Bahtatboy

Totally agree. 95% nurture, 5% nature.

On a micro level: do something (or refrain from doing something) for 10 days, and it becomes a habit. Extrapolate that to being brought up in an environment where those around you work hard and don't expect something for nothing, and that shapes your behaviour and ethics.

Right, off for a cuppa and a fag...

typical

I also agree totally with this. It's worth noting that research suggests the damage is done at a very young age - that's why I believe state intervention at an early age can be so vital (as with Sure Start, one of the not very long list of things I think Labour got right).

I would highly recommend the reports of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on poverty in the UK. They're insightful and disturbing - and not in the way the media is. (The way the NOTW talked about the unemployed, you'd almost have imagined its staff would have relished being laid off...)

Norm_uk

Or people who do voluntary work...and those who don't need to work and are happy spending their wealth (and thus keeping others employed).

N.

Charismatic

Lets be honest, that's about 90% of the population.

Work must violate the Geneva convention or something .

Von Hossel

Here's an honest response from a typical American: I don't know

i know about so many cultures, itailian, greek, french, dutch, chineses, japanese, dirty knees, tahitians, hawains, mexicans, south americans, canadians,........but i know nothing of your culture... Everywhere i go i see mexican resturauns, italian, chineses, japanese, greek, french, American, indian, dutch, ...etc..etc..But you never see an english resturaunt

Who TF wants suasage and potatoes? fish n french fries? thats all you got?

Von Hossel

And i've been there numerious times..did i ever tell you how a popped an eye ball out of a wax dummy at madam tusdards? popped it out and brought it home when i was 12 or so..had it in my top pocket at logan airport, bent over and it fell out and broke...tragic..it looked so real..

Meow

Paracletus

Trolling softly.

Tockalosh

British "culture" with the exception of Cheshire & Lytham St Annes is now
acknowledging that your national dish is a chicken tikka massala
referring to anyone who thinks St Georges flag is a good thing as a racist
thinking that having a mosque on every street corner is the right and proper thing to do
accepting that Pakistanis demanding that pubs be closed down close to their ghettos in Preston is only right and proper
thinking that there is nothing wrong with arranged marriages
considering that Sharia law has many advantages over common law. Stoning unfaithful wives will of course stop them being unfaithful

Of course Cheshire and Lytham St Annes culture is accepting
that there is nothing wrong with the old way of doing things. i.e. you work hard, save your GBPs and then retire to Lytham with like minded folk
that there is nothing wrong with a curry but the national dish is still roast beef and veggies served at home or at the local pub
That there should be a church within walking distance
That common law is the only acceptable system
That all those who directly border Cheshire are lesser beings, regardless of any wealth they have made
That scousers are very much less than acceptable
That Yorkshire is only fit for TCNs
That Southerners are all homosexuals
That Smoggies, mackams and monkey hangers should have their passports revoked to stop them coming to the ME. They should be allowed to travel to Torrivieja however
That the Masons are OK
That its ok to turn up a "posh do" in a Land Rover that in the morning hauled the dogs back from a muddy walk
That you should have a landrover
That you should have two real dogs in your life
That Zimbabwe really was better when it was Rhodesia
That Africans break everything they are given

Charismatic

You can still use the flag without looking like a racist but it needs to be discrete. Perfect uses are ships and athletes at sporting events (we don't bother too much with that ).

Even the prime minister acknowledged multiculturalism has failed.

There isn't anything wrong with working hard IMO.

Church within walking distance? Religion is fading in the UK amongst all but first and second generation immigrants. The problem with educating people is that the buggers become more tolerant and start to question their own religion. We get problems where education, culture and religion fail to penetrate communities.

Everyone should own a LandRover once, preferably a Defender . And and Alfa Romeo and a Ferrari.


I submit this in evidence for the Rhodesia debate. Actually we think most of Africa is still a hole TBH. Maybe its the most we could have expected though? To go from tribalism to nationalism took us numerous wars. Africa has done in a couple of hundred years what took Europeans thousands of years to do. In the mean time we have plenty of work to do to go from nationalists to globalists and reunite the entire human family . There will be a place waiting at the table for our Africa brothers too when they get there .

Norm_uk

Great post and a thought provoking take on Africa - they have indeed moved forward very fast from Iron Age tribalism to the modern world...there's no real reason why in 50-100 years they won't be on par with everyone else, or even world leaders in some fields. Assuming China hasn't colonised them of course

N.

Millhouse

Corruption is the reason. If they can stamp that out then maybe, but all the time they are handing large contracts to the Chinese in lieu of bankhanders and suppressing their own they won't move forward.

The second scenario is far more likely.

Charismatic

I see what you are getting at but disagree Millhouse, it may just take a long time.

Norm_uk

Corruption is holding back a lot of places - the Chinese have moved on leaps and bounds past India because they are going after it, at least in high profile cases.

I think Africa, like many places just needs time. Africa hasn't even settled it's borders yet - there'll be a lot more land based conflict before that calms down and the continent as a whole can concentrate on stability and development.

N.

Bahtatboy

China is vastly corrupt, but it doesn't stop it moving forward. Japan too. Sufficient (and properly distributed) drinking water and food will be one of Africa's main limitations.

However, on the corruption front, perhaps Africa's corruption is different from, and more limiting than, China's or Japan's. Both China and Japan have infrastructures which are developed in a way which facilitate business and organisation, thereby negating to some extent the debilitation caused by corruption. China has already started its colonisation of some African countries, and if they really get a foot-hold then the tide could turn.

This is interesting re corruption: http://www.transparency.org/policy_r...i/2010/results