Great Britain?

[melthebell]

Stop being so defeatist. Aren't you proud of our country?

its not about being defeatist, its about looking at the world around us, are we still a major player? our manufacturings slid, our economies slipping, lets face it we arent a nation we once were, do you really think our successive failing governments could really make us great again?

on the other hand countries like india and china are on the up

[tinfoilhat]

its not about being defeatist, its about looking at the world around us, are we still a major player? our manufacturings slid, our economies slipping, lets face it we arent a nation we once were, do you really think our successive failing governments could really make us great again?

on the other hand countries like india and china are on the up

 

Yeah, let's shoot for the stars and aim for India.

 

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/16/10424930-indias-hunger-shame-3000-children-die-every-day-despite-economic-growth?lite

 

---------- Post added 07-08-2013 at 22:50 ----------

 

For me the main thing that we have to do to put the Great back into Britain is to stop looking backwards, we need to start looking forwards to the future.

 

I'd agree with that, we seem to be in two camps in this country - we either think the world owes us a living livingbecause of past glories or everyone does stuff better, let's copy them (or get a foreigner to do it) . We're short on national pride maybe?

[Marx]

Our greatness is past. We are part of Europe now.

[buck]

I don't doubt that but the tag 'great' did not come about because of it, or at least, there is no evidence to prove it conclusively.

It may have come from the French in order to define which Bretagne they were talking about, the one in France we know as Brittany, or the bigger one across the sleeve namely Grande Bretagne. Grande means big in France as well as great.

[andygardener]

I'd agree with that, we seem to be in two camps in this country - we either think the world owes us a living living because of past glories or everyone does stuff better, let's copy them (or get a foreigner to do it) . We're short on national pride maybe?

 

Best answer yet.

 

Lose the grauniad reading sniveling colonial guilt, aren't third worlders with massive overpopulation problems so much on the rise rubbish.

 

Lose the once we had an empire so we are just the mutts nutts Colonel Crustington.

 

We are a hugely productive nation vs our size. Lose our "international commitments" other than to genuinely friendly countries and we save a bunch of money. If we invest hard earned British money in any country that is not directly giving us something in return then it has to be on the basis of strategic partnership where we have more to gain from it than them. Encourage as we are massive infrastructure investments in this country from oil rich arabs, which we can nationalise when their oil runs out. Innovate, especially in cyber security and espionage, whenever a chinese actually invents something steal it and mass produce it here first, ditto any emerging economy. Stop playing with a straight bat and work in the world as we find it. Leave the EU, they are worthless. Fight dirty and win.

[buck]

We never lost our greatness, we spent blood and treasure fighting dictators throughout the 20th century, at first alone, then joined by the US when they realised that if we failed they were next. They then stabbed us in the back causing us to lose the empire. Ours was the greatest empire in the history of the world. Built on justice, fairness and democracy.

 

Even after we gave up the Empire there are still 15/16 countries whoo recognise the Queen as head of state. The Yanks drool over our royal family.

 

We are a small country now, but we are still a great one, be proud.

It is people like you who are destroying a great nation, not America. But following the war, many of the countries of the Empire saw that we had been unable to defend them as we ought. Malaya, Hong Kong, Burma, Singapore all fell to the Japanese, not because we lacked the courage, but because we lacked the materials and men in place to stop them. In other words we were not the power that Victoria inherited. America stood there as the first to break the mould in 1776, so why not them. The white countries of the Commonwealth stayed the course and still do to some extent, but even there there are questions. Australia joined in the Vietnam war because they said they could no longer rely on the RN to protect their border, knowing that the USN could. A Nation is only as good as its people, and our people have gone out everywhere in the world, and been welcomed there. Did these nations steal the very best. It sometimes looks like it. But I look at the youngsters and only a very few are chavs. Its up to the parents, guardians and teachers to reinstall the belief in a great and beautiful land. not the naysayers who blame another great country. A country that would never be "next"

[Rupert_Baehr]

... The Yanks drool over our royal family.

 

....

 

Sometimes they even suck their toes.

[Anna B]

Get out of Europe. We're not Europeams and never have been. They don't even like us. We've grown flabby and been crushed by rules and bureuocracy.

 

Actually, we're really a nation of independent spirits and rebels, very creative and maverick given half a chance, and with a strong national identity.

 

We also need decent, inspirational leadership that we can respect, not the old boy network of mediochrity and jobs for the boys.

[tinfoilhat]

Get out of Europe. We're not Europeams and never have been. They don't even like us. We've grown flabby and been crushed by rules and bureuocracy.

 

Actually, we're really a nation of independent spirits and rebels, very creative and maverick given half a chance, and with a strong national identity.

 

We also need decent, inspirational leadership that we can respect, not the old boy network of mediochrity and jobs for the boys.

 

I agree with the middle paragraph, and its in the creative industries we still punch well above our weight.

[Rupert_Baehr]

Get out of Europe. We're not Europeams and never have been. They don't even like us. We've grown flabby and been crushed by rules and bureuocracy.

 

By all means get out of Europe!

 

They are, however, your biggest customers. If you get out, I'm sure somebody else will be more than willing to supply them with the goods they used to buy from you - and you'll have lots of stuff to sell in your new markets ... You do intend to set up new markets before you leave, don't you?

 

Actually, we're really a nation of independent spirits and rebels, very creative and maverick given half a chance, and with a strong national identity.

 

Great! - So when will we see British Designer handbag companies flogging their goods on the cheap to Brits? ... and more to the point, when will we see Brits buying locally-produced goods (irrespective of the price or quality?)

 

We also need decent, inspirational leadership that we can respect, not the old boy network of mediochrity and jobs for the boys.

 

Surely, if you are "...a nation of independent spirits and rebels, very creative and maverick..." you don't need somebody to tell you what to do, do you?