BTilke

The F&I war is still part of PA education, fortunately it's not taught in the ridiculously simplistic and skewed manner that JRH prefers. (He apparently knows nothing about the collateral damage British treatment of the Indians caused to the Brownhearts.)

stfc

Ah, my secret is out.
"Macclesfield Town against Rochdale on a wet Tuesday night in February - that's a proper football match," it enthuses.
For Macclesfield you may substitute Swindon.
willit - I have to disagree slightly. Our enemies have never been either Germany or Russia, except temporarily for a few years. The real enemy has always been 20 miles away across that priceless stretch of water. Why do you think that all the Eurostar staff are French?

Slightly off-topic perhaps, I remember listening to a US family on a bus tour of Toronto asking each other when Canada won her war of independence against the British. I am normally a quiet retiring type but they knew better fairly soon after. Although I had to show them a picture of the Queen on a $20 bill before they really believed me. I gave up though when they decided that the large lake they were looking at was Lake Erie. In the province of Ontario.

willit

Swindon Town were the first football team I ever saw win a game. As I was at Fratton Park at the time, they have always remained an object of mild dislike.

My extended family were horrified at the thought of the Channel tunnel, firmly believing that the day after the hole was complete, there would be several French Armoured divisions on the way through it. I suppose several hundred years of Royal Navy tradition does that to people.

bilboburgler

There was a splendid tv series called Yes Minster which at a point of high international tension pointed out that the civil service had the same enemy of the last 300 years, the French

stfc

Spot on, bilbo. There was more truth in that series than anyone gave credit for at the time. The 'eurosausage' was one I recollect.

You saw Swindon Town win? Treasure the moment.

Cholmondley_Warner

Swindon Town - the last playing club of England's greatest ever footballer - St Glenn.

I like Klinnsman. Do I need therapy? What about Ginola?

stfc

CW, Glenn indeed, although I'm not sure that Klinnsman or Ginola ever graced the hallowed turf of the County Ground except to banish STFC from the Premiership.

As this is about irritating Englishmen it is worth pointing out to the assembled world that next season is the 40th anniversary of Swindon Town's League Cup victory over Arsenal at Wembley, from which they went on to thrash AS Roma and Juventus 4-0 each to win the Anglo-Italian Cup. That might not happen today.

Cholmondley_Warner

All I need to know about Swindon:

http://www.mehstg.com/swindon.htm

Neil_Oz

"I know some very irritating Scots, Welsh and Irish."

I've known a few irritating Jocks and Micks, but the Taffies take some beating. The buggers have contributed little but noisy male choirs, although I've always been a sucker for Under Milkwood.

As the descendant of an irascible Welsh bosun's mate who landed at Sydney Cove in 1799 I say this more in sorrow than in anger.

mjsilver

Some years ago we saw a sort of miniature son et lumiere of the siege of Orleans (a model of the medieval city, with a tiny Joan of Arc, etc., and pretty lights). In the taped commentary, the English were referred to as 'our historic enemies'.

alanRow

<<< Incidentally, why does the guide refer to England only and not the British Isles? >>>

At a guess it's because the book is "The Rough Guide to England" as opposed to the "Rough Guide to Scotland", "Rough Guide to Wales" or "Rough Guide to Ireland"

stfc

I see a competition for the smallest Rough Guide in the world coming up.

stfc

The Rough Guide to Fine Dining in McDonald's for example.

PatrickLondon

<<< Incidentally, why does the guide refer to England only and not the British Isles? >>>

Because they know better than to publish a guide book about "irritating" people from other parts of our archipelago.

Cyberia

Is there any country that cannot be taken to pieces by critics? Britain is full of tourists all year around so despite it's obvious faults, it can't be that bad.

PalenQ

Brits to me seem to be often criticizing themselves, more than other cultures it seems - or really laughing at their piccadillos - FodorBrits are more than proof of this

whether this is an inferiority complex or not is hard to tell or is it just that Britain does SUCK?

Hard to tell.

flanneruk

"inferiority complex or the place sucks?"

Neither. And it's an English trait - not a British one.

We just have high standards, notice when they're not being lived up to and aren't held back by this ridiculous "my country's perfect" and scepticism's unpatriotic" brainwashing lesser nations get drummed into them at school.

Or by the "it's all the fault of the English" cult of victimisation the minor provinces of the British Isles use an an excuse for their endless inadequacies.

sheila

I would just like to point out, from my position of moral, cultural and historical supremacy, that the English are, indeed, irritating.

twoflower

The book illustrates something we already knew the Poms do like no others: they're not afraid to take the p... out of themselves. Hence (as someone questioned) "English writers for the English book".

RM67

'' it is worth pointing out to the assembled world that next season is the 40th anniversary of Swindon Town's League Cup victory over Arsenal at Wembley, from which they went on to thrash AS Roma and Juventus 4-0 each to win the Anglo-Italian Cup. That might not happen today.''

Anything that happened in black and white doesn't count.