Macky
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  • Hello Macky,

    A private message as it is off topic and I am sure many members have never heard of Brian Sewell . David Starkey deliberately provokes which is why he gets such lovely amounts of money on television. But I am curious; what is your beef with Brian Sewell? Regards as ever David
    Hello Macky,

    We are getting nowhere on this.

    You tell me that I am arrogant and absurd - though I am surprised that this is done "with respect". I am not aware of being arrogant or absurd though I would guess people are not usually aware of them and you may be right.

    I take it that you accept that rightly or wrongly, sensibly or absurdly I am telling the truth that I feel the monarchy is part of my identity. The scenes from the Royal Wedding suggest that there are many other people in England who feel like this.

    With regards and real respect

    David
    Hello Macky,

    I have tried many starts but I have to stop myself writing an essay

    The part of your sig that says “You are born free, you should live free and die free” is not a problem for me. The part that says “_______ all political elites” does not worry me although most sigs are intended to be funny, baffling or uncontroversial.

    You believe I am deceiving myself over the monarchy I feel you are deceiving yourself over it not being connected to your nationality. The wounds (many of them recent) of what you rightly call our “troubled” history and I would add “complex” history run deep – the Irish republic is perhaps the only country where a visit from the Queen is seen as controversial. For the Irish being a republic is as fundamental to its identity as being a monarchy is to me as English (I will not presume to speak for other nationalities within the UK). It is difficult to imagine an Italian or a German feeling so strongly about the British Head of State. I believe that even if unintentional the attack is an attack on the English.

    It is clear that my perception of the monarchy is totally different from yours though just as deeply felt,

    Rightly or wrongly people in the UK do not feel less free than those in republics such as Germany or Italy. As for equality one of my proudest boasts is that I would be pleased to see again anyone I worked with whatever their position in “line management” and I believe they would be pleased to see me. In my experience the least equal country is republican Austria. Suffice to say I can reconcile my belief in freedom and equality with being a monarchist though I am aware this would not convince a committed republican.

    There are many people for whom the monarchy is a fundamental part of their identity. I am an atheist but for me to have a sig which said ******* Jesus would be to attack people on a forum that was primarily about football and not about atheism. A gay person would be hurt by a homophobic sig although certain Christians might believe the comment was correct. In the same way a sig against Mohammed would be out of place in a forum which bring s together Leicester fans.
    How would you feel if someone had a sig that expressed a hatred of the Irish. Although you may find it difficult to understand an attack on the monarchy is an attack on part of my identity.
    Hello Macky,
    I hope you will have a re-think about the slogan at the bottom of your posts. I realise that you live in a republic and have strong views about England and her History. We have sparred amiably on a number of threads over the year but it may be that you do not realise how hurtful that slogan is.
    Regards
    David
    Hello Macky,
    I quoted something you said on a long ago thread over the dinner table recently and got a reply that might interest you. I will admit that I did not mention it being a football forum since my host and hostess are non-football and the other guests probably much the same.
    I did a favourite litanty of mine that usually amuses especially with the last line: "Every country has a job for those people who are really evil but do not have the courage to become gangsters. In Britain they become journalists, in America they become lawyers, in Italy they become accountants and in France they become waiters."
    As one of the guests was an Irishman I added that an Irishman once told me that in Ireland they become priests. I was surprised at the vehemence with which he agreed and then added "The Christian brethren are even worse - real sadists."
    If you and he are at all representative of Irish opinion it does seem to me that the Church must be in real trouble in Ireland.
    I thought you would be interested and as a point of principle I usually like to let people know when I have quoted them.
    Cheers
    David
    As the debate on Scottish-Scots-Scotch fades this is just a note to say that I enjoyed your and Jeff's posts. Of course I deliberately used an unusual word to provoke a response and this turned out more interesting than I anticipated. One of the things I most enjoy about the forum is the way a thread can develop a life of its own independent of the original post.
    I have sent a similar PM to Jeff.
    Cheers
    David
    Hello Macky,
    I have enjoyed our recent "sparring". There was a danger that my reply to your most recent list of points could go on forever. I thought I would give a private reply to the comment about preparing to invade Iraq before 9-11.

    My Republican sources are very unrepresentative being confined to two families who were very active in Nevada (though not important) in the 1990s but are now elderly were still active at the time of 9-11.

    When Bush came to power they were both very isolationist and would not have favoured losing American lives in foreign wars. The 9-11 attacks changed all that and they wanted to "sort out the whole Arab mess" and to put it crudely they would have been furious with any American President who had not got revenge. I am aware that the neo-cons in the government had always believed that it was necessary to create at least one "American style democracy" among the Arab states. I genuinely feared a second attack on Syria. However, I do feel Bush attitude before 9-11 was for less expenditure and tax cuts. Even from Democrats I got the feeling that the President was expected to take dramatic military measures after 9-11.

    I try to be tactful because I want genuine opinion not toned down for some "liberal Englishman" but apart from defending "socialized medicine" I have made the point that Iraq had made it more difficult for the British parliament to suopport any further American military action. I have also strongly said that I do not believe any British or Australian government will risk a soldier's life on the judgement of a future President Palin.
    Of course my samples are so small and unrepresentative that they can lead to errors one of my Republican sources (who are not racist) told me it would be at least twenty years before America had a black President. This was echoed by a black Democrat activist in her early fifties from Georgia who told me that there would never be a black President in her lifetime. This led me to tell my niece in 2007 "Obama no chance in hell. It will be Hillary versus McCain". A blunder of which I am regularly reminded.
    Hello,
    My typo was so ujnfortunate and your comment was so correct that I thought I would send my reply here in case you missed it on the thread:
    Macky you are absolutely right. It was a most unfortunate typo and absolutely unintended. Sir Bobby Robson might well have found my mistake funny but I don't. I am a great admirer of the late Sir Bobby as I am of Sir Alf.
    Regards
    David
    I've no idea teddy boy, hadn't even noticed. I'll bet it's the forum software recognising me as the best ever, most vitally important poster ever on talkingballs. Ever.
    Either that or your PC is ****ed.
    You're brilliant you are Macky mate, in fact you are the best ever, most vitally important poster ever on talkingballs. Ever.
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