According to an anonymous contributor to the letters page of the Shropshire Star, the Wrexham branch of Debenhams is selling Anyone but England t-shirts.
Slogan on World Cup T-shirt is not funny
As a regular customer of the Wrexham branch of Debenhams, I happened to be in there as we approach the World Cup and was disgusted to see on display, a T0shirt with the slogan “Anyone but England”.
I was so disappointed with our Welsh neighbours that I took a shirt to a sales assistant and asked if she would explain it to me. She laughed and said: “Anyone but England good isn’t it?”
I told her I was not impressed and found it highly offensive so she brought over the sales manager. I then put my point to him and although he agreed with me, he didn;t have the authority to remove the shirt from sale but he did give me a telephone number for their head office.
I telephoned the customer sales head office department and spoke to a lady who was very apologetic. She said that my concerns would be brought up at the next board meeting.
I asked if someone would let me know the result as I thought the shirt should be removed from sale. The lady told me that this was now an internal complaint and that it was policy that no one would be ringing me to let me know the outcome.
To me, that probably means the end of the matter.
Are we not a United Kingdom?
If England were out and Wales in, I would gladly be supporting them, as I would Scotland or Northern Ireland.
To my mind, this is racism and would we be allowed to do this to another nation?
This incites the younger generation and causes ill-feeling between the two countries. Should Debenhams be encouraging this?
Name and address supplied
Well, the answer to the first question is no, we are not a united kingdom. Far from it: we are a fragmented and increasingly divergent kingdom. To answer the second and third questions: yes it is racism and no, Debenhams should not be inciting racial hatred.
One day we may get an opportunity to return the favour with some Anyone but Wales t-shirts but I suspect it won’t be for a football tournament.
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I’d move to suggest that rather than racism, this sorry garment is an example of the casual anti-English xenophobia that is so popular in the other constituent nations of the United Kingdom. It’s also an example of what I shall call ‘reductio ad Anglia’, as this is patently nothing to do with England as a nation, rather the football team: the last shallow bastion of what is mistaken for ‘English identity’.
What is most foolish is that England and Wales share a good deal in common.
June 1st, 2010 at 1:41 amWhat about this racism? http://www.wonkosworld.co.uk/wordpress/2009/03/01/st-davids-day-2/ Perhaps we in England need to lighten up!
June 1st, 2010 at 8:06 amSo is the sheep one on sale at Debenhams!!!
June 1st, 2010 at 9:51 amAsk a welshman – Where is the best place to shag sheep? and he will say, on the end of a cliff…Ha, Ha, Ha and for Debenhams I’ll never shop there again. If they sell Tshirts saying stuff like that, well If they don’t want the English to win then they won’t want my English pounds…
June 1st, 2010 at 10:33 amI’m not that bothered if they want to sell Anyone but England shirts to the Welsh, but what does bother me is the fact that they don’t put this shirt online so that England fans can see that they are selling these shirts.
Debenhams present themselves as pro-English in England but are obviously promoting themselves differently in Wales. It all seems a bit two-faced.
I expect we can look forward to an “Anyone but Wales” t-shirt during the Six Nations.
June 1st, 2010 at 11:54 amIt’s not really racism is it? It’s sporting rivalry/banter bordering on xenophobia. It’s also childish, bitter and un-original. The Scots have been using that slogan for decades.
June 1st, 2010 at 12:40 pmI suppose i could wear a t-shirt pronouncing ‘anyone but Wales’ or even ‘anyone but Scotland’
But of course they aren’t involved in the World Cup!
I’ll have to make do with
‘anyone but Murray’
How sad are you Steve, to refer back to a joke made by Wonksane on a different site to this one over a year ago. A joke by the way, that made me laugh, does that make me a racist as well?
I’ll just refer back to Daggs the Welsh and the Scots aren’t at the World Cup, again as usual.
June 1st, 2010 at 4:13 pmwhy do you think it’s funny when they crack jokes about we English but think it racist when an Englishman does the same?
Any department shop but Debenhams then.
June 1st, 2010 at 4:14 pmSteve,
Yes, that was me. I’m not quite sure how you would argue that it was an act intended to cause bad feeling towards a racial or ethnic, or perceived racial or ethnic, group. The picture accompanies a message of goodwill to Welsh people from someone who is partly Welsh themselves (I miss out on the qualifying criteria for a Welsh sports team by one generation). Contrast that with Debenhams who are selling Anyone but England t-shirts in stores only outside of England and keeping them off their website. If they didn’t think they would be considered offensive in England then why not sell them here? And if they didn’t think they would be considered offensive by English people then why do they only sell pro-English shirts on their website?
If the shirt said Anyone but India or Anyone but Pakistan the police would have been in the day they went on sale and it would have been all over the papers but because it’s England, it’s ignored. Why shouldn’t we take offence?
June 1st, 2010 at 4:59 pmQuote from ‘Stuart Eels’
I’ll just refer back to Daggs the Welsh and the Scots aren’t at the World Cup, again as usual.
why do you think it’s funny when they crack jokes about we English but think it racist when an Englishman does the same
I don’t.
June 1st, 2010 at 5:06 pmI think you have misread my post.
Please see http://www.wearetheenglish.com/store/ts_worldcup.html
June 1st, 2010 at 9:00 pmIt’s only bloody football ….
June 1st, 2010 at 9:01 pmI’m amazed that anyone gets away with producing goods like this at all, whether it be anti-English, Scottish, Welsh or French , if you produced an anti disabled, religion or sexual orientation T shirt your ass would be grass . The “race” issue is one that the govt don’t want to go near, the crown prosecution service wouldn’t let it get near a court.
June 1st, 2010 at 9:12 pmLoving that SNP t-shirt. Genius.
June 1st, 2010 at 9:19 pmDaggs,
I was referring to the fact that you pointed out. That Scotland and Wales were not at the World Cup!!!!!!!!
I WAS ASKING STEVE WHY HE THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY WHEN THE ENGLISH WERE THE BUTT OF JOKES BUT RACIST WHEN THE ENGLISH CRACK JOKES ABOUT THEM!!!!!!!!!
Whilst here, I’m amazed that no one has commented on the fact the £6 Billion savings cuts only apply to ENGLAND in the first year and that the devolved administrations have been allowed to put their cuts back by a year!
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:33 amWhy is it, one might ask, that to promote any form of national pride in England, takes the game of Association Football, a game riddled with double face standards of racism and greed, yet do we see the same amount of marketing support for Rugby, Cricket, Hockey, Golf, or Tennis in respect to England? No we do not. What sad times we now all live in.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:48 amStuart Eels. You raise a valid point about the financial cuts. The reason seems clear to me, during the election debates all parties and the media refused to say the dreaded word “England” when they spoke on the issue. They have deliberately misled the public into believing that the savings would be distributed across the UK.
Until a few years ago I was in the dark about this simply because of the deceit being perpetrated upon the English people by the political parties and the media. When I realized what was going on I was furious and resolved to highlight the issues whenever I could and in any way possible. I believe that the English and most people across the UK do not understand the political system in the UK since devolution. I’m sure that people in Wales, Scotland and NI would be equally angry about what is going on. It is now causing divisions in the UK which are not good for any of us. But I reserve most of my scorn for English MPs who are simply not representing the people who elected them. The Labour party are particularly to blame but we now have to turn our attention to the Lib/Cons because it is now they who are continuing the lies and omissions. The Tories in particular have turned their backs on the people of England who put them into power.
We must all redouble our efforts to highlight the issue and get this mess sorted out.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:32 amre Wonkosane, 14,
June 2nd, 2010 at 4:34 pmLoved the t-shirt as well, so I’ve ordered one and all things being equal provided it arrives in time will wear to the pub on Saturday, many, many thanks!
Can we expect Debenhams to sell the Scotland’s Not playing t shirt in England? I wonder if they have been approached?
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:02 pmI wonder why don’t the Celts report some of us English for using far more horrible racism then they ever use? Because being anti-Scottish, anti-Irish, anti-Welsh, anti-American, anti-French, anti-European and just about everything else seemed so ingrained in English culture. What is wrong with us? It is a serious question that can’t be brushed under the carpet, though here is an amusing example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2N2enWkrPc We seem to have a very bad reputation for being drunken hooligans in Europe and the USA. Do you think when we have a Parliament we can end this xenophobia?
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:35 pmThat’s WRONG! Shouldn’t the t-shirt say ‘Anyone but the Regions?” lol
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:32 pmOr even better ‘Anyone but the racist English’?
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:32 pmI wonder why you, Steve, continue to say you are English when you in fact take every opportunity to put the English down. A few days ago you said “that a friend of yours” said that Jerusalem was based on something Welsh, when in fact it is not. You promote the “Celts” at every opportunity. Are you a “Celt” by any chance?
I saw the youtube clip, interesting name “Boyd” of Scottish or Irish origins. Nice of him to pick on the English!
I get around quite a bit and know many people from other countries and they all have similar characteristics. New Yorkers often think people from other parts of America are somehow inferior etc etc. They generally treat most Europeans as something inferior. Of course the one’s who stay in Europe seem to stay for quite a while and change their views, but not all. Czechs think Russians have crawled from under a rock, as do the Slovaks, Ukranians and many others. Germans think they are superior in every way and to all others. The French on the other hand know the are superior, I could go on and on. I count many friends from different countries, Czechs, Slovaks, Ukrainians, Russians, Americans, Australians, Canadians, French, Latvian and of course Scots, Irish, and yes, one or two Welsh and none seem to have such a jaded view as you. I wonder why?
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:57 pmI woulde go further than you Bobby Boyce. Steve you live on another planet, you play straight into the hands of people like Gordon Brown (bigoted bigoted woman), Tony Blair (no Scottish MP will treated as second class at Westminster) and David Cameron (Little Englanders don’t impress me). Alistair Campbell calls people like you useful idiots. Wake up and prove him wrong!
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:13 amWell, it could be worse – the t-shirts could have said ‘Anyone but the Regions’ which would be more accurate in European eyes. I still would like to know why we seem to hate everyone including ourselves, northern England hates southern England and vice versa, English cities hate the countryside, the English upper classes treat the English lower classes with contempt. The Scottish seem to love everyone but England, same with Wales and Ireland and other countries. I would like to know why we define so much of our Englishness by trying to humiliate and criticize other countries. It can’t be envy with our crime rates, immigration problems, high taxes and surveillance state. Do we have an inferiority complex towards the Welsh, Scottish and Irish and other countries who seem far more content and tolerant than us? Any sensible suggestions?
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:48 amSteve – what are you talking about…. why would we have an inferiority complex? In the UN list of the 100 greatest inventions that have most benefited mankind, England came second (behind China) and miles ahead of France, Germany, the US and Scotland…. Pound for pound we are the brightest nation on Earth – and that’s plenty to be proud of….. But I guess that will mean some people will accuse us of being arrogant.
And as for the Scots loving everyone but us – you obviously haven’t any experience of the rivalry, bordering on hatred between Edinburgh and Glasgow residents. And the industrial south Waleans ain’t too impressed with their northern rural brethren either.
Within every single nation on the planet there are rivalies between status, environment and geography – we are no different.
Steve – this navel-gazing hand-wringing will not do. As a nation we are no different from any other – it’s the differences that unite us.
Also, please give us a few examples of how we have defined ‘so much of our Englishness by trying to humiliate and criticize other countries’.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:02 amThat’s the problem Alfred the OK, It’s all been buried in Britishness. That’s not to say the Scots and so on are lacking in inventors. But check Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_inventions_and_discoveries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_inventions_and_discoveries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_inventions_and_discoveries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_inventions_and_discoveries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_inventions_and_discoveries
There are more but we don’t want to brag too much. But all in all the occupants of the British Isles are pretty prolific.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:22 amThe Irish love everyone do they Steve? Not fellow Irishmen and women it would seem, given that they regularly try to blow each other up!
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:46 pmSteve,
Where an earth do you get your ideals from it must be a very very sad place! The English are the most tolerant race on earth, yet you sit there in front of your computer and dream of scenarios where everyone in the country hates everyone else. Get a grip, I don’t hate you, I feel sorry for you for believing such rubbish!
I and many others in the CEP, who I have met don’t hate our fellow Britons, we just want equality with those nations who have been given their own Parliaments/Assemblies.
We may crack jokes but thats what they are jokes, are we not allowed to enjoy ourselves in your sad world?
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:42 pmwhat happend to brits sense of humour?
any one but england, yes im in that camp only because im fed up hearing about how world class the england team is in nearly every tv and radio program when we know you aint.
as for the snp tshirts….class and yes i do wish scotland was going to s.africa
ps a pet hate i have is when someone says the brits hate the french, they dont its the english that hate the french, but i suppose thats to do with england/brits being the same thing
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:43 pmIs it racial to show someone the door of your shop, if the person is wearing an England T-shirt…Well it happened to my friend and many others and they are not very happy about it at all …The shop owner refused to serve them and any-one else who came into his shop, who was wearing an England T-shirt – saying they were racial to him and his family…Who is this shop keeper?…Well lets just say he owns a corner shop in Birtly, Gateshead, Tyne @ Wear, Englang. Lets just hope he changes his mind because when I say they are not happy, I mean they are not F@@king happy. I can also say, I beleive his takings are down.
P.S I have kept out of his shop because I beleive I would be in jail today.
June 3rd, 2010 at 3:05 pmClyde, I have a sense of humour, particularly when I’m reading reports of the Scottish soccer team.
June 3rd, 2010 at 4:51 pm‘The English hate the French’. Thats a bit of racial stereotyping I’d say! It seems you are in to sweeping statements, so how do you like ‘all Scottish people are drunks?’
Englishbob. I would say your shopkeeper is the racist accusing all English people of being racists! Boycott the shop.
So the French don’t like the English because we are “Saxon”, the Scots don’t like us because we are French. The Irish don’t like us because we are Saxon, or is it French, whilst all are at the same time saying how wonderful it is to be a Celt. Try looking up Paul Yves Pezron and Edward Lhuyd to find out where the Celts came from and you will find it’s from both places and many others depending on what argument is put forward since they were invented in 1706 or thereabouts.
June 4th, 2010 at 4:55 amWell the Normans are called Normans (Norseman) because they came from the North, but let’s not mention the fact that Robert de Brus was in no small part Norman. I suggest some people take a history lesson, not one given by propagandists, politicians or political archaeologists! I mean a proper history lesson.
But yes it would be boring listening to how good the English team are but that’s not what I heard on the Telly yesterday. I think I’ll support Argentina from now on but I suppose someone will make a link to the Spanish Armada and through prove that the English are wrong yet again. What am I to do!
In the USA they make sheep jokes not against Scotland or Wales but against England, giving us a taste of our own medicine I guess. If we can’t take innocent banter like these t-shirts then we shouldn’t abuse our closest neighbours. Talking about the USA, there is a lot of anti-English feeling there understandably over the enormous oil mess we have made in the Gulf of Mexico. Some friends of mine asked was England going to pay to clean up the mess, but I told them I doubt it
June 4th, 2010 at 7:03 amSteve – last time I looked the oil company in question PARTLY responsible (along with the AMERICAN owners and operators of the oil rig which exploded)for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is known as ‘BP’…. and not ‘EP’.
Please tell your American mates that the ‘B’ in ‘BP’ stands for ‘British’…. That’s ‘British’ which by definition includes Scottish and Welsh geographical components. So the yanks should be feeling anti-British rather than anti-English…
It would help if you could also tell them that the rig exploded because of errors made by the American crew, employed by the American owner/operators of the rig. BP where merely paying this American outfit to drill for them.
Honestly, before you do the mea culpa sackcloth and ashes bit, try and look past the political expediency as practiced by Barry Obama. It ain’t just BP who are to blame – it’s the American operators who due to their negligence caused the rig to explode and the pipeline to rupture. But Bazza ain’t going to blame his own countrymen is he?
ALSO, I repeat my request, please give us a few examples of how we have defined ’so much of our Englishness by trying to humiliate and criticize other countries’.
Bobby Boyce: Robert the Bruce was a fully fledged member of the Norman rulling class….. born in Essex.
June 4th, 2010 at 9:22 amSteve, from my experience the Americans make jokes about or used to make jokes about the Poles (Polaks). They also joke about Mexicans.
June 4th, 2010 at 10:09 amThere is a lot of anti English feeling in the USA over BP is there? I doubt that is true. Most people can differentiate between the actions of muti national corporations and the bloke in the street.
In any case I expect it is more than balanced by solidarity with all the English soldiers who are fighting with the US and others in Afghanistan. Don’t you?
Is there any intelligent reason why English racism against Scotland and Wales is perfectly fine (even when that racism is far worse) whilst racism against England is blown out of proportion (after all these t-shirts are just banter, right?) England can take a joke, can’t she? Why is Stuart’s racism fine?
June 4th, 2010 at 12:24 pmExplain why it’s racism.
June 4th, 2010 at 12:27 pmIf anyone made a racist remark to me in a way that some (fortunately only a few English people) make racist remarks against people in Wales or Scotland or Ireland, I would sue them. That is unfortunately the only way to force home that racism against our neighbours should be unacceptable in England. I want to live in a tolerant, open England – not one whose reputation is constantly tarnished by louts and thugs who think racism is great.
June 4th, 2010 at 12:28 pmEngland is one of the most tolerant countries there is. That’s why there are so many immigrants there. As a percentage of population it far exceeds Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Welsh, Scots and Irish have always been welcome in England. Not so the other way round I can assure you. We don’t burn down the houses of Welsh people in England either.
June 4th, 2010 at 12:45 pmAs usually you are talking nonsense Steve.
Steve,
How dare you!
Are you accusing me of being a racist? If so you better have something solid to back up your stupid remark about me!
I don’t believe that I have ever made a racist comment in my life and if I don’t get an apology from you I will definately take it further!
June 4th, 2010 at 4:10 pmWhy are people replying to this steve character? He`s obviously a celtic crank, spewing anti-English bile, just ignore it.
June 4th, 2010 at 4:23 pmSteve said “In the USA they make sheep jokes not against Scotland or Wales but against England, giving us a taste of our own medicine I guess.”
This is absolute rubbish. I go to the States A LOT and they have never made any refences to England regarding sheep. You’re making it up, you idiot.
There is anti British feeling over the Gulf and they do confuse England/Britain, but anything anti, they say Britain and anything positive, they say England.
June 5th, 2010 at 2:27 pmClyde said “a pet hate i have is when someone says the brits hate the french, they dont its the english that hate the french,”
and a pet hate of mine is when people say stupid things like “the english hate the french”. I’m English and I don’t hate them, in fact I married one and love the place.
Is this because…
June 5th, 2010 at 2:32 pma. I am the only one out of 50million, so Clyde’s comment is only slightly wrong
or
b. Clyde is wrong, wrong, wrong!
I have French friends Terry. I also love France. Clyde is just repeating one of the many lies which we hear said against us English:
-we hate everyone
-everyone hates us
-there is no such race as English (contradicts the above!)
-there is no demand for an English parliament
-the English flag is racist
etc. etc.
All rubbish of course. I think maybe its part of a ‘tell the lie often enough and people will believe it’ campaign. Well people don’t believe it because they see it for what it is. Anti English racist propoganda which would not be tolerated if said against any other people.
June 5th, 2010 at 3:49 pmi ask again where is the brits sense of humour
terry,derek ok a flippant remark,but correct me if im wrong throughout history england
(the country) have not been best friends the french and vice versa
who else dont you like
aussies
germany
argentina
europe
and all because debs put a tshirt on sale that you feel is racist
hear is some news for you all,see the newspapers you are reading just now ,well all the versions in scotland are saying anyone but england
its the way it is guys the corporates just making money
June 6th, 2010 at 1:43 pmClyde, tell us, why do the Scottish hate us English?
June 6th, 2010 at 1:57 pmSteve,
Still waiting for an apology for your libellous statement that I’m a racist, if you’ve any guts or courage of your convictions put forward your name and address and I’ll see you in court pal!
Derek,
The Scots, who do hate us and theres quite a few who don’t, hate us because they are Scots and not bleesed to be English!
This is proved when it’s a joke to have T-Shirts on sale in Scotland and Wales saying anyone but England and yet when we reverse it, it’s classed as Racist.
I happen to think that the SNP T-Shirt is brilliant “Scotland not playing” 2010 South Africa World Cup. There’s nothing racist about that it’s a true statement!
I happen to agree with you Clyde, about the newspapers but that doesn’t excuse comments that follow lead political articles in the Scotland on Sunday,about 75% of which are pure bile!
June 6th, 2010 at 2:19 pmSad …sad …pathetic ..
You do realise that I told you about the SNP T shirt .. that would be a Scotsman , a Fifer that lives in the depths of Suffolk.. talk about no sense of humour .
Some Scots don’t like the English, some English dont like the Scots.
I have friends in Scotland that are bigots , racist if you want to call them that who have asked how I can stand to live amongst the English , they also despise catholics. I was brought up to beleive that catholics are papist scum, they aren’t .
I have friends in England that dont like the Scots, others that hate and despise the non white British, and I do have English friends that detest the French.
I have Breton friends that hate the English and love the Scots.
Get over it , learn to at least tolerate the differences between us.
June 6th, 2010 at 9:31 pmHang on a minute McFeagle. If you read back to Clyde’s posts you will see that he said ‘the English hate the French’!
June 6th, 2010 at 10:59 pmThat is a pathetic statement of course but I see you didn’t pick him up on it.
Oh I see!
When Clyde said “the English hate the French”, it was a joke and we don’t have a sense of humour by ‘not getting it’.
Brilliant! Have you got any other hate based humour we can all not have a laugh at?
June 7th, 2010 at 9:07 ammcfeagle said “I have Breton friends that hate the English and love the Scots.”
Wow, they must be pretty old. It must take ages to get to know a significant proportion of 50m people in order to form an opinion that’s nothing more than xenophobic bile (and I’m sure you’d not want to be friends with such people).
To then go north of the border and repeat the same process with 5m people must’ve taken them ages and AGES! Well done you Bretons! There’s obviously more to then than a stripey shirt, a string of onions and a beret!
(or is this another brilliant Scottish joke that we humourless English don’t ‘get’?)
June 7th, 2010 at 9:14 amMcFeagle,
I’m not as sad or pathetic as the minority of Scots who blame the English for anything that may have happened in the last couple of thousand years and I can take a joke from anyone but to have someone quite delilerately call you a racist on these comments pages is another thing! This from a bloke who would apologise for the human race inventing the wheel if he could find something to apologise to!
Tell me Mcfeagle, who are the most racially attacked group in Scotland this year and last according to your own newspapers?
I’m quite happy to tolerate differences between races, I just want the Government to give us our own Parliament!
June 7th, 2010 at 1:04 pmComment by “Derek” Clyde, tell us, why do the Scottish hate us English?
oh derek where do i start……..haha only a joke,hate is a strong word,we love you,look there is rivalries between our two countries but when we get together as people we have good time with lots in common,dont tell me you havent been in scots company everything is honky dory
as for english hate french(see post 46)ok you have a rivary with france (terry51 it wasnt a joke)but as portrayed by bbc ect brits dont like the french,well for scots france is the auld (old)allience
stuart,ta for your support thats where we get the saying-we know everything about england england knows nothing about scotland,dontknow about sos article,as for racial attacks ther are thousands of english families living here im sure if they where being abused they wouldnt stay just like scots in england and any way just read a report over3000 stabbing attacks reported last year in central belt of scot ,we do no a bad job attacking our own
mcfeagle i tend to agree with you we both hope an e.p. comes soon
aoe – snp only a tshirt lighten up or you will have BILLY FROM SCOTLAND back
June 7th, 2010 at 2:13 pmYou are right on one thing Clyde. Hate is a strong word and clearly saying that the English ‘hate’ the French is way over the top. As for England and Scotland. The sooner we go our own seperate ways as independent nations the better.
June 7th, 2010 at 4:11 pmOh dear
June 7th, 2010 at 6:11 pmMy daughter, born in England , Scottish dad, English mum, bought a set of dice to hang on the rear view mirror of our car. You know the St George’s cross dice, the red and white ones. Well I had to grind my teeth, I was so pee’d off the wax was bubbling in my ears , dice ffs, dangling bloody dice .. I hate dangling dice .
Bless her, she asked if we can keep them there until England either wins or is out of the WC.
Yep you got it, I don’t give a toss about the colour or the nation , I just hate dangling dice , they are just naff.
Then she tells me that we are watching the WC on Saturday , USA ? I hope England win , if England lost against the USA my English mates would probably top themselves .
Good Luck England …
June 7th, 2010 at 9:15 pmI still cannot understand why some English people hold their neighbours in contempt. Welsh is the oldest language of these isles, a language that was once spoken throughout the whole of what would much later become England. The Welsh language’s impact can still be seen throughout England from counties like Cumbria, Devon, Dorset and Kent and cities like Gloucester and Leicester. Yet people living even on the borders with Wales seem to have no knowledge of their neighbours. Why is this? Considering we are well known for our respect for the past, for ancient traditions and for widening knowledge, this ignorance of Wales is strange at best.
June 8th, 2010 at 7:40 amWhich one is it Steve?
Do the English hold their neighbours ‘in contempt’ or do they have ‘no knowledge’ and are full of ‘ignorance’?
I think you’re projecting*. I think you hold your neighbours in contempt and they drive you bonkers because you don’t register on their radar.
* Psychological projection or projection bias (including Freudian Projection) is the unconscious act of denial of a person’s own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, such as to the weather, the government, a tool, or to other people. Thus, it involves imagining or projecting that others have those feelings.
June 8th, 2010 at 8:13 amThe ancestors of the English were in England long before the so called Celts. As usual you are talking complete nonsense Steve. Now you are becoming very very boring with your mythology.
June 8th, 2010 at 8:38 amSouth Africa is an incredible place and the excitement is building up. Anyone else here for the World Cup? I noticed this article today which sums up why we shouldn’t take football too seriously – it is a game after all.
June 8th, 2010 at 4:46 pmhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/08/world-cup-neutral-loyalty-defeat
How can the Guardian’s Mike Marqusee be a neutral and then support or not support a particular team? Doesn’t make sense. Surely if you support a team you are not neutral?
More waffle from Journo’s trying to fill space in my opinion.
There’s a similar load of tosh in today’s Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/7809926/World-Cup-2010-Naturally-we-Scots-will-be-urging-England-on-to-defeat.html
June 8th, 2010 at 7:41 pmSteve,
You are terminally mistaken in your assumptions. I have travelled to Wales and seen graffiti ‘English out’ I was tempted to write underneath ‘Welsh in’ as they find no difficulty in coming to England to make a living -there is no similar graffiti on the English side. Similarly travelling to Scotland I have seen ‘Sassenachs go home’ as a welcome to Scotland.
Now where is the prejudice that you attribute to us in England? You have failed to give any examples now cease your unfounded and defamatory diatribe
June 9th, 2010 at 11:07 amWell said Scilla,
I have now got my sense of humour back, so silly Steve and his stupid dribble won’t be getting my back up as much as when he called me a racist, I notice he didn’t have the guts to give the webmaster his details so that he really could defend his honour against me in a Court of Law.
i suggest Steve that you go and join a Campaign for a Welsh Assembly. Oh I forgot you’ve already got one!
June 9th, 2010 at 2:28 pmAll we can hope for is that an English Parliament will end the xenophobia we seem to show to Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Europe, the USA and nearly every country in the world. It is obviously very ironic that despite our sense of ‘fair play’ we denigrate our closest neighbours at every opportunity. No wonder they resort to such banter! It is also very ironic that we are fighting the ‘British system’ one that we created to control the other parts of the British Isles. Now we seem to be having a taste of our own medicine and surprisingly we don’t like it!
June 9th, 2010 at 7:10 pmHA,HA,HA.HA. Good one Scilla…
May I ask. Am I a racist? My wife and I went to scotland for the week end just gone,to Lock Long, had a great time, great hotel, great fun, got totaly rat arsed, spent all my English pounds and the wife took a photo of the lock at around 6.30 in the morning…Wait for it…And caught a monster in the frame. We don’t know what the hell it is. Is she the first to ever catch THE LOCK LONG MONSTER, if she is, I bet the scots are not happy as it was an Englishwoman who got it first. would a T.SHIRT of a monster on it saying anyone for photos but a scot…HA,HA,HA.
June 9th, 2010 at 7:23 pm[...] Campaign for an English Parliament is displaying a letter by an anonymous contributor to the letters page of the Shropshire Star regarding the Debenhams t-shirt and seem to be going down the road that this is inciting racial hatred. I do not agree with this viewpoint at all. The last time I checked the English and the Welsh are the same race. If this is not the case then I am actually a mixed race person, which is just laughable! This is just about football rivalry. If by some bizarre twist of fate, England was not in the World Cup but Wales was (I did write bizarre twist of fate) I am sure many people in England would have plenty to say about it, if it was even given that much coverage, which somehow I doubt. [...]
June 9th, 2010 at 7:46 pmSteve…We created the system so we could all be together, where have the scots, welsh and the irish gone…Were is our English Parliament. So its not surprisingly we don’t like it.
June 9th, 2010 at 7:50 pmSteve, It was created largely by agreement. The Welsh bit was imposed by a Tudor who as you know was Welsh. There was also Catholic threats to England supported by some countries in the British Isles and England was invaded on many occasions. You are wasting your time, read some proper books and stop listening to the propaganda you have obviously been subjected to.
June 9th, 2010 at 8:44 pmBut of course there are some Welsh xenophobes, as your great Welsh author said in Under Milkwood, “Land of my fathers. My fathers can keep it”. Thomas’s lifelong ambivalence towards Wales is demonstrated in that single line. It’s strange how the Welsh elevate him to such heights when he did not return the affection. Of course we don’t want to talk about that do we!
The imaginary village of Llareggub, or “bugger-all” backwards was what he thought of Wales.
June 10th, 2010 at 7:24 amSteve
You plank, I suggest you check out the letter pages of todays The Scotsman for xenophobia, if English People were sending such stuff about the Scots to our dailies it wouldn’t get published!
I had the radio on R5 earlier and they went to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland “for the publics views on Englands Football team chances”, I think most of that was Xenophobic you stupid silly man!
By the way have you passed on your details to the webmaster yet?
June 10th, 2010 at 9:24 amSteve – regarding your incredible comment (number 65)….. What on earth are you going on about! What’s with the xenophobia stuff ‘to nearly every country in the world’?
Give us some, any examples of such xenophobia – as according to you there are hundreds of cases to choose from.
You shouldn’t make such statements without having the ammunition to back them up. And if you haven’t then I suggest you keep shtum because your ill-conceived comments are becoming somewhat embarrassing.
June 10th, 2010 at 10:57 amIs devolution itself not xenophobic? Scotland said it didn’t want to be ruled by the English (British in fact but the Scottish view it as English). We English were quite content in the Union. However the Scottish and Welsh decided they weren’t happy with that. Now we English have seen the light we are suddenly xenophobic! All nonsense of course.
June 10th, 2010 at 12:39 pmStuart – post 70
Where you referring to this link http://news.scotsman.com/politics/David-Cameron-urges-Scots-MPs.6352404.jp
Or was that http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1285578/Kent-school-class-greets-German-twin-town-visitors-Nazi-salute.html as a demonstration on xenophobia
One is about football , the other is just nasty. You choose .
June 10th, 2010 at 10:46 pmNo Mcfeagle, none of the above, Cameron is one of the worst sorts of opportunists you’ll ever find, any wagon and all of that!
If the idiots in Kent are old enough to be prosecuted, they should be.
I have given up waiting for Steve to show the courage of his so-called convictions by the way.
June 11th, 2010 at 12:33 pmPerhaps after last night’s game they can release new t-shirts:
Q: Supporting anyone but England
June 13th, 2010 at 7:12 amA: Because England are so crap
The fact that most English people probably don’t care that much is probably a compliment to us – we are perhaps light hearted and don’t take things too personally?
On the other hand maybe being offended by what the Welsh think about our football success is a compliment to the Welsh?
Being bothered in some way, at least shows that we care what the Welsh think of us?
June 17th, 2010 at 6:34 pmSteve, don’t beat yourself up mate. Chill out – you’re not that bad I’m sure. What are you feeling so guilty about? What is it that you have said or done? It might be time to move on?
June 17th, 2010 at 6:38 pmEnglish Bob,
June 18th, 2010 at 6:11 amKit ready, Pub with Scottish Landlord chosen, bring it on! Come on England!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Considering the amount of racism that Ireland, Scotland and Wales suffers, we should not be surprised by this – which sounds like banter to me. If we can’t take it, we shouldn’t dole it out. England sounds like the playground bully who shouts ‘boo hoo!’ whenever someone stands up to us!
June 18th, 2010 at 8:07 amHi Steve.
June 18th, 2010 at 10:09 amYes this sounds like that wally who likes to throw accusations but doesn’t have the guts to back them up, isn’t that right Steve?
June 18th, 2010 at 10:43 amEnglander…
Hi Steve
.
June 18th, 2010 at 11:06 amBecause almost all the Welsh can speak Welsh, I was thinking it would be nice to emphasize that fact here, sooo… Here’s some humour for you…
Swansea council wanted a road sign translated from English into Welsh. Here’s what they ended up with. Quite why the Welsh can’t speak Welsh is beyond me but here it is.
“No entry for heavy goods vehicles. Residential site only.”
was translated to -
“Nid wyf yn y swyddfa ar hyn o bryd. Anfonwch unrhyw waith i’ gyfiethu.
This apparently means -
“I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated”.
I reckon they should drop the English language altogether and do everything exclusively in Welsh, that way we won’t have to talk to each other at all. It will solve the perceived xenophobia problem!
What do you reckon Steve.
June 18th, 2010 at 12:07 pmNever mind Steve, Bobby Boyce, although I’m English I do have Welsh relatives, quite a few, none of them can speak Welsh, it’s being forced on their children by the Welsh Assembly. They don’t want it, then again, they all come from South Wales and along with many many people from South Wales didn’t bother to vote in the referendum and have been regretting it since!
It’s only North Welsh Steve and his cronies that impose such stupidity on the general Public in Wales!
June 18th, 2010 at 12:44 pmEnglander “Considering the amount of racism that Ireland, Scotland and Wales suffers”. Mainly from each other I’d say! Leave us English out of it.
June 18th, 2010 at 3:10 pmIt’s a hard life, but even worse for the Welsh and Scottish – what have they ever done so wrong to be living on an island where the majority are English? We should be ashamed of ourselves, it must be horrendous for them.
Let’s give them the time and space they deserve – we should sail away and live on boats in the English part of the North Sea (wherever that might be), and perhaps eventually we can ask to be accepted back onto the island when, and only when the Scots and Welsh feel ready to have us back. How could we deny them this?
What do you think Steve/Englander?
June 18th, 2010 at 5:41 pmWhat poetry Matt. I’m sure thet Dylan Thomas and Rabbie Burnes would be proud of your words ya wee beastie…
June 18th, 2010 at 10:41 pmEnglish Bob,
I’m going down to the Pub with MY CEP T-shirt on tomorrow afternoon, it’s a variation on a theme that I thought up myself, just for a change and please hold on this, Even if we fail tomorrow at least England played in the 2010 South Africa Cup, unlike our friends across the Wall.
Good luck wherever you end up watching it!
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:01 pm‘England played in the 2010 South Africa Cup, unlike our friends across the Wall’. Nothing new there then Stuart! When did Scotland last qualify for the World Cup? A rare event indeed!
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:00 pmDerek,
They don’t talk about it and Steve thinks we are being cruel to bring it up so here goes!
In 1998, they fought a mighty 1-1 draw with the giants of Norway and in their last game, narrowly lost 3-0 to the cream of African football Morocco.
Bet they would hammer us at Subutteo, though, after playing that for 12 years.
Here’s hoping that it ends well today, good luck everybody except Steve!
June 23rd, 2010 at 8:09 am[...] Campaign for an English Parliament is displaying a letter by an anonymous contributor to the letters page of the Shropshire Star regarding the Debenhams’ t-shirt and seem to be going down the road that this is inciting racial hatred. I do not agree with this viewpoint at all. The last time I checked the English and the Welsh are the same race. If this is not the case, then I am actually a mixed race person, which is just laughable! [...]
August 18th, 2010 at 8:06 pm