The captain of the Italian liner is making me quite proud to be British at the moment!

All those fine Britons that fell defending these lands against the foreign Saxons, Angles and Jutes (Englisch). 😉

TandemJeremy – Member
Still Leonard Cheshire.

Not one person on this thread to touch him

Leonard Cheshire’s missus.

just to prove the above statement wrong

rightplacerighttime – Member

[quote]For all your rationalisation, I”m not sure it’s possible to be quite so “lone fox”[/quote]
My old English teacher once gave me a 5 word quote as a report: “No man is an island” (John Donne) 🙂
I’ve always been proud to be an individual.

I’ve never really ‘got’ team sport either.
As for the tour, I’d be happier to see Jens Voigt win a stage than Cav…

Living:
Jonathan Ive
Ian Callum

Dead:
I.K. Brunel
Alan Turing

Equal tie between Wordsworth and Darwin.

George W

Hmmm,

Having the same nationality as someone else who’s successful, bringing about pride in ones own nationality?
Interesting concept…

I am neither Proud nor displeased at being born British, it was an accident of birth…
I contributed in no way to the achievements of other notable British citizens, therefore for me to take pride in their work sort of denegrates it to my mind and is a tad jingoistic really…

Are you asking us to name British people whom we admire for their achievements?

If so then I’d go with…

Brunel…

Maybe Leonard Rossiter…

Or Lady Di cos she hugged that AIDS kiddy, defused some mines or something and had lovely hair…

Equal tie between Wordsworth and Darwin.

To be decided on penalties?

DLG

slowrider – Member

“TandemJeremy – Member
Still Leonard Cheshire.

Not one person on this thread to touch him”

Leonard Cheshire’s missus.

just to prove the above statement wrong

LOLZ

Do you know who it was? Sue Ryder

yunki – Member

“Christopher Hitchens”

troll surely..?

Why would it be a troll ? Many people recognise Christopher Hitchens as a towering giant of a man who’s life had a profound effect on millions of people throughout the world.

As this letter published in the Guardian shortly after his death clearly shows :

Christopher Hitchens, by common consent the greatest man of the last century and probably in the entire history of the world, has just died. But this fact has been shamefully ignored by the Guardian. So far I have only found half the front page, a double-page news spread, a cartoon, a leader, a full-page obituary and half Simon Hoggart’s column. Where are your priorities? Can I look forward to a special supplement soon?
Linda Evans
Chiswick, London

Having the same nationality as someone else who’s successful, bringing about pride in ones own nationality?

Of course – basic psychology.

1. See someone from the same place as you achieve something.

2. Somewhere in your soul you would like to achieve something too.

3. Being proud of that person who shares something with you (nationality) is telling yourself you could share the other thing (achieving) too.

Not sure what the psychology of trying to rationalise that away is?

Sir David Attenborough and
David Niven, who was a man of integrity, a gentleman, clever and funny.

George Mallory.

I’m not British 😐

Of course – basic psychology.
1. See someone from the same place as you achieve something.
2. Somewhere in your soul you would like to achieve something
too.
3. Being proud of that person who shares something with you
(nationality) is telling yourself you could share the other thing
(achieving) too.
Not sure what the psychology of trying to rationalise that away is?

What I’m pointing out is that what you describe as national pride is simply mediocre people engaging in jingoism. Name checking the great achievers who also happened to hold a British passport just highlights how shite the rest of us really are…

This is the face of modern British achievement:

I’m so proud of this great notion of ours…

Can’t say I’m proud to be British, or Scottish, regardless of who else might be… But this chap makes me feel pretty OK about being human. I’m just a big speciesist.

Wills and Kate for me.
SB

what you describe as national pride is simply mediocre people engaging in jingoism.

Not at all.

There may be some people like that (BNP, EDL etc.) but thankfully these people are a tiny tiny minority.

When my mum (far from mediocre) gets excited and starts yelling at the TV in support of British athletes I’m pretty sure she’s not also wanting to put other nationalities down.

In fact we can all think better of any country when we think about the exceptional people that it has produced.

My nan
A mate at my work
My bestest friend

When I saw this thread it was Leonard Cheshire that came to my mind – my lad had to write an essay about someone he admired at school and was struggling to come up with anyone other than Steven Gerard. I suggested LC – he read about him and them based his essay on him and stood out from all his classmates who did choose celebs and sports people.

I also admire Churchill -he had many faults but these were eclipsed by his virtues – the world would be a very different place if he had not been the PM in 1940

the world would be a very different place if he had not been the PM in 1940

Why’s that…….didn’t the British people want to fight the Nazis ?

Good ol’ Winston ……. saved us all from Hitler.

Of course the world would also be a very different place today if Pearl Harbor hadn’t been attacked……. good ol’ Emperor Hirohito – he never got the credit he deserved.

Of course the world would also be a very different place today if Pearl Harbor hadn’t been attacked……. good ol’ Emperor Hirohito – he never got the credit he deserved.

Isn’t this the point of the thread? Which person has done something that has brought out the best in the British?
And if that is the question a valid answer would be Hitler, no? He was responsible for defining the modern Britain, wasn’t he?

Another vote for Adolf……..the world would be a very different place if he had not been made German chancellor in 1933.

When my mum (far from mediocre) gets excited and starts yelling at the TV in support of British athletes I’m pretty sure she’s not also wanting to put other nationalities down.

In sporting events more satisfaction is to be gained by choosing a side to support, the only differentiator being nationality. I was happy to see England retain the ashes in Australia, but I don’t know if I’d describe the emotions I experienced as pride. How this relates to science I have no idea.

In fact we can all think better of any country when we think about the exceptional people that it has produced.

I see what you’re saying, but all countries has produced some dispicable people too, so we’re back at square one 😕

Keith lemon

Someone said Ernest Shackleton ,one of my hero`s but born in County Kildare