WHY I LOVE THE ENGLISH
John Lydon
Stanley Spencer
The Welsh language
They rhyme garage with disparage and Farage with mirage
Barbara Castle
The subtle art of self-deprecation
They hired a socialist to produce the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games
John Cooper Clarke
Philip Larkin
Tottenham Hotspur
The New Forest
Roots Manuva
The Wombles
The inexorable excising of racism and homophobia simply on the grounds of decency
The Beatles
I’ll say it again: The Beatles
Tommy Cooper
Basil Brush
The Royal Shakespeare Company
Charles Darwin
Crass
The Poll Tax Riots
Eric Hobsbawm
Jane Austen
The Streets
Billy Connolly
Alfred Hitchcock
Elgar
Rachel Whiteread
Postcard Records
The absence of the death penalty
Bittersweet Symphony
TV Go Home
Graham Linehan
The NME
Rat Scabies
Nick Lowe
Yorkshire
The Independent Empire of London
The implicit understanding that morris dancers are pocket fascists
Geniuses at making fun of the Germans
Anthony Burgess
Arial by Kate Bush
Stuart Lee
Vivian Westwood
Steve McQueen
Eric Morecambe
The Smallpox vaccine
Guy Fawkes Night
The Pogues
The National Theatre
Crick & Watson
Shane Meadows
The Battle of Britain
Bobby Moore
Amy Winehouse
The BBC
The Midlands
The Shipping Forecast
Scotland
James Alexander Gordon is forgotten:-)
What are this things you like about America? Besides cats on a picnic table?
Big hug,
Sharon
and don’t forget our obsession with the weather!
My own list would have Justin at the top because as a kid he did live in Leicestershire for a few years and also despite the fact that this person wasn’t born in England I would include the late great Freddie Mercury.
Plus ..
Peter Bruntnell !
Just found him (Peter) – I like!
What about…
Norman Wisdom ,
The Morris Minor,
Dads Army,
The bacon sandwich ,
Rick Mayall,
The shipping forecast,
Yorkshire puddings,
Stiff records,
what about:
Spike Milligan
David Cameron (only to give him false hope that some fucker likes him)
The NHS
The world wide web courtesy of Mr Tim Berners-Lee from Manchester
the list is endless so lets face it, we are all fucking brilliant.
except for those middle class youths who talk like they grew up in the ghetto “innit”. They, are just twats.
They built an empire through barbaric arrogance, crapped on the world, lost the empire, and but are still able to maintain the pretence of being better than anyone else.
We didn’t lose it, we gave it back so we could sit and laugh at you all as you made a fucking mess of it, and we are still laughing at you. Not to your face though, because that just isn’t cricket.
Oh, add cricket to the list
I love them because they have the developed ear.
They accept both very good music and not very good one so widely.
They have a ear that will never be tired of hearing abusive language.
And they make you witty man!
You’re missing all the great Brians: Blessed, Clough, Cant and Moore. The football commentator one, not the rugby player. Though he’s a decent chap.
RF Delderfield.
The Kinks.
Henman Syndrome. (The art of taking a beating with a wistful smile)
Literature
Holding doors
Michael Palin
The ‘Heroic age of exploration’ by Scott and Shakleton et al.
Independent Coffee Shops n Deli’s
Medical & Scientific research
Playing by the Rules
Street parties
Justin “fucking” Currie
T. H. White
Love Stanley Spencer. Stevie Smith would be on my list not waving but drowning. William Golding and his heart of darkness too. Philip Larkin was too fucked up by his parents to make my list. I’d have to pick Ted Hughes for understanding that there is no sophestry in being hawkish.
Absolutely mcat.
Justin Currie