Too many Union Jacks say Labour MP’s !

maddyone

Your post at 16.07 exactly reflects my point of view too Dickens.

My daughter lives in New Zealand at the moment. She is trying to come home (long story.) She wants her children to understand and identify with their culture, the country they were born in. She is also teaching them about Maori culture whilst they are there, and I really enjoy learning about that too when we visit. However I don’t want to live in NZ, beautiful as it is. I really enjoyed being there on Waitangi Day this year and learning about the history. I like history and I’m interested in other cultures, but I always want to come home to Britain.

... that's interesting maddyone.

I've always understood the NZ is a lovely location - and a good life can be lived out there, it seems.

Why would you not want to live there - bit of a direct question, but I don't think I would, either, and I am curious?!

I understand your daughter wanting the children to come back and learn about - and experience - their native culture, too.

My eldest grandson (16) who lives in SA is planning to return to live here again (he went out when he was 6) - apparently every time they are over to visit, my grandson tells his parents afterward that - it feels like "home".

It must be a lovely thought that you will have your daughter and grandchildren back here in the UK.

Maddyone - have you watched Mississippi Burning

maddyone

We actually visited Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. So not Carolina. I’ll do a new thread tomorrow zakouma. I’m sure others will have interesting holidays to talk about.

Please do start a thread - like others, I'm interested to hear about your experiences!

Dickens it’s another one that really requires a long answer and also some intimate details I don’t want to post on the open thread. In short, my daughter was in a controlling relationship, and although they are divorcing, the control is still going on, or trying to anyway. The whole situation is going through the courts so I don’t want to say much more here.

You’re right, NZ is beautiful. Lovely for a holiday. The people are poorer than here generally which is probably why houses are cheaper. They are also very isolated because travel to anywhere requires a long journey but also is expensive. Health care is actually worse in many ways than it is here. Daughter is a doctor so able to tell me about it. The possibility of retirement there is impossible unless you are rich because the government want a bond from you for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Food is very expensive. Entertainment is extremely expensive. There is less choice in the supermarkets and shops, although there is more than enough. And most of all, it’s just so very far away from everything I’m used to, such as easy travel to Europe, and even America seems close compared to NZ. The culture is similar , but not the same.

I hope my daughter and children can come home but it is by no means certain. The laws although based on British law, are years behind. For example, coercive control is illegal in the UK but not in NZ. There are other examples too. Women, in my opinion, are disproportionately disadvantaged by a rather different legal system.

Hope that answers a few questions. It’s a rather potted version.

Iam64

Maddyone - have you watched Mississippi Burning

Yes, we saw that a while ago. I was sickened by it if I remember rightly. I should rewatch it I think.

It’s terrifying that the film shows events during our life time in the USA

maddyone

Dickens it’s another one that really requires a long answer and also some intimate details I don’t want to post on the open thread. In short, my daughter was in a controlling relationship, and although they are divorcing, the control is still going on, or trying to anyway. The whole situation is going through the courts so I don’t want to say much more here.

You’re right, NZ is beautiful. Lovely for a holiday. The people are poorer than here generally which is probably why houses are cheaper. They are also very isolated because travel to anywhere requires a long journey but also is expensive. Health care is actually worse in many ways than it is here. Daughter is a doctor so able to tell me about it. The possibility of retirement there is impossible unless you are rich because the government want a bond from you for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Food is very expensive. Entertainment is extremely expensive. There is less choice in the supermarkets and shops, although there is more than enough. And most of all, it’s just so very far away from everything I’m used to, such as easy travel to Europe, and even America seems close compared to NZ. The culture is similar , but not the same.

I hope my daughter and children can come home but it is by no means certain. The laws although based on British law, are years behind. For example, coercive control is illegal in the UK but not in NZ. There are other examples too. Women, in my opinion, are disproportionately disadvantaged by a rather different legal system.

Hope that answers a few questions. It’s a rather potted version.

I completely understand you not wanting to share too much information. I wish your daughter and children all the very best in what is obviously stressful circumstances (I have personal experience of coercive control, the escape from which is nerve-wracking to say the least).

That's an interesting 'bio' of NZ... it's all very well living in a beautiful country, but if travelling around it is prohibitively expensive, it loses its gloss. I didn't realise that food was so expensive either.

I suppose coercive control is a relatively new 'thing' in legal 'circles' - but it does show you that we are ahead of the game here in the UK.

Nope - definitely not a country I'd want to live in.

I really hope your daughter and grandchildren can come home.

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Bitter......just saying!

I have reported your post ROBRDEL. That isn’t the way we speak to one another here.

Spuddy - I’ve reported your post which seems to me to breach guidelines

If people don’t like our national flag, I suggest they go back to where they came from

For goodness sake it's a flag! A symbol of our country which has certain things to be proud of, and many of which to be ashamed, like, I would say, any other country. I am willing to bet that there are very few countries who have not perpetrated some atrocities in the past. We shouldn't be continually guilt-tripped, surely? And once again we see the term 'far right' being thrown around. I think people have a right to defend our (I say 'our', but as I am half Irish and half Belgian they are not strictly mine, which may be one reason I can see they are valuable!) culture, and to resist its erosion by politically correct, 'woke' doctrines. I use the word 'doctrine' advisedly. By no means am I anti-immigration, and I am very pro helping genuine refugees, but people are afraid now to speak up for common sense about whom we let into this country. This makes certain groups, who believe they are suffering through an influx of 'foreigners' feel very embattled. Everyone should have a voice, surely, we should resist pejorative labels and confront 'liberal' politicians who preach such doctrines as 'inclusivity' without having to live close to its results.

There is a major difference between Nationalism and Patriotism. I am not a Nationalist. I am a Patriot and I am proud to be British and I am proud of our flag. Our Nationality is part of who we are. A person should not be ashamed to be proud of who they are and no-one should ever be made to feel ashamed of their Nationality or indeed apologise for being patriotic.

Paddyann54. “Butchers apron” is it? And yet the saltire is represented there. That once proud nation reduced to a dull stain in the north of the Kingdom ruled over by a Muslim who can’t tell the difference between men and women and who has brought in laws to punish those who can! How the once mighty are fallen! I’m deeply ashamed of my Scottish heritage now and so should you be. You’re brainwashed.

Sheer and utter rubbish, they have chosen to live in a country whose flag is Union Jack, it is utterly ridiculous to complain , unless of course they are being used as an excuse to remove the flag by left wing Labour mps who seem to denigrate the UK at every opportunity

Hear, hear.

Show me a national flag with no negative history and I'll show you a liar. All our histories are messy - we can still take pride in the good.

Totally agree - imagine any other country accepting this! Are we ruled by those that don’t like us?

Both idiots, we left the European Union not Europe, utterly pathetic

What an utterly ridiculous, asinine comment, the satire is on the Union Jack you sad delusional member of the cult, you represent everything that is wrong with Scotland today, the SNP who have spent 15 years creating division and destroying Scotland, now the vile hate law, designed to restrict free speech and criticism of the Scottish government, harking back to a regime that the founders of the SNP were sympathisers of

Blimey, are these comments for real or have aliens landed?

Or is somebody talking to themselves?

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It’s OUR national flag, if people don’t like it, they can p—s off