Anti-French Connections
Quote of the moment:
French voters have rejected the European Union's proposed constitution in Sunday's referendum, President Jacques Chirac has said. - BBC News. Hurrah!
I think the origins of the particularly English trait of stubborn independence might perhaps originate from Henry VIII's rejection of the Roman Catholic church. When religion was a powerful controlling force, we split off from outside control and liked it. Having conquered the largest empire in the history of the world (and ignored it in the teaching of history in schools) we probably have a bit of residual "We're badass" in the national psyche too.
My paternal grandmother's considered opinion on Europe, offered last night, was this:
"Well I've never really thought much of the French. The Germans were obviously bad, but when we were getting bombed in Kent what we really thought was 'Why the hell did the French give up so easily?'"
I got an unusual piece of post yesterday, regarding the new Old Felstedian website. It's kind of a mini version of Friends Reunited, but free and intended for mutual benefits of the fiscal variety. Translation: It's the 'Old Boys Network' for the internet generation, allowing for favours and suchlike. Very nefarious.
Finally, in the Terry Pratchett book A Hat Full of Sky there's the opposite of a poltergeist: an ondageist (called Oswald) who is obsessively tidy and will return anything you put down out of place, deliberately or not, to what the spirit considers its actual home. That's my dad spot on.
French voters have rejected the European Union's proposed constitution in Sunday's referendum, President Jacques Chirac has said. - BBC News. Hurrah!
I think the origins of the particularly English trait of stubborn independence might perhaps originate from Henry VIII's rejection of the Roman Catholic church. When religion was a powerful controlling force, we split off from outside control and liked it. Having conquered the largest empire in the history of the world (and ignored it in the teaching of history in schools) we probably have a bit of residual "We're badass" in the national psyche too.
My paternal grandmother's considered opinion on Europe, offered last night, was this:
"Well I've never really thought much of the French. The Germans were obviously bad, but when we were getting bombed in Kent what we really thought was 'Why the hell did the French give up so easily?'"
I got an unusual piece of post yesterday, regarding the new Old Felstedian website. It's kind of a mini version of Friends Reunited, but free and intended for mutual benefits of the fiscal variety. Translation: It's the 'Old Boys Network' for the internet generation, allowing for favours and suchlike. Very nefarious.
Finally, in the Terry Pratchett book A Hat Full of Sky there's the opposite of a poltergeist: an ondageist (called Oswald) who is obsessively tidy and will return anything you put down out of place, deliberately or not, to what the spirit considers its actual home. That's my dad spot on.
3 comments:
Jim's speaking as a Time Lord who has seen all the nations rise and fall, obviously. At a guess he might favour the early era Spartans.
Unfortunately, the Spartans were far too tidy to let someone like Jim into their midst.
Lol. Well then, the other option I had in mind - he could be a Viking beserker. He likes fighting and nudity, right!?
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