Britain - The Official Thread

[TenEightyOne]

Clexit. The white cliffs head for the mainland.

 

[Keef]

Clexit. The white cliffs head for the mainland.

Looks like somebody's land just dropped in value.

 

[PeterJB]

Looks like somebody's land just dropped in value.

And elevation.

 

[UKMikey]

There'll be bluebirds under...

 

[Tired Tyres]

Clexit. The white cliffs head for the mainland.

Remainer wanting to become French.

 

[Keef]

Is this a real idea? CANZUK? What a ridiculous idea. The whole reason all these countries are separate is because common defense, politics, and economics were impossible to sustain and more expensive than they were worth. This stinks of old British men in parliament hungry for the days of the Empire, or desperate because they've realized their mistake of leaving their closest political and economic allies. It seems like this idea is coming from the UK...I wonder if they realize that Canada, Australia, and New Zealand don't need their help because they haven't ruined the local relationships that made them prosperous.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Is this a real idea? CANZUK? What a ridiculous idea.

It's worse than that.

The whole reason all these countries are separate is because common defense, politics, and economics were impossible to sustain and more expensive than they were worth.

Also because the post-annihilation occupants of European heritage gained independence from Hanover.

The difficulty with the CANZUK idea is that it's neo-colonialism. Proponents of the idea often use the term "ethnically British", which is difficult in itself because the people who the English called "British" wouldn't pass that test, and there is no such thing as "ethnically British".

Drilling down into that term usually reveals "white people" somewhere in the thinking. CANZAC is, of course, only interested in predominantly-white territories, for some reason the most populous parts of the ex-Empire are ignored. BANGUK would be great, and also a very successful video spinoff.

 

[TenEightyOne]

A great tweety thread on Britain, and it's so true. Language warning, because it's about Britain.



EDIT: The bathroom in our new gaff had a "mixer" tap, that was removed almost immediately, two normal taps were installed.

Mixer taps? Mixer taps? Bollocks to that.

 

[Roo]

EDIT: The bathroom in our new gaff had a "mixer" tap, that was removed almost immediately, two normal taps were installed.

Mixer taps? Mixer taps? Bollocks to that.

Never understood the 2 taps thing.

Meanwhile, in the toilets of one of our yards at work:

I'm sure the fact that most of the workers there are Brazilian or Romanian is purely coincidental.

 

[UKMikey]

EDIT: The bathroom in our new gaff had a "mixer" tap, that was removed almost immediately, two normal taps were installed.

Mixer taps? Mixer taps? Bollocks to that.

I would hate to take a shower at your place.

 

[Keef]

Even Cuba had mixer taps when I visited. Make of that what you will.

 

[MatskiMonk]

If I'm filling a bath, or a sink, I want separate taps. If I'm washing my hands, I want a mixer tap.

 

[PeterJB]

Separate taps are advantageous if you have a dodgy boiler because you have the option of washing your hands in ice cold water for 20 seconds or washing your hands in scalding hot water for 20 seconds and then having the central heating running for the next four hours.

 

[Liquid]

Patron and patronise is not unique. There are plenty of verbs whose related nouns have different pronunciations.

record and record
close and close
desert and desert

It's not unique to Britain.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Manc power, 70 year old from Oldham becomes oldest man to row across the Atlantic without assistance.

 

[Keef]

If I'm filling a bath, or a sink, I want separate taps. If I'm washing my hands, I want a mixer tap.

Still no. When I was a kid it was still common in the US to have a hot and cold knob with a single tap on all faucets but since then even that has gone out of style. If your goal is to achieve a certain temperature then why not simply have one mixer knob, one tap, and turn the knob to the correct temperature? No need to use both hands when one hand will do. The other hand can be used to change the channel on your bathroom television which is also becoming popular in the US.

Patron and patronise is not unique. There are plenty of verbs whose related nouns have different pronunciations.

record and record
close and close
desert and desert

It's not unique to Britain.

The difference is that patron and patronize have the same root and same subject, patronize being the action that a patron does or receives. Those other words had the same root millenia ago but since then have come to refer to related but different subjects.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Still no. When I was a kid it was still common in the US to have a hot and cold knob with a single tap on all faucets but since then even that has gone out of style. If your goal is to achieve a certain temperature then why not simply have one mixer knob, one tap, and turn the knob to the correct temperature? No need to use both hands when one hand will do. The other hand can be used to change the channel on your bathroom television which is also becoming popular in the US.


The difference is that patron and patronize have the same root and same subject, patronize being the action that a patron does or receives. Those other words had the same root millenia ago but since then have come to refer to related but different subjects.

Probably because the cold water tap is potable so okay for drinking and the hot tap isn't so isn't. Mixing them is not sensible.

 

[TenEightyOne]

The difference is that patron and patronize have the same root and same subject, patronize being the action that a patron does or receives. Those other words had the same root millenia ago but since then have come to refer to related but different subjects.

Patrons patronize places so they're very much of the same subject. Of course, a chef can also be a Patron (pat-RON, ze French way) but that's a term you won't often hear outside the kitchen trade.

 

[Keef]

Probably because the cold water tap is potable so okay for drinking and the hot tap isn't so isn't. Mixing them is not sensible.

How is the hot water not potable? It comes from the same source as the cold water and just gets heated in a tank and fully replaced within two days of normal use. If you're on vacation and it sits in the tank for a week it could grow bacteria but it stills has to defeat the residual chlorine in the treated drinking water which can still be tasted.

What sort of water heating solutions does the UK use?

 

[MatskiMonk]

What sort of water heating solutions does the UK use?

Pretty much the same, but I've seen older systems (like our water heater at work), that weren't sealed units. If the lid wasn't seated correctly, all kinds of **** could end up in there.

edit: my parents old house had an open cold tank in the loft too, I think that fed the hot water tank, and/or made sure there was always decent pressure in the taps. It was an old house.

Non return valves also weren't regulation up until a while ago, so a sudden drop in water pressure could suck the water out of your cistern, and then push it back out your tap later on. This has happened locally to me within the last 6 months.

The most vomiting I've ever done (think Team America) was thanks to drinking water that had stood in the pipes of a new build I'd moved into. Literally, I was blasting vomit from my nose. It lasted about two days. I don't really mess about now when it comes to drinking tap water. It'll mostly be fine... but occasionally it isn't.

 

[Famine]

edit: my parents old house had an open cold tank in the loft too, I think that fed the hot water tank, and/or made sure there was always decent pressure in the taps. It was an old house.

Ours did too, and it was one of the most common house types you'll find in the UK: a boomer-era council build semi. In fact I live in another one now, 81 miles away in a straight line, only this one was built in 1974 (and a little smaller) compared to 1964 for the house I grew up in.

I think it was something like a 10-gallon header tank in the attic, fed by the cold pipes and... pretty much open. That fed the boiler ("water heater" in US parlance) in the airing cupboard below it and that provided pressure by way of gravity for the hot water pipes and radiators. Back in the day though, bathroom taps weren't potable - safe to brush teeth and rinse, but not drink - and tasted obviously of fluorine just to remind you.

Like most houses now, we have a condensing (combi) boiler with a fully pressurised system. As the water into the boiler has to be free of impurities, everything passes through a filter, and technically you can drink any of it... even the outside tap for the hose (though... no).

 

[Biggles]

It's worse than that.



Also because the post-annihilation occupants of European heritage gained independence from Hanover.

The difficulty with the CANZUK idea is that it's neo-colonialism. Proponents of the idea often use the term "ethnically British", which is difficult in itself because the people who the English called "British" wouldn't pass that test, and there is no such thing as "ethnically British".

Drilling down into that term usually reveals "white people" somewhere in the thinking. CANZAC is, of course, only interested in predominantly-white territories, for some reason the most populous parts of the ex-Empire are ignored. BANGUK would be great, and also a very successful video spinoff.

It's worse than worse than that. Canada never really was an "anglo" country, because the other founding national group was French ... & they (not surprisingly) have nothing but antipathy towards the British colonial past. More importantly, the population of "English Canada" is increasingly not English (or British) in origin. The demographic reality is that Canada has a very low birth rate & the growth in population comes entirely from immigration. In Toronto more than 50% of the current population was born outside Canada ... & very, very few of those immigrants are of British origin, with 60% of the immigration coming from China & India. In short, Canada is becoming less "British" by the year & is very unlikely to want to tie its economic future to the fading importance of the British Isles, looking instead to the US & (increasingly) to Asia.

 

[TenEightyOne]

There are suggestions that the Queen, given aforesight through Queen's Consent of a bill that would see her private wealth published, sent her lawyers to lobby against it. A revised, non-offending draft was then submitted, claim the Grauniad. I suspect this story might pass un-noticed for many, there are after all worse things going on in the world... but this goes to the very heart of our post-Civil War parliamentary democracy. If it's true it's appalling.

And if she does a runner to Canada it'll serve them right.

 

[UKMikey]

And if she does a runner to Canada it'll serve them right.

I wonder how the québécois would react to that.

 

[TenEightyOne]

I wonder how the québécois would react to that.

Fetchez la vache!

 

[UKMikey]

Fetchez la vache!

That's no way to speak about our monarch.

 

[Keef]

Ours did too, and it was one of the most common house types you'll find in the UK: a boomer-era council build semi. In fact I live in another one now, 81 miles away in a straight line, only this one was built in 1974 (and a little smaller) compared to 1964 for the house I grew up in.

I think it was something like a 10-gallon header tank in the attic, fed by the cold pipes and... pretty much open. That fed the boiler ("water heater" in US parlance) in the airing cupboard below it and that provided pressure by way of gravity for the hot water pipes and radiators. Back in the day though, bathroom taps weren't potable - safe to brush teeth and rinse, but not drink - and tasted obviously of fluorine just to remind you.

Like most houses now, we have a condensing (combi) boiler with a fully pressurised system. As the water into the boiler has to be free of impurities, everything passes through a filter, and technically you can drink any of it... even the outside tap for the hose (though... no).

Speaking of living in a similar house to what you grew up in, what is the culture of home aspirations like in the UK? I've had questions about the terraced house style before but they seem so ubiquitous that a person could expect to live their entire life in one, maybe be lucky enough to find a different floorplan. Over here most of us won't achieve much more than our parents did but we still have the option of living in a completely different apartment style or house style than what we grew up in. Many family members I know who have moved several times, each place they'd lived in is a completely different layout or size than the others. It seems like almost every city has almost every concept of housing you could think of to choose from. I assume the British culture of housing desires is completely different so what do young people with new jobs aspire to? Is there any "aspiration" for housing or do they focus their efforts elsewhere?

 

[Liquid]

Speaking of living in a similar house to what you grew up in, what is the culture of home aspirations like in the UK?

Quite basic; to have somewhere to live.

 

[Famine]

Speaking of living in a similar house to what you grew up in, what is the culture of home aspirations like in the UK?

Quite basic; to have somewhere to live.

Pretty much this.

Some people really want a new build. I think they're largely dreadful and flimsy, and built in absolutely ridiculous places that flood for fun, but at least their electrics are up to code.

Others prefer something older, like the things built pretty much from the 1920s through to the 1980s; I'm forever finding DIY bodges in mine though (and probably would in my old house, though my parents bought that new in 1964 and stayed there until death/2006 so they'd be to blame for that) and we've had to redo much of the utilities and glazing in here.

I'd discount a terrace out of hand, no matter where it is. Mid terrace gives you terrible access and a grossly increased chance of having a party wall with a tosser. End terrace gives you terrible access. All give you every noise made in any of them transmitted right the way through. Same with flats and apartments, and anything with multiple properties sharing a front door.

Personally, I'd wager that almost everyone would want a nice, secure, detached property if they won the lottery. Though really we've not been a culture of homeowners until the 1950s, and maybe even as recent as the 1980s with "right to buy". Only a quarter of the population owned their own home in the 1910s, and only a third in the 1940s. It's around two-thirds now.

 

[Sprite]

Speaking of living in a similar house to what you grew up in, what is the culture of home aspirations like in the UK? I've had questions about the terraced house style before but they seem so ubiquitous that a person could expect to live their entire life in one, maybe be lucky enough to find a different floorplan. Over here most of us won't achieve much more than our parents did but we still have the option of living in a completely different apartment style or house style than what we grew up in. Many family members I know who have moved several times, each place they'd lived in is a completely different layout or size than the others. It seems like almost every city has almost every concept of housing you could think of to choose from. I assume the British culture of housing desires is completely different so what do young people with new jobs aspire to? Is there any "aspiration" for housing or do they focus their efforts elsewhere?

For me I grew up in a 3 bedroom Mid terrace Council House (Ex Council now as my parents bought it so years ago) and its a vastly different layout to the 3 Bedroom Mid terrace (Technically an end of terrace as we have an airgap of about 5mm between us and the house on our right when facing the house from the street). The one I own now is a late Victorian terrace and typical of the red brick type terrace houses. My parents house is much roomier in floor space but lower celling heights and more typical of Post WW2 Council houses.

Incidentally My parents house has had 4 Generations of my dads family live and grow up in it. Some of my Aunties and Uncles were born in it too. My house still has some of the old bakerlite fixtures.

As for aspirations personally I aspired to own my own home, I just didn't want to continue to live on a council estate (I believe in the USA you call them The Projects?) so I stayed in the same Village but moved onto a quieter more affluent (I'm using this term loosely) street. Money dictated the size and area I could buy in. If I could I'd move to a bigger and detached house.