I am glad to be British because

All in all, this is a very good country to live in. It is not perfect, of course, and improvements could be made - nothing is perfect except the Garden of Eden, where the gate has been locked for millennia. I am not sure I would have wanted to live there in ignorance and obedience anyway.

We should be trumpeting the good things as much as we complain about the shortcomings, not be always running down our country like bad-tempered old vinegar spinsters and banging on about past guilt and present problems. That is not to sweep them under the carpet, it is to do the same as we do for our children - encourage with praise where it is due.

The post copied and pasted is not the post I referred to which said -

Not sure what to add , as so many have already given all the good reasons , this is still a great country to live in , despite the few who obviously would be happier elsewhere.

Rosesarered, you spoke of those who had posted good reasons and added despite the few etc. So I cannot apologise because I really do believe you were speaking of some on this forum, they were in the same sentence

And on your other point, Ab, Wales is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so the Union Flag is your flag whether you like it or not and whether you choose to ignore it or not. I have always thought it a pity that a Welsh symbol is not part of the design; St. David should have got himself a cross.

Being half English and half Welsh I have three flags at my disposal, so I choose to fly none of them, but I am relaxed about those who do unless they are BNP, etc.

Amen to that.

grumppa and I know Wales is party of the UK, I have said I do not support the home rule for Wales, I want Wales to remain part of the UK, I do not have to acknowledge a flag which does not acknowledge my country

You have made the choice to read certain things into my post that are simply not there, Anniebach,or do you feel guilty for not joining in with everyone and saying what is great about Britain?

I didn't say I knew any fascist thugs, loopylou.
I said I wouldn't know if whoever flew the flag was a fascist thug or a patriotic gransnetter. And I wouldn't knock on the door to find out, or buy a house next to someone who flew the flag, just in case it belonged to a fascist thug.
What would you do?

It's not just about a flag you know, it's about everday life and the good things we take for granted.

I feel no guilt rosesarered, I did add a post but was hesitant in saying more than I did , I decided to wait

So most of those posting are glad to be living here, despite the petty squabbling that seems to be breaking out in the usual quarters?

Elegran, you most of those posting are glad to be living here , I haven't read one post which says differently

I would have thought that everyone on here was glad to be living here, where else is better after all?

Shall we have a rousing chorus now of the National Anthem?

And a bit of flag waving, like the Last Night Of The Proms.

It doesn't take many drops of acid to spoil something, does it? What started pleasant and upbeat can turn depressing in a few seconds and be past saving again.

I don't see any posts which say they don't like living here, but I do see a lot which say (silently) that they don't like the people who also live post here.

Delete "a lot" and replace it with "some"

I am going to have to change my name.
People seem to be attributing remarks to me on all threads and attributes which I do not claim to have because some posters think that all people with similar names are apparently the same person (or clones)

Or just call me quartzie

You never said a truer word Elegran, so I am singing the National anthem right now to feel good, well, humming it anyway.
do you know, it works, I feel better already.

I hope you are not claiming my witty ripostes as your own RQ?

Has anyone realised we are identical twins?

A rose by any other name...

I think that we should all be grateful for what we have in this beautiful country. I have lived overseas for over twenty years until recently and can say hand on heart that there are not many other places in the world that are so humane, courteous, well-mannered and tolerant as Britain. You don't know what you've got till it's gone - appreciate it!!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Jack#/media/File:Union_Flag_(including_Wales).svg

Could this one be introduced?

When you finish the national anthem, you could start on "I vow to thee my country" or "Jerusalem" or maybe "Land of soap and water".