THE BRITISH THREAD II

Seems like Frau Hinteler's darling boy is showing the Scottish upstart how the game should be played.

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Until they get here, then they decide that the U.S. is very accomodating. The children are encouraged to "feel" American, in my opinion. Also, in my own opinion, certain nationalities are paranoid about assimilating. British that are here for jobs might kid each other about "becoming a Yank"; however, I don't know what they do when their kids turn out to be Yanks?

Without the revolution we'd not have the Second Amendment carved into stone. I'd rather die than give that up.

Other than that, I'd be happy to still be part of the Commonwealth. Lots of first rate music comes out of the UK.

I've thought about playing a redcoat in Revolutionary War battle reenactments, though I've never done so.

Second Amendment and redcoats, hmmmmm.....

I see you tend to be on the losing side of the argument.

Ten days on, what better place to celebrate Bastille Day than in the British thread!

Anyone see The Last Leg last night. It was worth it just for this.

Doesn't show here until mid-week - but I usually watch it.

Just started watching The Crimson Field.
That's some good stuff you lot throw our way.

The Second Amendment reigns supreme here in the US.

Did anyone catch the penultimate stage of the Tour de France up the Alpe d'Huez?

(It's relevant here because a Brit was in contention -- and ultimately won.)

Great team tactics by Chris Froome's Sky team, and even better teamwork by the runner-up, Nairo Quintana, and his Movistar team.

Not all stages of the Tour have much going on in them, but this year was fun, because the best climber by far, Quintana, went into the last two alpine stages down by 3 minutes. Froome was a broken man by the end of it, but he just about hung on.

He was a bit tired, that's all. Too many interviews, I suppose.

I was under the impression he'd had to put up with a lot, unsubstantiated rumours of drug abuse and being spat on by the crowd. That takes its toll on anyone.

I believe you are being a bit unfair. I think my earlier reply was quite polite and in keeping with the question.

I believe the essential answer is that very few Americans even think about the question anymore. While our history is short by your standards, it has been fairly replete with significant events, the Civil War and the mass immigrations of the 1860 - 1920 period, perhaps the most significant. Both fundamentally altered our historical trajectory from what might have been had we followed the examples of (say) Canada and/or Austrailia.

Perhaps even more significant is the fact that America was settled by (mostly) Englishmen who were bent on escaping some element of British rule or society, some religious, others economic (Georgia was settled largely by British debtors). With that in mind it is highly unlikely their progeny would settle for increasingly British and increasingly remote rule. They had been left to themselves for ~ 150 years, and resisted mightily when, after the Seven Year's War, Britain attempted to integrate them into the colonial order as a matter of fact as opposed to the mere theory of it, which had persisted until then.

The American colonies thought of themselves as self-governing right from the start, and rebelled once George III attempted to make it a fact.

In short we were never really a part of the British Empire.

A sober analysis.

I like to think it as a victory of commonsense and of stout British settlers rebelling against the administration of a German king and his mercenary army.

HOW DARE YOU !!

Its spelted 'Straylya .

That's a more or less equivalent analysis and I wouldn't dispute it.

Apologies to Ionus for my misspelling of Australia