

Originally posted by Seneca
Isn't St Andrews in Scotland?

Check your thread title! Britain is not the same as England!

[Seneca]

Originally posted by Chowlett




Check your thread title! Britain is not the same as England!

Erm... oops...

See how screwed we are, when our own citizens don't even know where the country starts and finishes...?

[sachmo71]

Elizabeth Hurley....grrrrrowl!

[Seneca]

Crap actress.

[Dauphin]

Is there a single aspect of British life that either Europe or America doesn't do better?

We are the world champions at pessimism.

We are able to use and understand sarcasm to precision without having to highlight the fact that its sarcasm. (Also we don't misuse the word irony).

[sachmo71]

Originally posted by Seneca
Crap actress.

Bah. She's beautiful.

[Zopperoni]

Your music isn't bad...or at least, it used to be good (Rolling Stones, Cream Queen, Beatles).

[Drake Tungsten]

I'm with you Satchmo. I'd give my left nut for a rendevous with Ms. Hurley.

England has great music as well. My favorites include...

Blur
Radiohead
Supergrass
Pulp
Craig David

and countless others, not to mention all the great classic rock acts. Any country that produces Led Zep, the Who, the Beatles, the Stones and Eric Clapton is alright in my book.

edit. sorry, I mised your post, Zopper. I must have skipped over it in my haste to proclaim my undying love for Elisabeth Hurley.

[Hobbes]

Who needs medicare and railways, not to mention industry, when you have the wonder that is Robbie Williams!? Like he said: "I'm single handedly raising the economy" Yeaaah!

[Juggernaut]

Hey, you guys make excellent music. In fact, about 95% of my mp3 collection is English. I've often considered going over there just to see why ****ing everyone make astonishing songs. How come everyone of you got great taste? Your dance music is 10 years ahead of eg. USA, who still only got dudes with pony tails in flanell shirts ripping off Pearl Jam.

[Juggernaut]

I've been to England once, to London in 95, but my English was crap and I barely managed to order a coke. I ended up sneaking around outside MTV in Camden while my uncle taped it on camcorder.