What makes you not proud to be British?
Nov 27th 2011, 10:51 am
#31
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,754
Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
Rayleigh-Durham is a nice place, but too humid in the summer. The surroundings are great and people are friendly, but be prepared for some pretty "old fashioned" values and statements from a sub-section of the white population. I've heard some ugly things at Duke parties after a few drinks. This was 20 years ago, but I still wouldn't ever consider moving to NC.
Nov 27th 2011, 10:53 am
#32
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2004
Location: CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire, England
Posts: 1,494
Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
The blunt truth of the matter with regard to this particular issue, quoted by certain British politicians (and never by any American politicans whatever the circumstances appertaining at any given time) whenever some kind of thorny situation arises involving both the UK and the USA, is that the majority of British people simply do not believe such a thing as a "Special Relationship" exists and probably never really has.
In fact a certain proportion of Britons really do think that the greatest threat to world peace lies over 3k miles away on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, just below the 49th parallel.
Only this past week we have been reading in our UK media about the establishment of US military bases on Australian territory, and gazing north westwards towards the rapidly rising economic and military power that is China.
With regard to the UK's national scaremongerer - the "Daily Mail" - you really don't have to read that paper in order to realise that there really are some pretty graphic examples of daily life here in the UK at the present time that would make any self respecting Briton to NOT feel a great deal of pride in his/her native country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t3zr_UPg8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWP00eDf4Es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3rVXc8Jms
There are currently record high rates of unemployment in the UK among the 18 to 25 age group with most of them living off State funded benefits. Ask any unemployed, single, non attached Briton in this age group why they are not in work or in education or training of any kind, or any on work related training course - in fact, doing sod all with their lives that is of any benefit to themselves and society in general - you will automatically get the same reply - "There are no jobs out there!"" "What - nothing at all - no jobs of any kind anywhere?" "No - nothing!"
Yet at the same time literally thousands of Eastern Europeans in the same age group continue to pour into the UK - there was a lull and then a decline over the last couple of years or so, but now they are coming into the UK in increasing numbers again, as is their automatic right under EU rules - and the funny thing is this - almost all of them find work. True enough they are willing to accept bare minimum rates under the law, and are prepared to do any kind of job they are reasonably able to do, or willing to be trained to do it in a short time- and it the jobs are part time they find another part time job and get a combined, fairly reasonable income.
Here is an example of what is happening here in the UK right now - all over the UK.
Place: Thetford, Norfolk. In that are there are 745 registered unemployed local people in the 18 - 25 age group.
A local employer running an expanding (yes, even at such a time as this) business in specialsed woodcarving. He desperately wants to engage a young apprentice willing to be trained from scratch in that type of work. Thetford, as in most other places in the UK, has a large number of Eastern Europeans currently resident in the area but he wishes to engage a local invididual, ie a British person, understandably considering the high unemployment rate locally.
He placed an ad in the Job Centre Plus office.....of the surprisingly low number of applicants for the job a fair number where Eastern Europeans, which amazed him. Still he whittled the applicants down to about eight or so, based on their application forms - all of them local British lads of the preferred age group for an apprentice. He interviewed them all - not one came anywhere near his preferred expectations except for one - some could barely read or write, truthfully -almost all gave the impression of bring "not really interested in the job", clearly showing no signs of any real work ethic, most were scruffily dressed, and one refused point blank to remove his baseball cap during the interview, claiming that it was his "human right to wear what he liked".
All of those British applicants were on social welfare benefits, but that one lad I mentioned showed some sign of promise so he decided to take him on as an apprentice, and he duly started work the following Monday.
Exactly a week later, on the Monday morning, the lad failed to turn up for work. Thinking the lad may have had some kind of accident, he telephoned the lad's home. His mother answered the phone and said that her son was still in bed (at 9:15am) and "didn't want the job as he didn't like the work". Drop the definite article there and you get the real picture.
So, the employer then resorted to interviewing all those Eastern Europeans who had applied. All turned up for interview as smartly dressed as they could, and in spite of some language difficulties, all of them prsented themsleves really well.
He finally gave the job to a 20 years old Lithuanian lad. That lad is still employed by him, working hard and doing very well, and aims to progress even further, and according to the employer regularly does more than his work contract stipulates.
The lad himself says that he loves the work, loves England - and feels "sorry" for the English people who are too lazy to work and have the wrong attitude.
If you think that all of this is an exception to the norm it most certainly is not - this sort of scenario is being repeated all over the UK. Too many young Brits looking for work and existing on social welfare are simply not interested in a job if it interferes in any way with their social life, and their Friday/Saturday nights out on the lash or the bloody Jerermy Kyle Show on their 26 inch flat screen TVs or their Facebook interaction on their computers.
Of course there really are some truly hardworking, dedicated young Britons in the 18 to 25 age group, but so long as the Government continues with the last Labour Government's legacy of "paying cash to idle loafers knowing that they will vote Labour in return" there will be many who take advantage of the situation.
Anyway, the Coalition Government )more especially the Conservative contingent, as you would expect - the Lib Dems are still a wee bit lily livered) now plans to introduce the Universal one off out of work benefit with much stronger conditions of entitlement attached, and also to make unemployed layabouts actually carry out work progranms in their local communities with severe penalties for those who refuse - something the last Labour Government simply did not have the balls to even think of doing.
In fact a certain proportion of Britons really do think that the greatest threat to world peace lies over 3k miles away on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, just below the 49th parallel.
Only this past week we have been reading in our UK media about the establishment of US military bases on Australian territory, and gazing north westwards towards the rapidly rising economic and military power that is China.
With regard to the UK's national scaremongerer - the "Daily Mail" - you really don't have to read that paper in order to realise that there really are some pretty graphic examples of daily life here in the UK at the present time that would make any self respecting Briton to NOT feel a great deal of pride in his/her native country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t3zr_UPg8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWP00eDf4Es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3rVXc8Jms
There are currently record high rates of unemployment in the UK among the 18 to 25 age group with most of them living off State funded benefits. Ask any unemployed, single, non attached Briton in this age group why they are not in work or in education or training of any kind, or any on work related training course - in fact, doing sod all with their lives that is of any benefit to themselves and society in general - you will automatically get the same reply - "There are no jobs out there!"" "What - nothing at all - no jobs of any kind anywhere?" "No - nothing!"
Yet at the same time literally thousands of Eastern Europeans in the same age group continue to pour into the UK - there was a lull and then a decline over the last couple of years or so, but now they are coming into the UK in increasing numbers again, as is their automatic right under EU rules - and the funny thing is this - almost all of them find work. True enough they are willing to accept bare minimum rates under the law, and are prepared to do any kind of job they are reasonably able to do, or willing to be trained to do it in a short time- and it the jobs are part time they find another part time job and get a combined, fairly reasonable income.
Here is an example of what is happening here in the UK right now - all over the UK.
Place: Thetford, Norfolk. In that are there are 745 registered unemployed local people in the 18 - 25 age group.
A local employer running an expanding (yes, even at such a time as this) business in specialsed woodcarving. He desperately wants to engage a young apprentice willing to be trained from scratch in that type of work. Thetford, as in most other places in the UK, has a large number of Eastern Europeans currently resident in the area but he wishes to engage a local invididual, ie a British person, understandably considering the high unemployment rate locally.
He placed an ad in the Job Centre Plus office.....of the surprisingly low number of applicants for the job a fair number where Eastern Europeans, which amazed him. Still he whittled the applicants down to about eight or so, based on their application forms - all of them local British lads of the preferred age group for an apprentice. He interviewed them all - not one came anywhere near his preferred expectations except for one - some could barely read or write, truthfully -almost all gave the impression of bring "not really interested in the job", clearly showing no signs of any real work ethic, most were scruffily dressed, and one refused point blank to remove his baseball cap during the interview, claiming that it was his "human right to wear what he liked".
All of those British applicants were on social welfare benefits, but that one lad I mentioned showed some sign of promise so he decided to take him on as an apprentice, and he duly started work the following Monday.
Exactly a week later, on the Monday morning, the lad failed to turn up for work. Thinking the lad may have had some kind of accident, he telephoned the lad's home. His mother answered the phone and said that her son was still in bed (at 9:15am) and "didn't want the job as he didn't like the work". Drop the definite article there and you get the real picture.
So, the employer then resorted to interviewing all those Eastern Europeans who had applied. All turned up for interview as smartly dressed as they could, and in spite of some language difficulties, all of them prsented themsleves really well.
He finally gave the job to a 20 years old Lithuanian lad. That lad is still employed by him, working hard and doing very well, and aims to progress even further, and according to the employer regularly does more than his work contract stipulates.
The lad himself says that he loves the work, loves England - and feels "sorry" for the English people who are too lazy to work and have the wrong attitude.
If you think that all of this is an exception to the norm it most certainly is not - this sort of scenario is being repeated all over the UK. Too many young Brits looking for work and existing on social welfare are simply not interested in a job if it interferes in any way with their social life, and their Friday/Saturday nights out on the lash or the bloody Jerermy Kyle Show on their 26 inch flat screen TVs or their Facebook interaction on their computers.
Of course there really are some truly hardworking, dedicated young Britons in the 18 to 25 age group, but so long as the Government continues with the last Labour Government's legacy of "paying cash to idle loafers knowing that they will vote Labour in return" there will be many who take advantage of the situation.
Anyway, the Coalition Government )more especially the Conservative contingent, as you would expect - the Lib Dems are still a wee bit lily livered) now plans to introduce the Universal one off out of work benefit with much stronger conditions of entitlement attached, and also to make unemployed layabouts actually carry out work progranms in their local communities with severe penalties for those who refuse - something the last Labour Government simply did not have the balls to even think of doing.
Last edited by Lothianlad; Nov 27th 2011 at 11:01 am.
Nov 27th 2011, 11:14 am
#33
Too young for BE
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2011
Location: Sunnyvale CA USA
Posts: 295
Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
The blunt truth of the matter with regard to this particular issue, quoted by certain British politicians (and never by any American politicans whatever the circumstances appertaining at any given time) whenever some kind of thorny situation arises involving both the UK and the USA, is that the majority of British people simply do not believe such a thing as a "Special Relationship" exists and probably never really has.
In fact a certain proportion of Britons really do think that the greatest threat to world peace lies over 3k miles away on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, just below the 49th parallel.
Only this past week we have been reading in our UK media about the establishment of US military bases on Australian territory, and gazing north westwards towards the rapidly rising economic and military power that is China.
With regard to the UK's national scaremongerer - the "Daily Mail" - you really don't have to read that paper in order to realise that there really are some pretty graphic examples of daily life here in the UK at the present time that would make any self respecting Briton to NOT feel a great deal of pride in his/her native country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t3zr_UPg8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWP00eDf4Es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3rVXc8Jms
There are currently record high rates of unemployment in the UK among the 18 to 25 age group with most of them living off State funded benefits. Ask any unemployed, single, non attached Briton in this age group why they are not in work or in education or training of any kind, or any on work related training course - in fact, doing sod all with their lives that is of any benefit to themselves and society in general - you will automatically get the same reply - "There are no jobs out there!"" "What - nothing at all - no jobs of any kind anywhere?" "No - nothing!"
Yet at the same time literally thousands of Eastern Europeans in the same age group continue to pour into the UK - there was a lull and then a decline over the last couple of years or so, but now they are coming into the UK in increasing numbers again, as is their automatic right under EU rules - and the funny thing is this - almost all of them find work. True enough they are willing to accept bare minimum rates under the law, and are prepared to do any kind of job they are reasonably able to do, or willing to be trained to do it in a short time- and it the jobs are part time they find another part time job and get a combined, fairly reasonable income.
Here is an example of what is happening here in the UK right now - all over the UK.
Place: Thetford, Norfolk. In that are there are 745 registered unemployed local people in the 18 - 25 age group.
A local employer running an expanding (yes, even at such a time as this) business in specialsed woodcarving. He desperately wants to engage a young apprentice willing to be trained from scratch in that type of work. Thetford, as in most other places in the UK, has a large number of Eastern Europeans currently resident in the area but he wishes to engage a local invididual, ie a British person, understandably considering the high unemployment rate locally.
He placed an ad in the Job Centre Plus office.....of the surprisingly low number of applicants for the job a fair number where Eastern Europeans, which amazed him. Still he whittled the applicants down to about eight or so, based on their application forms - all of them local British lads of the preferred age group for an apprentice. He interviewed them all - not one came anywhere near his preferred expectations except for one - some could barely read or write, truthfully -almost all gave the impression of bring "not really interested in the job", clearly showing no signs of any real work ethic, most were scruffily dressed, and one refused point blank to remove his baseball cap during the interview, claiming that it was his "human right to wear what he liked".
All of those British applicants were on social welfare benefits, but that one lad I mentioned showed some sign of promise so he decided to take him on as an apprentice, and he duly started work the following Monday.
Exactly a week later, on the Monday morning, the lad failed to turn up for work. Thinking the lad may have had some kind of accident, he telephoned the lad's home. His mother answered the phone and said that her son was still in bed (at 9:15am) and "didn't want the job as he didn't like the work". Drop the definite article there and you get the real picture.
So, the employer then resorted to interviewing all those Eastern Europeans who had applied. All turned up for interview as smartly dressed as they could, and in spite of some language difficulties, all of them prsented themsleves really well.
He finally gave the job to a 20 years old Lithuanian lad. That lad is still employed by him, working hard and doing very well, and aims to progress even further, and according to the employer regularly does more than his work contract stipulates.
The lad himself says that he loves the work, loves England - and feels "sorry" for the English people who are too lazy to work and have the wrong attitude.
If you think that all of this is an exception to the norm it most certainly is not - this sort of scenario is being repeated all over the UK. Too many young Brits looking for work and existing on social welfare are simply not interested in a job if it interferes in any way with their social life, and their Friday/Saturday nights out on the lash or the bloody Jerermy Kyle Show on their 26 inch flat screen TVs or their Facebook interaction on their computers.
Of course there really are some truly hardworking, dedicated young Britons in the 18 to 25 age group, but so long as the Government continues with the last Labour Government's legacy of "paying cash to idle loafers knowing that they will vote Labour in return" there will be many who take advantage of the situation.
Anyway, the Coalition Government )more especially the Conservative contingent, as you would expect - the Lib Dems are still a wee bit lily livered) now plans to introduce the Universal one off out of work benefit with much stronger conditions of entitlement attached, and also to make unemployed layabouts actually carry out work progranms in their local communities with severe penalties for those who refuse - something the last Labour Government simply did not have the balls to even think of doing.
In fact a certain proportion of Britons really do think that the greatest threat to world peace lies over 3k miles away on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, just below the 49th parallel.
Only this past week we have been reading in our UK media about the establishment of US military bases on Australian territory, and gazing north westwards towards the rapidly rising economic and military power that is China.
With regard to the UK's national scaremongerer - the "Daily Mail" - you really don't have to read that paper in order to realise that there really are some pretty graphic examples of daily life here in the UK at the present time that would make any self respecting Briton to NOT feel a great deal of pride in his/her native country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t3zr_UPg8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWP00eDf4Es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3rVXc8Jms
There are currently record high rates of unemployment in the UK among the 18 to 25 age group with most of them living off State funded benefits. Ask any unemployed, single, non attached Briton in this age group why they are not in work or in education or training of any kind, or any on work related training course - in fact, doing sod all with their lives that is of any benefit to themselves and society in general - you will automatically get the same reply - "There are no jobs out there!"" "What - nothing at all - no jobs of any kind anywhere?" "No - nothing!"
Yet at the same time literally thousands of Eastern Europeans in the same age group continue to pour into the UK - there was a lull and then a decline over the last couple of years or so, but now they are coming into the UK in increasing numbers again, as is their automatic right under EU rules - and the funny thing is this - almost all of them find work. True enough they are willing to accept bare minimum rates under the law, and are prepared to do any kind of job they are reasonably able to do, or willing to be trained to do it in a short time- and it the jobs are part time they find another part time job and get a combined, fairly reasonable income.
Here is an example of what is happening here in the UK right now - all over the UK.
Place: Thetford, Norfolk. In that are there are 745 registered unemployed local people in the 18 - 25 age group.
A local employer running an expanding (yes, even at such a time as this) business in specialsed woodcarving. He desperately wants to engage a young apprentice willing to be trained from scratch in that type of work. Thetford, as in most other places in the UK, has a large number of Eastern Europeans currently resident in the area but he wishes to engage a local invididual, ie a British person, understandably considering the high unemployment rate locally.
He placed an ad in the Job Centre Plus office.....of the surprisingly low number of applicants for the job a fair number where Eastern Europeans, which amazed him. Still he whittled the applicants down to about eight or so, based on their application forms - all of them local British lads of the preferred age group for an apprentice. He interviewed them all - not one came anywhere near his preferred expectations except for one - some could barely read or write, truthfully -almost all gave the impression of bring "not really interested in the job", clearly showing no signs of any real work ethic, most were scruffily dressed, and one refused point blank to remove his baseball cap during the interview, claiming that it was his "human right to wear what he liked".
All of those British applicants were on social welfare benefits, but that one lad I mentioned showed some sign of promise so he decided to take him on as an apprentice, and he duly started work the following Monday.
Exactly a week later, on the Monday morning, the lad failed to turn up for work. Thinking the lad may have had some kind of accident, he telephoned the lad's home. His mother answered the phone and said that her son was still in bed (at 9:15am) and "didn't want the job as he didn't like the work". Drop the definite article there and you get the real picture.
So, the employer then resorted to interviewing all those Eastern Europeans who had applied. All turned up for interview as smartly dressed as they could, and in spite of some language difficulties, all of them prsented themsleves really well.
He finally gave the job to a 20 years old Lithuanian lad. That lad is still employed by him, working hard and doing very well, and aims to progress even further, and according to the employer regularly does more than his work contract stipulates.
The lad himself says that he loves the work, loves England - and feels "sorry" for the English people who are too lazy to work and have the wrong attitude.
If you think that all of this is an exception to the norm it most certainly is not - this sort of scenario is being repeated all over the UK. Too many young Brits looking for work and existing on social welfare are simply not interested in a job if it interferes in any way with their social life, and their Friday/Saturday nights out on the lash or the bloody Jerermy Kyle Show on their 26 inch flat screen TVs or their Facebook interaction on their computers.
Of course there really are some truly hardworking, dedicated young Britons in the 18 to 25 age group, but so long as the Government continues with the last Labour Government's legacy of "paying cash to idle loafers knowing that they will vote Labour in return" there will be many who take advantage of the situation.
Anyway, the Coalition Government )more especially the Conservative contingent, as you would expect - the Lib Dems are still a wee bit lily livered) now plans to introduce the Universal one off out of work benefit with much stronger conditions of entitlement attached, and also to make unemployed layabouts actually carry out work progranms in their local communities with severe penalties for those who refuse - something the last Labour Government simply did not have the balls to even think of doing.
I think that the Special Relationship is BS. I mean the US could nuke the UK and wipe it off the face of the earth tomorrow if it ever want it to.. It will not but it can.
But the US does value hard work so much more than the UK. Which I like but the UK is not as bad as you make it out to be. If you live in the US I can show you all shots of things that happen in the US on any giving day. The US is going down the dump if you ask alot of Americans but nothing is as bad as it seems.
Nov 27th 2011, 11:28 am
#34
Too young for BE
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2011
Location: Sunnyvale CA USA
Posts: 295
Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
Oh I also do not like all the Lazy people who do not work because they can get money for LIFE from the government. Like my oldest brother. This is not the majority of the British people but quite a few people are like this. Well more people in the UK than in the US anyway.
Nov 27th 2011, 12:06 pm
#35
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 76
Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
The blunt truth of the matter with regard to this particular issue, quoted by certain British politicians (and never by any American politicans whatever the circumstances appertaining at any given time) whenever some kind of thorny situation arises involving both the UK and the USA, is that the majority of British people simply do not believe such a thing as a "Special Relationship" exists and probably never really has.
In fact a certain proportion of Britons really do think that the greatest threat to world peace lies over 3k miles away on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, just below the 49th parallel.
Only this past week we have been reading in our UK media about the establishment of US military bases on Australian territory, and gazing north westwards towards the rapidly rising economic and military power that is China.
With regard to the UK's national scaremongerer - the "Daily Mail" - you really don't have to read that paper in order to realise that there really are some pretty graphic examples of daily life here in the UK at the present time that would make any self respecting Briton to NOT feel a great deal of pride in his/her native country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t3zr_UPg8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWP00eDf4Es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3rVXc8Jms
There are currently record high rates of unemployment in the UK among the 18 to 25 age group with most of them living off State funded benefits. Ask any unemployed, single, non attached Briton in this age group why they are not in work or in education or training of any kind, or any on work related training course - in fact, doing sod all with their lives that is of any benefit to themselves and society in general - you will automatically get the same reply - "There are no jobs out there!"" "What - nothing at all - no jobs of any kind anywhere?" "No - nothing!"
Yet at the same time literally thousands of Eastern Europeans in the same age group continue to pour into the UK - there was a lull and then a decline over the last couple of years or so, but now they are coming into the UK in increasing numbers again, as is their automatic right under EU rules - and the funny thing is this - almost all of them find work. True enough they are willing to accept bare minimum rates under the law, and are prepared to do any kind of job they are reasonably able to do, or willing to be trained to do it in a short time- and it the jobs are part time they find another part time job and get a combined, fairly reasonable income.
Here is an example of what is happening here in the UK right now - all over the UK.
Place: Thetford, Norfolk. In that are there are 745 registered unemployed local people in the 18 - 25 age group.
A local employer running an expanding (yes, even at such a time as this) business in specialsed woodcarving. He desperately wants to engage a young apprentice willing to be trained from scratch in that type of work. Thetford, as in most other places in the UK, has a large number of Eastern Europeans currently resident in the area but he wishes to engage a local invididual, ie a British person, understandably considering the high unemployment rate locally.
He placed an ad in the Job Centre Plus office.....of the surprisingly low number of applicants for the job a fair number where Eastern Europeans, which amazed him. Still he whittled the applicants down to about eight or so, based on their application forms - all of them local British lads of the preferred age group for an apprentice. He interviewed them all - not one came anywhere near his preferred expectations except for one - some could barely read or write, truthfully -almost all gave the impression of bring "not really interested in the job", clearly showing no signs of any real work ethic, most were scruffily dressed, and one refused point blank to remove his baseball cap during the interview, claiming that it was his "human right to wear what he liked".
All of those British applicants were on social welfare benefits, but that one lad I mentioned showed some sign of promise so he decided to take him on as an apprentice, and he duly started work the following Monday.
Exactly a week later, on the Monday morning, the lad failed to turn up for work. Thinking the lad may have had some kind of accident, he telephoned the lad's home. His mother answered the phone and said that her son was still in bed (at 9:15am) and "didn't want the job as he didn't like the work". Drop the definite article there and you get the real picture.
So, the employer then resorted to interviewing all those Eastern Europeans who had applied. All turned up for interview as smartly dressed as they could, and in spite of some language difficulties, all of them prsented themsleves really well.
He finally gave the job to a 20 years old Lithuanian lad. That lad is still employed by him, working hard and doing very well, and aims to progress even further, and according to the employer regularly does more than his work contract stipulates.
The lad himself says that he loves the work, loves England - and feels "sorry" for the English people who are too lazy to work and have the wrong attitude.
If you think that all of this is an exception to the norm it most certainly is not - this sort of scenario is being repeated all over the UK. Too many young Brits looking for work and existing on social welfare are simply not interested in a job if it interferes in any way with their social life, and their Friday/Saturday nights out on the lash or the bloody Jerermy Kyle Show on their 26 inch flat screen TVs or their Facebook interaction on their computers.
Of course there really are some truly hardworking, dedicated young Britons in the 18 to 25 age group, but so long as the Government continues with the last Labour Government's legacy of "paying cash to idle loafers knowing that they will vote Labour in return" there will be many who take advantage of the situation.
Anyway, the Coalition Government )more especially the Conservative contingent, as you would expect - the Lib Dems are still a wee bit lily livered) now plans to introduce the Universal one off out of work benefit with much stronger conditions of entitlement attached, and also to make unemployed layabouts actually carry out work progranms in their local communities with severe penalties for those who refuse - something the last Labour Government simply did not have the balls to even think of doing.
In fact a certain proportion of Britons really do think that the greatest threat to world peace lies over 3k miles away on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, just below the 49th parallel.
Only this past week we have been reading in our UK media about the establishment of US military bases on Australian territory, and gazing north westwards towards the rapidly rising economic and military power that is China.
With regard to the UK's national scaremongerer - the "Daily Mail" - you really don't have to read that paper in order to realise that there really are some pretty graphic examples of daily life here in the UK at the present time that would make any self respecting Briton to NOT feel a great deal of pride in his/her native country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t3zr_UPg8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWP00eDf4Es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3rVXc8Jms
There are currently record high rates of unemployment in the UK among the 18 to 25 age group with most of them living off State funded benefits. Ask any unemployed, single, non attached Briton in this age group why they are not in work or in education or training of any kind, or any on work related training course - in fact, doing sod all with their lives that is of any benefit to themselves and society in general - you will automatically get the same reply - "There are no jobs out there!"" "What - nothing at all - no jobs of any kind anywhere?" "No - nothing!"
Yet at the same time literally thousands of Eastern Europeans in the same age group continue to pour into the UK - there was a lull and then a decline over the last couple of years or so, but now they are coming into the UK in increasing numbers again, as is their automatic right under EU rules - and the funny thing is this - almost all of them find work. True enough they are willing to accept bare minimum rates under the law, and are prepared to do any kind of job they are reasonably able to do, or willing to be trained to do it in a short time- and it the jobs are part time they find another part time job and get a combined, fairly reasonable income.
Here is an example of what is happening here in the UK right now - all over the UK.
Place: Thetford, Norfolk. In that are there are 745 registered unemployed local people in the 18 - 25 age group.
A local employer running an expanding (yes, even at such a time as this) business in specialsed woodcarving. He desperately wants to engage a young apprentice willing to be trained from scratch in that type of work. Thetford, as in most other places in the UK, has a large number of Eastern Europeans currently resident in the area but he wishes to engage a local invididual, ie a British person, understandably considering the high unemployment rate locally.
He placed an ad in the Job Centre Plus office.....of the surprisingly low number of applicants for the job a fair number where Eastern Europeans, which amazed him. Still he whittled the applicants down to about eight or so, based on their application forms - all of them local British lads of the preferred age group for an apprentice. He interviewed them all - not one came anywhere near his preferred expectations except for one - some could barely read or write, truthfully -almost all gave the impression of bring "not really interested in the job", clearly showing no signs of any real work ethic, most were scruffily dressed, and one refused point blank to remove his baseball cap during the interview, claiming that it was his "human right to wear what he liked".
All of those British applicants were on social welfare benefits, but that one lad I mentioned showed some sign of promise so he decided to take him on as an apprentice, and he duly started work the following Monday.
Exactly a week later, on the Monday morning, the lad failed to turn up for work. Thinking the lad may have had some kind of accident, he telephoned the lad's home. His mother answered the phone and said that her son was still in bed (at 9:15am) and "didn't want the job as he didn't like the work". Drop the definite article there and you get the real picture.
So, the employer then resorted to interviewing all those Eastern Europeans who had applied. All turned up for interview as smartly dressed as they could, and in spite of some language difficulties, all of them prsented themsleves really well.
He finally gave the job to a 20 years old Lithuanian lad. That lad is still employed by him, working hard and doing very well, and aims to progress even further, and according to the employer regularly does more than his work contract stipulates.
The lad himself says that he loves the work, loves England - and feels "sorry" for the English people who are too lazy to work and have the wrong attitude.
If you think that all of this is an exception to the norm it most certainly is not - this sort of scenario is being repeated all over the UK. Too many young Brits looking for work and existing on social welfare are simply not interested in a job if it interferes in any way with their social life, and their Friday/Saturday nights out on the lash or the bloody Jerermy Kyle Show on their 26 inch flat screen TVs or their Facebook interaction on their computers.
Of course there really are some truly hardworking, dedicated young Britons in the 18 to 25 age group, but so long as the Government continues with the last Labour Government's legacy of "paying cash to idle loafers knowing that they will vote Labour in return" there will be many who take advantage of the situation.
Anyway, the Coalition Government )more especially the Conservative contingent, as you would expect - the Lib Dems are still a wee bit lily livered) now plans to introduce the Universal one off out of work benefit with much stronger conditions of entitlement attached, and also to make unemployed layabouts actually carry out work progranms in their local communities with severe penalties for those who refuse - something the last Labour Government simply did not have the balls to even think of doing.
Nov 27th 2011, 12:24 pm
#36
Too young for BE
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
I agree with everything you are saying because there are wayyyyyyyy to many lazy ass brits who need a good kick up the backside. There is no excuse for a 21 or 22 year old very well able person to be living on benefits and not working but then again where is the REAL incentive for young people in Britain to get the jobs they want. I myself, i've spent 3 years at university, I have a considerable amount of experience in my field and beyond. I have worked in Japan and the USA and i'm constantly dedicated to doing hard work and I have never ever claimed benefits , not 1 penny in my life. I'm 25 and quite frankly sick of the way things are in Britain. nobody owes me a job but I deserve a chance. I can get jobs, low paid jobs despite my education and experience and even if I take the £7 an hr call centre job I have no motivation because I know i'm worth more than that. The jobs that I know I am MORE than qualified for I don't get a look in because I didn't attend an elite university. Where am I supposed to start in life with a good paying job and getting on the property ladder ? Employers here just don't seem to believe in you unless it's all written on paper despite your attributes and skills and a good attitude. It's extremely insulting as a educated and skilled graduate to be in this position. I used to be in Japan making £30k a year with no degree and i'm back in the UK and can't even make 15k ... Something is deeply wrong. The UK in general doesn't even pay well. You just can't tell people to 'get a job' and make £6 an hour when he/she can get paid more on benefits (which i'm not supporting). The situation here in England is dire and i'm not going to waste anymore time here struggling just to get the basics hence why i'm moving. I was offered a interview for a position in Raleigh earlier this year making $850 a week at a hospital in the admin department but I could not take the position as I had other things going on here in the UK which I needed to tie over before I go. I was really hurt I couldne't go for the interview but it makes me feel happy going back over knowing the potential prospects.
OK I am getting of my butt and getting a job soon. I hope that I can find anything.
However they are a small number of people who can not work because of a disability or injury but This is a very small number of people. This is because most people with disabilities and people with injuries can work and do work.
Nov 27th 2011, 2:01 pm
#37
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
Oh I also do not like all the Lazy people who do not work because they can get money for LIFE from the government. Like my oldest brother. This is not the majority of the British people but quite a few people are like this. Well more people in the UK than in the US anyway.
Nov 27th 2011, 2:08 pm
#38
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
This is all just more blaming a group. Find a minority and make them a scapegoat. Ill add another thing I don't like about the UK; the way people stigmatize the young. Kids should be in school, so why do we discourage this or make it impossible by charging fees. Kids should have jobs, but I don't see many work experience or jobs being created. With growth stagnant and capital tied up in the pockets of corporations we'll loose a generation of the young through no fault of their own.
Nov 27th 2011, 2:23 pm
#39
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
That's still pretty poor pay!
You make a good point. The fall in real wages brought about by unfettered capitalism is killing the consumption engine that has propped the system up since WWII. If people aren't valued and paid a livable wage they will opt out of the system.
You make a good point. The fall in real wages brought about by unfettered capitalism is killing the consumption engine that has propped the system up since WWII. If people aren't valued and paid a livable wage they will opt out of the system.
Nov 27th 2011, 2:26 pm
#40
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
Well if you replace my older brother with banker you will get the same thing.
This is sad but true but not only in the UK but in the US as well.
There are many lazy young people but they are many more young people who want a job but can not get one because there are not the jobs out there for them to get. And if you are young and disabled than it is even worst because employers do not think that people with disabilities can not do the job. People with disabilities can do most jobs. Sometimes better than people who are not disabled. Yes people should get a job but if only there were jobs out there to get. I hope that more people can go to school and can get a job but I fear that it will be many years before the job market gets better in The UK or the US for that matter.
This is all just more blaming a group. Find a minority and make them a scapegoat. Ill add another thing I don't like about the UK; the way people stigmatize the young. Kids should be in school, so why do we discourage this or make it impossible by charging fees. Kids should have jobs, but I don't see many work experience or jobs being created. With growth stagnant and capital tied up in the pockets of corporations we'll loose a generation of the young through no fault of their own.
There are many lazy young people but they are many more young people who want a job but can not get one because there are not the jobs out there for them to get. And if you are young and disabled than it is even worst because employers do not think that people with disabilities can not do the job. People with disabilities can do most jobs. Sometimes better than people who are not disabled. Yes people should get a job but if only there were jobs out there to get. I hope that more people can go to school and can get a job but I fear that it will be many years before the job market gets better in The UK or the US for that matter.
Nov 27th 2011, 2:31 pm
#41
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
Nov 27th 2011, 2:40 pm
#42
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
An interesting discussion. I left the UK for the US after graduating from university, because I saw a path forward in a state I'd never been to that while fairly fuzzy, was still far clearer than any path I could see in the UK.
Last edited by AdobePinon; Nov 27th 2011 at 4:29 pm.
Nov 27th 2011, 3:12 pm
#43
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
Not sure it makes me "Not proud to be British", but it does seen sometimes like we really don't know how good we've got it. I swear after speaking to some Brits, that they seem to think it's the worst place in the world to live. It's this strange kind of self loathing we seem to possess.
Nov 27th 2011, 4:12 pm
#44
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
Not sure it makes me "Not proud to be British", but it does seen sometimes like we really don't know how good we've got it. I swear after speaking to some Brits, that they seem to think it's the worst place in the world to live. It's this strange kind of self loathing we seem to possess.
Both nations are great in they own unique way but both countries have a lot of problems. However one nation is not always necessarily better then another.
Nov 27th 2011, 4:45 pm
#45
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Re: What makes you not proud to be British?
I know there is massive earning potential in the US but for a graduate to get that type of salary in the UK is rare these days. For a single person in Raleigh, it's a relatively good salary also considering that in the US the pay tends to climb over a short period (well prior to the recession anyway lol).
