Re: how old is the UK?
 

Are you deliberately ignoring Greece? And how about Japan and possibly Thailand? Just thinking aloud...

Re: how old is the UK?
 

You'll all be riding camels again soon if you don't start learning from your mistakes. How many times do we have to tell you not to drive with you child on your lap, or with your hazard lights on in the rain, Emirates ID problems, as far as I can see you haven't learnt from that cock up either. I could be hear all day, but then again I will hold my hands up, the UK is just as bad on other subjects, so it seems that it's not a local thing.

I think it's a human thing, global in fact. Every Country has made mistakes and are not learning from them. Some have learnt on some mistakes, some haven't others have made totally different mistakes and continue to do so.

We could judge the UAE on a particular subject, but they could judge us on something else.

For example, I mentioned some UAE things above, but something the UK could learn from the UAE is to look after their own nationals better, give us higher pay rises cos we are UK Locals, give us the phat of our land like the locals enjoy from the oil money.

Just a thought.....


PS: According to tradition, San Marino is known as the world's oldest republic. The tiny republic was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marino (or Saint Marinus) on September 3, in the year 301 C.E.

Re: how old is the UK?
 

No, I fully appreciate your original post.

Regardless of the "formation" of the UK as a political entity, you cannot base that as a starting point. Our history has evolved rather than having a fixed point in time. For example, we still use a fair part of Roman law as a basis in our judicial system.

Its easier for the UAE to plot their evolution, there was pretty much non until the discovery of oil.
Before then, there were just Bedu, pearl divers and nomads which was unchanged for thousands of years.
Needless to say, if it were not for the discovery of oil, the UAE would still be a third world country and life would be pretty much unchanged

Re: how old is the UK?
 

Have you never been to Saudi?

Re: how old is the UK?
 

.I think you will find the treaty of union is around 300 years

Re: how old is the UK?
 

I cant elaborate right now as Im at work.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...0401107_2.html

Some may not take this article seriously since it published in an american paper which may or may not be accused as being "liberal biased".

Re: how old is the UK?
 

Agreed, but the OP question was about evolution of the country, it's policies and culture.

This did not start 300 years ago.

Re: how old is the UK?
 

[QUOTE=Jammy_Dodgers;7336545]They say Skara Brae was occupied from 3100 to 2500 BC, so over 5000 years ago :).

However most historians put the earliest signs of human life on the island at 500,000 to 700,000 years ago.

Re: how old is the UK?
 

nor did their views on woman etc, the main difference is that this is an Islamic Country and whilst it is trying to imitate the West it is being run as an Islamic State, the two don't mix whichever way you look at it.

Re: how old is the UK?
 

yeah, for example, apparently the first mention of individuals having the right to not be unlawfully detained was in the 12th century in England... the Habeas Corpus itself being written in 1679 - 110 years before the Declaration of Human Rights.

Re: how old is the UK?
 

Yes...agreed...but I was simply answering the question posed in the thread title. :)

Re: how old is the UK?
 

[QUOTE=Charismatic;7336662]yup earliest hominid remains were found at a place called boxgrove in west sussex and date back to approximately 500,000 yrs ago. the earliest homo sapiens remains date to 27,000bc and were found in wales, some would say not much has changed since in wales either.

As for "britains" history as a country, the early hominids were not nearly as backward as popular culture has us believe and it is more than lilkely that we brits have had a sense of country, culture family and tribe for at least 50,000 yrs.

the problem i see with the UAE is that it has actually lost its sense of culture and distinct identity in the last 20 yrs. As the older generation who grew up as bedu/pearl divers dies off the sense and connection with history is being eroded. Now we are left with a bunch of spoilt brats who assume some god given right to abuse everyone whos not emirati, assume a god given right to riches and greed and actively ignore even those emiratis who struggle everyday with extreme poverty. Frankly the many/most of this new generation disgust me and I'm fairly certain would also disgust their ancestors.

Until the younger generation wake up and actually have to work/struggle for a living this situation will not change, which is why i personally believe that the financial apocalypse is the best thing that could happen to the UAE and middle east in general. maybe in 2-3 yrs time there will be a return to reality for those delusional young emiratis in their lambo's and bling.

Any country where 97% of the local population are employed by the government in jobs where the standards of work are so low as to be laughable as actual work, where they are rewarded financially for non performance and have imediate access to whatever they desire, has no future and when this same group who are increasingly anti expat get what they actually want by removing the expats they will get exactly what they deserve, a country in ruins which they are unable and unqualified to run.

i should add that my view is actually towrds most of the "big city" emiratis, as the rural and poorer emiratis still seem to have a sense of honour, hospitality and common sense, those i have spoken to believe most residents of dubai and abu dhabi to be insane "city arabs"

Re: how old is the UK?
 

no, not a lot of negativity.. just a bit of frustration.

Respect has to be earned... and to earn respect, you have to show respect.

No-one (inclding countries and governments) should expect anyone to respect their culture, laws or ethics if they themselves don't respect other people's culture, laws and ethics. "Do unto others" and all that.

Hence, in a multi-cultural society an us-and-them/ nationalistic approach will never command respect and will always attract discontent and criticism.

That is what the West has learnt the hard way... although some western countries still have double-standards, but look where that has got them!

My original point was that the UAE can learn so much from observing other's mistakes, and so therefore need not make as many of its own.

Re: how old is the UK?
 

Strictly speaking the UK has only been in existance for just over 300 years. It only became the UK through the Act of Union in 1707

Re: how old is the UK?
 

Not so...that is Great Britain (1707 acts of union between the kingdoms of Scotland and England)...UK didn't come into existence until 1 January 1801 when Ireland joined (act of union)