Ah’ll tell thee what, mate, that knows nowt about the English if tha thinks them Southern ponces are owt like the rest of us!
Yes, Love Actually is a total waste of time. it is as vapid, one-dimensional, saccharine and predictable as Disney at it’s best. But don’t go thinking it says anything about the English. It’s a typical film in that it’s primarily targeted at a US audience, so it promotes a myth of the English and Englishness, tailored for the American palate, just like Bridget Jones and Mary Poppins!
If you want to see what we’re like, watch Coronation Street, watch EastEnders, watch Last of the Summer Wine, Open All Hours and Vera. Above all, watch a few Carry On.. films. You’ll see us at our best and worst there.
Don’t get the Brexit thing wrong. The remnants of the old upper classes might applaud it, and the ‘woke’ middle classes deplore it, but if you look at the voting patterns, it was the working class who did it. Why? Because we’re tired. Tired of the pretence of being a global Great Power. Tired of being dragged into far-away wars that are none of our concern. Tired of being treated as the 51st State by every US President since Truman. Tired of being used as an offshore piggy-bank by the French and Germans as they each pursue their century-old quest for European hegemony. Tired of being used as an onshore piggy bank by the increasingly strident Celtic nations (who finance their progressive policies from the pockets of the English taxpayer while we suffer under Tory austerity).
In the last century we got needlessly and expensively involved in two Franco-German wars which were none of our business. It was working class people who died on the front lines and at sea, who were bombed out of their homes and had to put up with rationing. Now France and Germany are jockeying for position again, Russia is egging them on, as always. Plus the Germans invited a shedload of economically frail Eastern European countries into the EU, for no good reason (except maybe lebensraum). This despite the fact that Greece, Italy and Spain are still as poor as church mice! We wanted out because the whole thing is about to collapse in a heap, and there’ll likely be another war, and we want no part of it! Twice is enough, thanks! We don’t care if we’re worse off, as long as we’re out of the front line. We’ve done our bit, and more, now leave us be!
As to the Empire, unless you’re a First Nation Canadian, you should keep your trap shut! You were the colonists, not the colonised, and you owe your nationality, comfortable lifestyle and right to express your opinions to the British Empire. If you are a First Nation Canadian, then have at it, of course!
For us, it was a failure. We spent million of pounds and thousands of lives trying to improve the lot of people in other countries. Of course we expected to make a profit, we were a trading nation! But the people with whom we were trying to trade were constantly at war with each other, their systems were corrupt and outdated, and their infrastructure non-existent. Neither side was benefiting as they should. So we built the infrastructure, we set up the new systems and taught the people how to use them. We put an end to the tribal wars and religious conflicts (not always in a particularly kindly, fair or honourable way, but effectively). Then, when we withdrew, the people went straight back to their old ways! Complete waste of time, so we won’t be doing that again! We’ll leave the imperialism to the Americans now. See if they can do with Coca-Cola and Disney what we couldn't do with armed force, engineering and education.
Enough, we’re done. Old, tired, beaten, we just want to be left alone, now.
