Interesting poll BBC

[TulliusDetritus]

I don't think that poll is weIrd (if anything, I'm surprised people might want to emigrate to Saudi Arabia: they should pay me big big big money to live there; and chances are I would refuse the offers: even the ones I can't refuse LOL). People would like to go where they think they can have a decent new life.

As for the threats, people simply think: hegemonic powers = major threat. That's all. You can't avoid this equation [8D] Also note China is there on the top. 20 and 30 years ago they would not have made it methinks. But now they are becoming an hegemonic power. Ergo... [;)] I mean, it's just business, nothing personal [:D]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

You Brits can help me with this quote....

After beating England in soccer (football), the PM of West Germany said to Margaret Thatcher, "We just beat you at your national sport."
To which Thatcher replied, "We've beaten you at your national sport twice this century."

warspite1

What was the source of that quote. I would be very surprised if Lady T said that.

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

You Brits can help me with this quote....

After beating England in soccer (football), the PM of West Germany said to Margaret Thatcher, "We just beat you at your national sport."
To which Thatcher replied, "We've beaten you at your national sport twice this century."

warspite1

What was the source of that quote. I would be very surprised if Lady T said that.

Good question. No source. Except this:

"The classic, churlish English rejoinder to such reverses is to recall that Britain (with some help from others) defeated Germany in both the First and Second World Wars. I did some research on the origins of this famous quote which has been attributed to a variety of individuals, including Margaret Thatcher. According to the London Independent, it seems to have been penned by a sports reporter (now deceased) named Frank McGhee who wrote on the eve of the 1966 World Cup final, "If, on the morrow, the Germans beat us at our national game, we'd do well to remember that, twice this century, we have beaten them at theirs." (Incidentally, I could find no evidence for the Thatcher attribution but I'm willing to be corrected.)"

Source

[Orm]

I find that quote rude, inflammatory and political and it should not, in my humble opinion, be posted here even as a joke.


Besides, looking at a list of the wars that Germany has been involved with makes me doubt that fighting wars is a German national sport.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wa ... ng_Germany


I suspect this thread will be locked in a close future.

[gradenko2k]

There's also the one about the old British Airways pilot who was having trouble taxiing to the correct runway at Hamburg International Airport. The irritated ground controller asks him if he's ever been to Hamburg before and he says "yes, but that was decades ago, it was at night, and I did not land"

[vonRocko]

ORIGINAL: Orm



Besides, looking at a list of the wars that Germany has been involved with makes me doubt that fighting wars is a German national sport.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wa ... ng_Germany

18 wars in their 140 years of existence,including the 2 biggest ever, sounds like a "national pastime" to me.[;)]

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: vonRocko

ORIGINAL: Orm



Besides, looking at a list of the wars that Germany has been involved with makes me doubt that fighting wars is a German national sport.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wa ... ng_Germany

18 wars in their 140 years of existence,including the 2 biggest ever, sounds like a "national pastime" to me.[;)]

Do me a favour, do check in how many wars the British Empire and France (you have to take big boys, like Germany) were involved during that same period [;)] You will notice the French and British empires were quite busy fighting colonial so-called rebels [:D] These *skirmishes* alone should give you minimum some dozens of wars [:D]

After all, according to the Wikipedia the Beer Putsch is one of those wars (I knew wikipedia was ridiculous but this I did not expect it [8|]) [:D]

[vonRocko]

Yes,of course, Germany has no monopoly on wars. It is a favored "human pastime".

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: vonRocko

ORIGINAL: Orm



Besides, looking at a list of the wars that Germany has been involved with makes me doubt that fighting wars is a German national sport.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wa ... ng_Germany

18 wars in their 140 years of existence,including the 2 biggest ever, sounds like a "national pastime" to me.[;)]

Some of those wars would by many not be considered wars at all. Two of them involve East Germany. And three of them is because of NATO and US called.

During the same time Great Britain has been in 47. I would say that is a bit more than 18 but I would never say that wars are a national sport to the British! I would find that insulting to say the least so why is it ok so say that of Germany?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wa ... ed_Kingdom

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: vonRocko

Yes,of course, Germany has no monopoly on wars. It is a favored "human pastime".

Yes. Sad is it. But, hopefully, we go towards a brighter future.

[gradenko2k]

More to the point, a list of countries that the United Kingdom has never invaded, in white:

[undercovergeek]

we didnt 'invade' australia and New Zealand - we found them!

[OttoVonBlotto]

we didnt 'invade' australia and New Zealand - we found them!

To the indigenous peoples that were already there they were not lost. [;)]

Maybe not invasions as such but we have fought wars and battles on that soil.
http://www.newzealandwars.co.nz/
http://www.hawkesburyhistory.net.au/art ... negar.html

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: gradenko_2000

More to the point, a list of countries that the United Kingdom has never invaded, in white:

warspite1

What point is that then? BTW do you really believe that picture?

Of those that have been "invaded" and not made up, how many are actual invasions in the true sense? How many are the result of the fact that the UK was at war with those countries or their ruling power - and not necessarily the aggressors? How many invasions were as a result of the French or the Dutch or the Portugese or the Spanish or the Germans etc etc having got there first?

You see one of the problems that UK haters cannot get their tiny minds around is that the UK was not more aggressive or worse than any other imperialist country (quite the reverse in fact) the point was though, the UK was more successful at it*. To name a few, was the UK the first in India? in the USA? in Canada? in South Africa? in large parts of the Caribbean? Who got to South America? to Indonesia? to other parts of Asia? Well if the UK was not there first (or at all) then someone else was being aggressive no? Well yes of course, but let's bury that under the carpet and blame it all on the imperialist British [8|]

* By the standards of today of course, being successful at conquering another's territory is hardly something to write home about...

[JudgeDredd]

mmm...all this dick waving is making me rather nauseous

These boards have gone right down hill the last couple of years and there are a few regular culprits bringing out the hatchets every now and again. Very insular perspective.

And of course the "non political" political thread that ends up in the same sorry state as every other one when you all know you should just stfu and move on because you can't be talking politics here. But no - you can't have anyone person firing a shot across your bow without firing a salvo back. God forbid someone gets more of a say than yourself.

Of course I wait with baited breath at the tirade heading straight in my direction because I dared to mention you lot are acting like a bunch of kids - but continue, please.

I'll hang myself - save you lot the bother

[KG Erwin]

Look, I'll just say this to the OP: if I was a moderator, you would get an immediate two-week ban just for starting a blatantly political post.

C'mon, guys, you really should know better.

[Terl]

I think it has survived only due to Matrix staff being on Holiday break.

You are very right Judge, the board is very tedious lately. I rarely stop by now.

I figure pretty soon some fool will come through and again blame the Illuminati....a very tiresome thing and one I rarely see now thanks to green dot

[bairdlander2]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

Look, I'll just say this to the OP: if I was a moderator, you would get an immediate two-week ban just for starting a blatantly political post.

C'mon, guys, you really should know better.

Whats political?Its funny and ironic that the majority want to immigrate to a country they also feel is the biggest threat to world peace.Nothing political about that.More an interesting take on how modern humans think and make decisions.

[Hotschi]

...a country they also feel is the biggest threat to world peace.

THAT's political, and you know it yourself very well I'd say. With this part of your post you were baiting for comments. It's the usual way how trolls act - throw in a link, add a comment and see what happens.

[bairdlander2]

I would respond to you but I go by the old adage "dont feed the trolls"[:D]