"great" britain

[c_dug]

This is something ive been trying to grasp for a while now.

As a country we are tiny, we're in serious debt, and whilest they may be very experienced our armed forces tend to be using fairly outdated technology.

So what makes us such a great country in world terms, we always seem to be sticking our nose into other peoples buisness but with what right?

We're not really a superpower like the USA, Russia or China, we dont own much in the way of oil or any other usefull natural resources, what exactly do we have going for us?

Fair enough a few hundered years back we ruled most of the world but these days we can barely control half a dozen chavs in a park let alone another country!

I dont get it! anybody care to set things strait for me? why exactly are we still seen as such a great/powerful nation?

c_dug
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

[Bishbash]

I feel the same in a way, that's why there are a lot of our expats in a lot of other countries.

But we are not exactly going to change our name to 'mediocre Britain' are we.

But on the flip side of that coin I think it has only been like this in the last decade or so. We were a huge power in the WWs and stuck it out with the best of them. And we were great and led by great people.

At the moment we are not led by great people and dont really work together as a country to live up to our name.
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[Skudd]

just think, most countries have our language as their first or second language, our laws or legal system has been adopted by many lands, we have the best army, even though it may not be the best equiped.
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[chris-red]

Maybe it is because when had such a high GDP for the size of our country.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)


Also our standing in the world and the fact we are a "super power" even though we are a tiny little island.

The fact we won 2 world wars.

The fact we had the the biggest empire in history at one point not too long ago (1922)

There are many things that make this country great, and I am proud to be from it.
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[Hetzer]

Nukes. Especially the ones on the subs.
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[Fawbish]

Great Britain has "little man" syndrome.

No-one can quite tell why they fear it slightly, but they do.




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[c_dug]

[hellkat]

The point of the Great in Great Britain is for egotistical purposes.

It works well when you REALLY believe the nomenclature.

If you BELIEVE you are great, then you will be more likely to actually be great (or at least a percentage of it).

The problem with this country is that people are starting (exactly as you have) to question whether "we" (and I use this term advisedly, not actually BEING British myself) really are great.

Of course you are.

Just not as great as New Zealanders.
New Zealand is in just as diabolical situation as the UK, maybe not quite so bad - due to not having the really rather careless loss of the british-empirical thing to cope with, but NZers (and Aussies) just have this mentality of "Fuck we're great". And so they are.

's all about attitude to oneself, innit.

Well, fukkit, I know what I mean.
But then I would, cos I'm great, you see
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[c_dug]

meh, im half irish but historicly ive got even less to be proud of on that side (no offence to any irish guys here) apart from some nice scenery. (It has to be one of the most beautiful and underated countries ive been to, if you ever get a chance to go around the ring of kerry, take it )

Back to good ole' britain anyway, We dont have much in the way of industry anymore, we dont have much in the way of mining either, pretty much all we do have at the moment is tourism, i guess thats something were not going to loose either since as a nation we have so much history.

c_dug
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[UnknownStuntm...]

I thought "Great Britain" was just a name. Just like Barney, or Gladys.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[hellkat]

She was lying. All Catholic girls take it up the arse.
Saves with the hassle of Vatican Roulette.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[Skudd]

is that why you don't get Gay Jews? Too tight arsed no matter how much lube you use.
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[Itchy]

[st3v3]

As Hellkat said, when you truly believe you are great, you are. McGee always spouted stuff and how great he/his stuff was, sometimes subtly and all the young types from then loved him, hell I kinda miss him about.

We are great, because we say we are although if we're invaded between now and new year, we'd be fucked. I do't know how may troops etc we have here but I know I read a paper sayin we have less than 15 aircraft in active service.

Think all these chavvy types would be handed an AK47 and told to shoot the foreigners....
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[Kickstart]

Hi

I thought it was that it was that Britain was a part of England, Wales and Scotland. And adding the rest of England, Scotland and Wales just made it Greater Britain (same as Greater London). Over years it just got reduced to Great Britain.

All the best

Keith
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[LeeR]

Politically the United Kingdom consists of Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) & Northern Ireland.

The name Great Britain was coined by the celts from Bretagne (aka Brittany) when they came here they kinda noticed that these islands were a bit bigger than where they were from. So they called it bigger Bretagne, Grand Bretange (Greater Brittany) or as we know it roughly translated as Great Britain.

So the common misconception is that it's great as in a great place to be whereas it's actually grand as in big, see Wikipedia arcticle: Great Britain - Etymology so what's being described is the quantity not the quality.
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[c_dug]

When i used the title i meant it as a kind of double entendre, with added sarcasm via the inverted commas, im well aware that the great in great britain isnt an implication of how great a nation we are

english AS level pays off

c_dug
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[colin1]

[colin1]

[Silver]

[c_dug]

i think people are starting to miss the point a bit here.

c_dug
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Hetzer]

[plugger147]