Why 2015 Will Not Be A Very Good Year For All Those Who Are Anti-English.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/11316078/Battle-of-Agincourt-and-Winston-Churchill-remembered-in-year-of-English-celebration.html

Forget those who would wish the words England or the English to be no longer mentioned, 2015 is the year of the English, so forget the British and even the Brits.

[boxtops]

That's just stirring it up - the English are English, British is all-encompassing.

[andy-hughes]

How much these anniversaries affect any individual is a matter of personal choice -

for you AOG as a proud Englishman, they will be times of note, for me, not so, they will pass by virtually unnoticed.

Each to their own - as our system allows, I am delighted to say.

[ummmm]

Who would wish that the words England or English not be mentioned?

I think you're imagining things!!

[youngmafbog]

Going to be a rocky ride during 2015 for a fair few ABers then !

[Old_Geezer]

The English, the English, the English are best,
I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest.

:-)

[sp1814]

AOG

You said that you found the word 'Brit' offensive (in the discussion we had over the 'P' word to describe people of Asian descent).

Are you okay with the word now? I ask, because I accidentally used it in a question I posted earlier this year...

[youngmafbog]

ummm, there are many left wingers ( and the liberal chattering classes) who would love to see the end of anything English (and usually British too).

They usually try and associate the English flag with the far right in an attempt to stifle any Englishness.

Just look at the actions of a certain Labour MP in recent months.

[andy-hughes]

youngmafbog - "ummm, there are many left wingers ( and the liberal chattering classes) who would love to see the end of anything English (and usually British too).

They usually try and associate the English flag with the far right in an attempt to stifle any Englishness."

Are you sure?

Is it not more the case that some people think that 'Englishness' does not denote some sort of pre-ordained ownership of a section of the planet, but that it is simply a (seriously fortunate) accident of birth - which is my personal stance on the issue?

[DTCwordfan]

There's plenty the Scots will be celebrating - the 550th anniversary of the first ever recorded hog of Scotch by one Friar Cor and Alexander Graham Bell and his infamous device, so it's not all one way and neither should it be. That remark of yours serves to be inflammatory against the Union.....

Actually, AOG, Agincourt proved to be not as glorious as you hint at, the Dauphin, so depleted of resources, called on the Scots (15,000 of them) to fill in the gaps and they beat the English at the Battle of Bauges, killing the Duke of Clarence, to then be feted by the French perhaps to the point of overdoing it, the Scottish army suffering an inevitable slaughter shortly afterwards at the Battle of Vernuil.

However, the point being that this intervention of the Scots prevented the English from seizing a huge chunk of France to bring it under the control of London, the time allowing les Grenouilles to regroup themselves.

Useless info is that Earl Douglas, who led these 15000 troops was made Duc de Touraine.

[youngmafbog]

Many people are proud to be a member of their country and we are not just talking England here, indeed in some countries you would be up against the wall for your post there!

You, of course are entitled to your views so long as you dont try (or belittle) others with a different view who are proud of their heritage.

[andy-hughes]

youngmafbog - "You, of course are entitled to your views so long as you dont try (or belittle) others with a different view who are proud of their heritage."

I would never belittle anyone for having a different viewpoint from me - but I may take strong issue with it.

[youngmafbog]

//That remark of yours serves to be inflammatory against the Union..... //

And the Scottish would never do a thing like that of course ?

[youngmafbog]

Andy, I thin you will fins on the the topic of Nationalism around the World - you are in a minority.

And quite often you do come across as rather pious I'm afraid.

[jim360]

2015 also marks the 250th anniversary of one of the more ludicrous pieces of English legislation, the Stamp Act of 1765, that in the long run helped to trigger the events that led to American Independence. And the 300th anniversary of the first Jacobite rebellion. And the 200th of the Battle of New Orleans, which the English lost, and marked the end of the "War of 1812". And the 100th Anniversary of Churchill's most notable failure, Gallipoli, or the first Zeppelin bombing raid. Or the 50th of the Maldives finally gaining Independence.

No doubt the Anti-English will have plenty to look forward to in 2015...

[youngmafbog]

And to which side do you fall then I wonder jim?

[DTCwordfan]

The point is that each of the 4 countries that comprise the Union have anniversaries that they can celebrate. 1415 is simply not exclusively English. Let each celebrate their own but please let's understand that Agincourt is not some joyride to celebrate in the manner of Shakespeare's scribing and eulogising.

Agincourt was almost a disaster, Henry the Vth saved by some atrocious weather that bogged down the French heavily armoured knights and then the brilliance being that the English withdrew up the slope to make them ride further across the marshes towards their pallisades and, behind them, there were the archers who caused all the damage. The others did relatively diddly squat. However, it wasn't a pretty sight as Henry V had more prisoners than troops, so many of the French were executed there and then - that isn't so glorious.

Anyway, by 1428 it was largely all over as Joan of Arc came on the scene and the English were gradually pushed out of the Loire Valley and Normandy up to the end of the 100 Years war in 1453.

This period was also pretty catastrophic for the English financially with all that it took to hold position within France at this time and this is thought to be, a priori, the main driver for the Wars of the Roses (1455).

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

No I still find it offensive but had to put it to get my point over, fortunately we are allowed to use it without it being censored, which only goes to prove another point.

[jim360]

Oh, ymb, you're too predictable sometimes! I'm not being entirely serious. But the point I'm making is that with care you can pick a set of anniversaries to make English history look however you want it to look. We've done some great things and some not-so-great ones, and neither should be overlooked. Saying so is hardly anti-English.

Agincourt is too far away to be celebrated, but I'll be on the lookout for the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of Churchill's death.

[jennyjoan]

don't know the about the English

but my my motto

is TO TRY AND NOT WORRY ABOUT BEING NICE 24 HOURS OF THE DAY - SO WHAT - IT WHAT IT DOESN'T GET ME ANYWHERE.