Historical grudges...

[spider]

There was a referendum in 1920, all but the six counties in the north (which now make up "Northern Ireland" voted to leave the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ireland as it was then).

From 1921 to 1949 it was a "British Dominion", like Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

During those years it was known as "The Irish Free State".

Members of the Irish Parliament were supposed to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown during that period. I don't think any did!

Acceptance of the deal offered by the British Government in 1921 lead to what was in effect a civil war in Ireland and led to the assassination of Michael Collins.

20th Century Irish history is fascinating.


Now, historical grudges.... Don't get me started on those Fucking Normans! And what exactly did the Romans ever do for us!

[Essex Lad]

Yes Spider is spot on. When the deal was signed in Downing Street, an English chap (can't remember who) said "I think I have just signed my political death warrant" to which Collins responded, "I think I have signed my actual death warrant." And so it proved - he was shot the following year although by whom remains a matter of dispute.

[Deano!]

RoddersUK wrote:

> Most former Commonwealth countries like us. The Aussies may
> speak scathingly but deep down they do like us, as do the
> Canadians, which is one reason why I holiday there on a regular
> basis.

Quite right. Having work around mechanical engineering type workshops most of my life, I've encountered many poms - many ex-services actually - and I've always enjoyed the good natured ridicule about each other's peculiarities. It's much more genuine than all that practiced sugary praise that some cultures carry on with.

[RoddersUK]

It's all the inbreeding the twatts do down there. I mean ter say, there's fuckall to do during winter is there. Thats what one Corny told me.
I did a pre release course down there and I must be totally honest I was glad to get back to Sussex and have no desire ever to return.
Doc Martin may make the place look nice but after all, television is nothing but gloss. If it showed the reallity of the situation there wouldn't be a programme would there?

[RoddersUK]

Thanks for that Deano.
We too take the piss especially around Earls Court where most Aussies seem to go and work in bars and Clerkenwell where Australia started out from. The Old Sessions House in Clerkenwell had a reputation as a deporting Assizes as opposed to a hanging Assizes. I think Newgate was the hanging Assizes and the old Fleet prison was a debtors prison. The former dungeons in Clerkenwell are now dining rooms and the main courts are Masonic Temples.
But, Ashes series apart we do like Oz and now more and more Brits are choosing to holiday there.

[RoddersUK]

The Romans built some good roads, one of which has just been discovered
and is in good repair.
For the record they did not build all their roads straight. It just happens that there are a lot of straight ones. If there was a hill in the way they went round it like mankind has ever since, unless of course there was a real need of a tunnel.