I admit the fall of the Roman Empire is not necessarily my strong point, but I hadn't been aware that it was uncontrolled immigration that fucked it up.
“When the Roman Empire fell, it was largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration. The empire could no longer control its borders, people came in…and Europe went into a dark ages that lasted a very long time. The point is that it can happen again”
Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at the barbarian incursions.
Not that it's especially accurate. 'The dark ages' is a singularly unhelpful and inaccurate term, for a start, that really only applies to Britain and is much briefer than is generally supposed.
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. Can I see your passport please?
The reason house prices are high in SE England is that people like living in SE England. Better climate, better infrastructure, nicer pubs and superior restaurants than any other segment of the UK. And London is the best city in the world. Also, the SE England countryside is woefully underrated by northerners. It is, in many parts, absolutely lovely.
I'm watching you Anabobs! You're not getting away with that. I'll give you climate and infrastructure. I'll even admit your pubs can be as lovely as ours. But you're not getting away with countryside. Many parts of the south east are very pleasant, I'll grant you. But they don't come close to the Lakes, or the Dales. The North is lovelier. And according to the Telegraph and the Spectator all the best ranking restaurants are in the North. I take no view on this personally as don't tend to eat in such loft venues.
Nonsense on restaurants. Vastly higher concentration of good restaurants here than up North. That is not to say there aren’t good restaurants up there, there are lots of great places, just nowhere near as many as down here.
As for countryside, nowhere did I claim that the southern countryside was “better” than the north. Merely that it is woefully underrated by many northerners (you clearly excepted), an allegation I stand by!
I will certainly give you underrated. The countryside of the SE can be very pleasant. (Not as good as the North's, obviously!).
Where in Britain is the least pleasant countryside? I would cautiously venture the flow country of Caithness, or, for similar reasons, the Isle of Lewis. Though even bleakness has a certain fascination.
The Flow Country is fascinating. Lots of interesting species. And the landscape is also spectacular in a way, if unchanging over short distances. The Lewis peatlands are less interesting, perhaps, particularly west of Stornoway and where the wind turbines dominate.
But, no, I'd go for the agri-desert of the Lincolnshire flatlands (Humber or Wash). I have done some surveys near to the OS 'Blank square' between the Trent and the Ouse and I'd definitely put that at the bottom of any of my lists of places to go for a walk.
Most of the UK countryside is well worth visiting, in contrast with some countries which vary between endless boredom and full wilderness (thinking US here).
I admit the fall of the Roman Empire is not necessarily my strong point, but I hadn't been aware that it was uncontrolled immigration that fucked it up.
“When the Roman Empire fell, it was largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration. The empire could no longer control its borders, people came in…and Europe went into a dark ages that lasted a very long time. The point is that it can happen again”
Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at the barbarian incursions.
Not that it's especially accurate. 'The dark ages' is a singularly unhelpful and inaccurate term, for a start, that really only applies to Britain and is much briefer than is generally supposed.
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. Can I see your passport please?
I admit the fall of the Roman Empire is not necessarily my strong point, but I hadn't been aware that it was uncontrolled immigration that fucked it up.
“When the Roman Empire fell, it was largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration. The empire could no longer control its borders, people came in…and Europe went into a dark ages that lasted a very long time. The point is that it can happen again”
That's a bit like saying the reason the Titanic sank was that it couldn't support a column of water 3km deep sitting on top of it.
Let me be totally clear about this: Boris Johnson does not know what he's talking about here.
To be fair, uncontrolled hordes of barbarians with big swords did enter Roman territory with the intention of remaining regardless of the views of the authorities
Further to the recent discussion on the Channel Islands (non) resistance.
Perhaps assassinating high ranking Nazis and blowing up non-existent trains wasn't practicable, but maybe some of those letters grassing up the Jews to the Third Reich could have been lost in the post?
Does he explain what they should have done? Serious Q.
I've been looking a little into CI History.
It seems that they complied with some instructions, and pushed back on others (eg J on ID cards, no yellow stars on clothes, on Jersey).
What would have happened had the civilian authorities been abolished for non-cooperation? Where was the balance for the CI civilian authorities?
Personally I think I'm not really convinced that prosecuting a 96 year old women, who was a secretary when she was 18 at Auschwitz, meets the criteria of natural justice.
Difficult to image myself being the bailiff of Guernsey in this life or any other, but making the effort I would still apply my retrospective 'which actions would I be proud of and which ashamed in an hypothetical situation' test. “I can assure you there will be no delay, insofar as I am concerned, in furnishing you with the information you require. I have the honour, Sir, to be your obedient servant, Victor Carey” would definitely fall into the latter category.
The question of collaboration often revolves around the varying degrees enthusiasm for it shown by involved parties, and how much pressure they were under to comply. For instance (at the risk of triggering a particular PBer) Laval, chief of the Vichy government, insisted that Jewish children under 16 should be included in deportations despite the Germans giving him permission to spare them.
It’s worth beating in mind that “ I have the honour, Sir, to be your obedient servant” is just dated language. My bank used to write to most customers* like that until the mid 1990s. It sounds obsequious (and it is) but I don’t think you can determine whether someone is collaborating based on that tone
* as the son of a partner they signed their letters to me with “yours affectionately”
the printed forms we had at the Land Registry still had that on a few of them in the early 1980s. The addition of the word 'humble' might be indicative of a genuine oiliness - otherwise it would just have been standard form.
I admit the fall of the Roman Empire is not necessarily my strong point, but I hadn't been aware that it was uncontrolled immigration that fucked it up.
“When the Roman Empire fell, it was largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration. The empire could no longer control its borders, people came in…and Europe went into a dark ages that lasted a very long time. The point is that it can happen again”
The reason house prices are high in SE England is that people like living in SE England. Better climate, better infrastructure, nicer pubs and superior restaurants than any other segment of the UK. And London is the best city in the world. Also, the SE England countryside is woefully underrated by northerners. It is, in many parts, absolutely lovely.
I'm watching you Anabobs! You're not getting away with that. I'll give you climate and infrastructure. I'll even admit your pubs can be as lovely as ours. But you're not getting away with countryside. Many parts of the south east are very pleasant, I'll grant you. But they don't come close to the Lakes, or the Dales. The North is lovelier. And according to the Telegraph and the Spectator all the best ranking restaurants are in the North. I take no view on this personally as don't tend to eat in such loft venues.
Nonsense on restaurants. Vastly higher concentration of good restaurants here than up North. That is not to say there aren’t good restaurants up there, there are lots of great places, just nowhere near as many as down here.
As for countryside, nowhere did I claim that the southern countryside was “better” than the north. Merely that it is woefully underrated by many northerners (you clearly excepted), an allegation I stand by!
I will certainly give you underrated. The countryside of the SE can be very pleasant. (Not as good as the North's, obviously!).
Where in Britain is the least pleasant countryside? I would cautiously venture the flow country of Caithness, or, for similar reasons, the Isle of Lewis. Though even bleakness has a certain fascination.
The Flow Country is fascinating. Lots of interesting species. And the landscape is also spectacular in a way, if unchanging over short distances. The Lewis peatlands are less interesting, perhaps, particularly west of Stornoway and where the wind turbines dominate.
But, no, I'd go for the agri-desert of the Lincolnshire flatlands (Humber or Wash). I have done some surveys near to the OS 'Blank square' between the Trent and the Ouse and I'd definitely put that at the bottom of any of my lists of places to go for a walk.
Most of the UK countryside is well worth visiting, in contrast with some countries which vary between endless boredom and full wilderness (thinking US here).
When I was on my walk, I typed notes on an old Psion 5 for uploading onto my website. Every time I typed 'Lincolnshire', I would accidentally type 'Lincolnshite'. Which summed it up for me. The horrors of Mablethorpe. Skegness. Grimsby. Immingham.
It's the only county I'd make the mistake for.
The Essex coast can also be rather bland - mile upon mile of seabanks - though I love ?St Peters? at Bradwell.
Agree that most of the UK countryside is worth visiting - especially if it's not well-known and therefore not filled with grockles. The Lleyn Peninsula was a surprise and welcome find.
That was a terrible morning, we've been stuck at Waterloo for over 2h waiting for a train to Guildford to go to a wedding (to which we are now late). The infrastructure in this country is a joke.
I assume weathed related? We attended an off road race this morning 20 odd miles South. Biblical rainfall had left huge hazards, and impassable bits on the road. It was head west to east, so an impact on Guildford area is quite possible.
I admit the fall of the Roman Empire is not necessarily my strong point, but I hadn't been aware that it was uncontrolled immigration that fucked it up.
“When the Roman Empire fell, it was largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration. The empire could no longer control its borders, people came in…and Europe went into a dark ages that lasted a very long time. The point is that it can happen again”
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Outrage on Twitter. Radio 4 found a “devastated” customer who reported that he “had to go shopping an extra time this week”
But, no, I'd go for the agri-desert of the Lincolnshire flatlands (Humber or Wash). I have done some surveys near to the OS 'Blank square' between the Trent and the Ouse and I'd definitely put that at the bottom of any of my lists of places to go for a walk.
Most of the UK countryside is well worth visiting, in contrast with some countries which vary between endless boredom and full wilderness (thinking US here).
It's the only county I'd make the mistake for.
The Essex coast can also be rather bland - mile upon mile of seabanks - though I love ?St Peters? at Bradwell.
Agree that most of the UK countryside is worth visiting - especially if it's not well-known and therefore not filled with grockles. The Lleyn Peninsula was a surprise and welcome find.