We’ve had a double-dose of England-bashing in the last couple of days with former Scottish rugby coach Jim Telfer declaring the English team arrogant and French journalist Jean Jaffe (probably spelt that wrong) said that the English are arrogant and think they’re the centre of the world.
BBC Radio Five Live phoned me up this morning asking if I would go on their morning show and “defend the English”. They bumped me even though I’d told them I was delaying going out to do the interview and then didn’t bother calling me back which was a bit rude! But BBC Radio WM called me at lunchtime and asked me if I’d do an interview on their show instead which I did.
The interview was so well received the producer called me afterwards to tell me that they’d had so much positive feedback, including one person who sent in a text saying that I should be in charge of the country because I talk a lot of common sense.
This is what the French journalist said:
I don’t think the French are very taken you know with Beckham’s brands. You know, I’ve never seen many ads with Beckham in France in magazines or on the Paris Metro. Apparently his wife was a bit snooty and she didn’t want to come to Paris, it was not good enough for her career. Most of the English people you think you are the centre of the world and that we have to care about what happens in your country and we have to love you English and I don’t say the British, the English.
I think I defended the English and represented the normal, tolerant side of English nationalism quite well. You can hear the interview on YouTube …
The French have an inferiority complex because English is the world’s dominate language and they hate the fact that De Gaul had to camp out in London in WWII because of the French couldn’t hold back the Nazis.
Well done, Stuart, for batting away some quite teasing questions so calmly and competently.
The English have not been able to give anything to the world for a very long time, because England and the English are being suppressed by the British control freaks.
For the French the most humiliating aspect of the Second World War was not being conquered by the Germans but being liberated by the Anglo-Americans!
Blame for the failure of the English education system to teach English children foreign languages satisfactorily is entirely attributable to the British government department that controls it, which department is currently directed by one of the many carpet bagging Jocks, like my own MP, who represent safe English seats.
The extent to which safe seats in the ‘U’K parliament, held by all parties, are represented by Scotch opportunists is worth investigation.
What has England contributed to the world lately? SMS text messaging, and the World Wide Web will do for starters…