Colin Wonfor

[Macca]

Jammy don't be so closed minded. Do you realise what bastards us Brits were and why half the world still hates us.. .

France isn't half the world....

[joe]

I remember ages ago in an episode of 'Cybill' one of the female characters asks the other 'Can you tell me one good thing, just one good thing, about the British?' The other replies 'They hate the French even more than we do'.

[Macca]

Having been to a fair few of the former colonies I've never been anywhere where they hate the British. Quite the opposite, in fact.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

They are being polite because you are spending money.

[Macca]

Me spend money? Some mistake, surely?

There is polite and there is friendly, it isn't that hard to tell the difference.

Some places, New York, for instance, they coudn't give a toss either way, they are rude and impatient with everyone. Out in the Midwest, or even in the depths of new Jersey, as an Englishman you are a curiosity.

In the Caribbean they don't like to be treated as servants. Which is understandabke given the history. Once they realise you don't have any expectations that way they open up and are friendly.

The only places I have been where they don't like/look down on the British are Paris and Belgium. I say Paris since I have been all round France and they were pretty friendly everywhere else.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Try large parts of Africa, and India / Pakistan and China and Malaysia and Argentina and Cyprus and The Levant (see Lawrence of Arabia) and Afganistan and Burma and Iran and......................................

For instance, go to China, Beijing, and visit the summer palace. They will take great pleasure in telling you the reason there are no treasures there now is because we stole them, the reason the buildings are ruins or rebuilds is because we burnt them down. As revenge for the boxer rebellion, which even though typically weird Chinese in nature was just them trying to get rid of us.

[Macca]

Yes we did some looting and burning in China but the only reason we went in was because they took hostages. TheBoxer Rebellion was a rebellion against the Manchus, not the British.

My family has close contacts in Argentina and the whole British thing is entirely post Falklands and is a vocal minority.

Pakistan they are muslim and tend to look down on any non muslim. India i've not been but never met one who hated the British unless it was a very personal beef.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Go read British imperial history Macca.

[Colin Wonfor]

Me spend money? Some mistake, surely?

There is polite and there is friendly, it isn't that hard to tell the difference.

Some places, New York, for instance, they coudn't give a toss either way, they are rude and impatient with everyone. Out in the Midwest, or even in the depths of new Jersey, as an Englishman you are a curiosity.

In the Caribbean they don't like to be treated as servants. Which is understandabke given the history. Once they realise you don't have any expectations that way they open up and are friendly.

The only places I have been where they don't like/look down on the British are Paris and Belgium. I say Paris since I have been all round France and they were pretty friendly everywhere else.

I hate Paris for the same reason but I lived for a while in Antwerp and in the surrounding area and found lots of great friends which I still visit , in France well in Brittany I found most people very helpful and fun, but Paris you can keep. I also love Madeira and have family/friends there and can't wait to able to go and see them soon. New York no thanks Portland Oregon yes please loved it stay for a year. Huntsville Alabama was also nice stay there for 5 years loved the people I met but the strange thing was my friends where not Yanks .

[Macca]

Go read British imperial history Macca.

I have but I was getting the Boxer rebellion mixed up with the Taiping rebellion. it was during the Taiping rebellion that the Summer Palace was burned.