I really don't get British patriotism at all. If you've got a shred of human decency or empathy, a shared history of violent oppression and imperialism should be enough to put you off. If you don't have any empathy or human decency, what the fuck are you celebrating? Sure, we had an empire once - now we're basically hanging around behind the bigger boys and sucking up to them. What's there to feel proud about a collapsed empire that's basically all but an extension of US geopolitical will?
I've found that while most Americans will at least pretend to be sorrowful for slavery and the genocide of the Native Americans. On the other hand, I've met more than one Brit who has tried to defend their empire and openly pine for its return.
The UK needs nothing less than a century of humiliation.
I'm not sure there are many things more humiliating than being Bri*ish.
Our textbooks basically go like this:
Norman conquest. Tudors - King Henry and all that. (This bit is safely in the past so it tends to be taught without all the flag waving patriotic bollox)
Slave trade - it was really bad. But Britain made it illegal! Yay! Go us! (No, please don't focus too much on any of the fine details OK?) Empire - ummmmm.... it was big and we built some railways. Depending on your history teacher you're gonna either get something of an insight into the horrors of it or it'll be glossed over because weirdly enough it's never in the test.
WW2. That's the bit where the evil Soviets and Nazis signed a dastardly pact and carved up Europe. Fortunately plucky Brits persevered and liberated Europe. Some stuff on Russia etc. Mostly following the lazy narrative of "Eurasian hordes"
And yeah, that's about it - or at least it was a couple of decades ago when I was at school.
It's like Trump's dumb signature on the stimulus checks, but without actually having anyone to appeal to.
It stems from the idea that the EU marketed itself well by visibly sticking the EU flag on everything that is EU funded, and the reason why Scots, Londoners, Scousers, etc like the EU more than the UK gvt is that the UK government doesn't market the things it does patriotically enough.
Not saying its right, but that's the logic - its not meant to be some threat about withholding medicine, its meant to say "hey look, the British government does stuff too"
It's only fitting that the Butchers apron is plastered over a shoddy vaccine that had its price drop recently because US banks don't believe the science is good enough behind Astrazenicas vaccine and they don't believe "it'll ever be licensed in the US"
https://www.wired.com/story/the-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-data-isnt-up-to-snuff/
Balkanise UK plz soon Scotland
Not all hope is lost. If the two dose method works the vaccine is salvageable. I'm just hoping this vaccine works because it doesn't require insane storage or transport requirements so it could be quite helpful for the global south. Maybe China can help again though, they said they're looking into giving African countries their vaccine
Could be a good idea to the British gammons/chuds to take it, but for export? Fuck no :ukkk:
