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Special relationship? It always rather worried me how little mutual respect there is for the other partner in the alliance. Admittedly its mutual dis-respect but still, you would think we would be a little less rude about the other sides fighting ability/diet/whatever considering we are supposed to be on the same damn side.

Its a pity Obama seems to show that same lack of respect from time to time.

Melissia wrote:There are people outside of America and Mexico? EL GRITO AHOGADO!

Cierra la boca!! nadie debe saber. . . .

To be honest I wish the press would talk about, and use, the term 'Special Relationship' a little less. Actually, a lot less. It's embarrassing for both our peoples and doesn't really reflect the way we feel about each other.

Yeah, we're bros. Yeah, we're on the same page a lot, in fact to an unprecedented degree. Does that mean we need to go on and on about it? In my opinion, no. Our countries have a bond that doesn't really need to be brought up every 5 fething minutes. It's like that mother and son who call each other every day - it's fething creepy.

Our countries have had our differences over the years, but when the chips are down, we're part of the same family and we love each other, despite the occasional jibe here and there. I think we should just take that as read, and not go on about it so much, is all. We don't have the same thing with the Canadians, Aussies or Kiwis, and we're just as close to them, if not more so.


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Good speech by Obama at Parliament today, mind.

filbert wrote:

biccat wrote:
He also apparently failed at protocol.

Michelle Obama did that last year (or a couple of years ago? I can't remember) when she gave the Queen a hug. To be fair, the Queen hugged her back though.

Thats savoire faire, do as your guests do (within reason) so as not to discommodate them.

biccat wrote:
But let me get this straight:

Intentionally speaking during another country's national anthem = not a breach of protocol.

Accidentally throwing up on someone = breach of protocol.

Do you really understand the difference between a mistake and an intentional act?

Delted by Manchu. Please be mindful of Rule Number One, especially when you passionately disagree with someone.

He was mid-speech, he was unsure as he continued with the speech, wondering if the music would stop or he should carry on. The music carried on and he set his glass down. It was an accident, that's all. You trying desperately to prove it makes him a hater of the British and/or diplomatically inept, when you've sprouted up on this forum before to valiantly defend GW Bush, who was highly cumbersome at diplomacy and a very poor speaker, is a double standard that simply reeks of partisan blinkers.

biccat wrote:
I suppose it could have been worse, he could have given the queen an MP3 player with his speeches, given a (wrong region) set of DVD's to the prime minister, and then had someone in the state department say "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."
Fething idiot in chief.

Bush gave Blair a sweater, wtf is the point of this line of reasoning? I get gak every Christmas that I don't like. I'm sure Gordon owns a multiregion DVD player, you can afford that gak when you're a prime minister. Do you know if Lizzy asked Obama for a way to listen to his speeches? It also included shots of her visits to the US as well as other moments in US history, She might have liked that, you don't know, you're just speculating with a jaundiced lens. Also, the 'you have to wait like everyone else'... do you think that was said to piss off one nation or alleviate the concerns of the other 190? I see a fairly direct point being made about breaking the closeted attitude of the previous administration and I like it.

The majority of TexMex is good, but chili without beans?

Your ways are strange to me.

Monster Rain wrote:The majority of TexMex is good, but chili without beans?

Your ways are strange to me.

Why would you put beans in chili? They only used to put it in as cheap filler so they could save money on meat.

Especially bad when the skin of the beans gets stuck between your teeth, yech.

Kidney Beans and served on rice.

Melissia wrote:

Monster Rain wrote:The majority of TexMex is good, but chili without beans?

Your ways are strange to me.

Why would you put beans in chili? They only used to put it in as cheap filler so they could save money on meat.

Especially bad when the skin of the beans gets stuck between your teeth, yech.

I live large and put meat and beans in there.

@ MGS:

I prefer the kidney beans myself. I also like some tortilla chips (homemade, preferably) for a little bit of texture.

Monster Rain wrote:The majority of TexMex is good, but chili without beans?

Your ways are strange to me.

Chili with beans is just godless communism, out forth by the New York Times to weaken our manly essence. Its like fluoride in the water. General Ripper knew, and look what they did to him.

Frazzled wrote:

Monster Rain wrote:The majority of TexMex is good, but chili without beans?

Your ways are strange to me.

Chili with beans is just godless communism, out forth by the New York Times to weaken our manly essence.

Forgive my lapse in judgement.

The next person to put beans in my chili will pay with pain.

Monster Rain wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

Monster Rain wrote:The majority of TexMex is good, but chili without beans?

Your ways are strange to me.

Chili with beans is just godless communism, out forth by the New York Times to weaken our manly essence.

Forgive my lapse in judgement.

The next person to put beans in my chili will pay with pain.

And now you have been enlightened.

Some folks have chilli without beans?

I pity them...

I have a question: Do you have curry in America?

corpsesarefun wrote:Some folks have chilli without beans?

I pity them...

See? Only Brits eat chili with beans. Its just this sort of cuisine that sent them across the world, conquering other cultures so that they could get decent food.


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purplefood wrote:I have a question: Do you have curry in America?

Only in Indian restaurants.

corpsesarefun wrote:Some folks have chilli without beans?

I pity them...

I pity those fools that put beans IN their chili.

Seriously, it just ruins the texture and flavor of the chili.

Unless you like beans.

And Thai places.

We are talking about red chilli right guys?

Honestly we're glad to still be allies, and friends with the brits. You only have a couple little things that irk us. But they're small. The spice girls for one. Y'all could have kept that one over there. The second one is the whole drinking warm beer thing. Really? Also soccer and rugby. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's fun, but there is only one football, and it includes 300 pound men and armor, and really hot cheerleaders, and COLD beer.

Other than that, no real qualms. After all you guys gave us Ozzy, the beetles, russel brand, fish and chips, chicks with hot accents, minicoopers, monty python, and benny hill.

Not to mention how british chippies love us "american cowboys". Free 'tang included with every overseas trip.

corpsesarefun wrote:We are talking about red chilli right guys?

Yes indeed.

I am making chili with beans tonight. Actually I think I will add black beans as well as inviting members of the Ordo Chiliticus to dine with me. I also make curries quite often at home. I like the red and green curries. I had mutter paneer on Monday, bulgogi and kimchee on tuesday, and might have fried chicken on Friday.

As far as on topic, I have always seen it like two cousins living on opposite sides of the country, might not always see eye to eye, but mess with them and you mess with us.

ArbeitsSchu wrote:Special relationship? It always rather worried me how little mutual respect there is for the other partner in the alliance. Admittedly its mutual dis-respect but still, you would think we would be a little less rude about the other sides fighting ability/diet/whatever considering we are supposed to be on the same damn side.

Its a pity Obama seems to show that same lack of respect from time to time.

I couldn't agree less with this mate, ive spent a few years in the States, and the people there genuinelly are lovely to us. They seem to be almost universally polite to British people, I always chat to random people when I go out because i'm a big mouthed bastard, but in the States they really do like an Englishman, they know and admire our monarchy, our military and our culture. I had the guy in passport control shake my hand when I told him I was a RM and went to Iraq a couple times, people try to buy me drinks often and regularly, the women always love the accent and bizarrely think we are "smart" (and try to shag me but then Im essence of man so i cant say that for everyone) and I generally have a ball whenever I go back to see the family.

Over here however, 50% of the people we meet start their first sentence to my American missus with "You know what annoys me about Americans?"

I know its all down to two unpopular wars and Bush and its not genuine eminity because we are two close countries but still, Yanks are waaaaaay more happy with us than we are with them, and I get pissed off when random strangers give my missus gak. Its happened about ten times in the past couple of years, whereas in a few hundrerd piss-ups in the US I have never once had any gak for being a limey, other than a single episode, where a particuarly drunk hick was offended that my missus said she wanted to move to England.

Its the Brits who lack respect, not our colonial cousins!

Dice_Junkie wrote:Honestly we're glad to still be allies, and friends with the brits. You only have a couple little things that irk us. But they're small. The spice girls for one. Y'all could have kept that one over there. The second one is the whole drinking warm beer thing. Really? Also soccer and rugby. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's fun, but there is only one football, and it includes 300 pound men and armor, and really hot cheerleaders, and COLD beer.

Other than that, no real qualms. After all you guys gave us Ozzy, the beetles, russel brand, fish and chips, chicks with hot accents, minicoopers, monty python, and benny hill.

Not to mention how british chippies love us "american cowboys". Free 'tang included with every overseas trip.

We had to get rid of them somehow.

I dunno where you've been drinking, but after spending as much time as I have freezing my giblets in a cold beer cellar, I guarantee you the beer isn't warm. Mid you, ours has a decent amount of alcohol in it.

Granted OUR football lacks cheerleaders or armour, but what it lacks in those it makes up in involving "feet" rather than "carrying". For the rest, we just have Rugby, where large gentlemen run into each other at speed..without armour.


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mattyrm wrote:

ArbeitsSchu wrote:Special relationship? It always rather worried me how little mutual respect there is for the other partner in the alliance. Admittedly its mutual dis-respect but still, you would think we would be a little less rude about the other sides fighting ability/diet/whatever considering we are supposed to be on the same damn side.

Its a pity Obama seems to show that same lack of respect from time to time.

I couldn't agree less with this mate, ive spent a few years in the States, and the people there genuinelly are lovely to us. They seem to be almost universally polite to British people, I always chat to random people when I go out because i'm a big mouthed bastard, but in the States they really do like an Englishman, they know and admire our monarchy, our military and our culture. I had the guy in passport control shake my hand when I told him I was a RM and went to Iraq a couple times, people try to buy me drinks often and regularly, the women always love the accent and bizarrely think we are "smart" (and try to shag me but then Im essence of man so i cant say that for everyone) and I generally have a ball whenever I go back to see the family.

Over here however, 50% of the people we meet start their first sentence to my American missus with "You know what annoys me about Americans?"

I know its all down to two unpopular wars and Bush and its not genuine eminity because we are two close countries but still, Yanks are waaaaaay more happy with us than we are with them, and I get pissed off when random strangers give my missus gak. Its happened about ten times in the past couple of years, whereas in a few hundrerd piss-ups in the US I have never once had any gak for being a limey, other than a single episode, where a particuarly drunk hick was offended that my missus said she wanted to move to England.

Its the Brits who lack respect, not our colonial cousins!

Clearly we are speaking to different Americans...and I mean that literally. Generally it seems that forces personnel do better in the "respect" stakes, I imagine because having to catch the same bullets is a great equalizer. Though I can't help but think that being a Royal might have an effect on how people deal with you. "Hi, I'm a double-hard ten foot tall killing machine." tends to generate a modicum of respect in people.

biccat wrote:
Talking during "God Save the Queen" and trying to make a toast before the song had finished was the failure in question.

No, in general, conductors are informed of the procedure involved in such a toast prior to the event. If there was a mistake, and it may be that the intention was for Obama to speak during what was very low music (you'll note that he said "propose a toast" prior to the music playing, but no one raised their glasses, and he was very clearly wearing a mic), then the mistake was the conductor's. I'm inclined to believe that there was no mistake though, and that whomever planned the event made a poor choice.

By and large most people in Britain will complain about other countries. This is mainly because complaining is a very British thing to do. There isn't any actual malice behind it but America tends to be a good target for complaining about.

Most people, upon discovering someone from America, will ask questions and generally think it is awesome. I was on my way home form a party once and ended up drinking with some American lads who were very nice people though they couldn't hold their drink all that well.

However you do get the odd collection of w****rs that decide it is acceptable to insult a person to their face when they have no reason to do so.

Special relationship! You call this a special relationship?

In the 1770s they turned their backs on the greatest country on earth. Then we had the war of 1812 and Andrew Jackson attacking the Brits a week after the peace treaty was signed. Then we had the Munroe doctrine which tried to thwart peaceful British interests in south america. In the civil war we had the trent affair and the north's efforts to stop our peaceful blockade runners. Then they accused of of having plans to capture New York in '62 or 63.
They were late in WW1 and in world war two they gave us duff rifles in 1940. Post war, we bailed them out in Korea and negotiated a good deal with Ho Chi Minh to allow Nixon to bring the boys back home. In the 1980s they invaded Grenada, a peace loving commonwealth nation, and Reagan got a deserved whack from Maggie's handbag. in 2002, the author of this piece was almost run over by an american tourist driving on the wrong side of the road. An american girl I knew dated me for three weeks and ran off with one of my friends... The bitterness...

biccat wrote:
Do you really understand the difference between a mistake and an intentional act?

Mistakes can also be intentional acts. Your emotional bias against Obama is compromising your judgment here.

biccat wrote:
I suppose it could have been worse, he could have given the queen an MP3 player with his speeches, given a (wrong region) set of DVD's to the prime minister, and then had someone in the state department say "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."

Fething idiot in chief.

Wait, are you trying to insinuate that protocol breaches are only a level above explicit insults?

Do you punch people who greet you awkwardly?

dogma wrote:

biccat wrote:
Do you really understand the difference between a mistake and an intentional act?

Mistakes can also be intentional acts. Your emotional bias against Obama is compromising your judgment here.

No, they're not. Mistakes are by definition unintentional. Your emotional bias against Bush is clouding your judgment.

dogma wrote:

biccat wrote:
I suppose it could have been worse, he could have given the queen an MP3 player with his speeches, given a (wrong region) set of DVD's to the prime minister, and then had someone in the state department say "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."

Fething idiot in chief.

Wait, are you trying to insinuate that protocol breaches are only a level above explicit insults?

No, just pointing out that the present administration has worked its way to the bottom, diplomatically speaking.

dogma wrote:Do you punch people who greet you awkwardly?

Sometimes, yes. It depends on how awkward the greeting.

ArbeitsSchu wrote:Though I can't help but think that being a Royal might have an effect on how people deal with you. "Hi, I'm a double-hard ten foot tall killing machine." tends to generate a modicum of respect in people.

Im only 5 foot 9 mate, but yeah your right i'm fething nails.