I saw Prof. Timothy Garton Ash interviewed on BBC World television May 24 about President Obama’s visit to Britain, in particular the statement in a joint newspaper piece with Prime Minister Cameron that “Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship – for us and for the world [the article was in the Times, pay firewall; the text is here at the No. 10 website]”. The professor quite realistically pointed out that the relationship was essential only for the UK, merely “important” for the US – along with quite a few other countries including France, Germany and Mexico. Look who’s missing. The Brits really do tend to find Canada invisible, in large measure a hangover of imperial arrogance.
“,,,in large measure a hangover of imperial arrogance.”
,,,in large measure a result of Liberal Party of Canada’s neglect.”
FIFY
And then I am expected to be excited about royal honeymoon. They are lucky they did not come within spitting distance from me.
Ha..
Canada is just another British territory,
and you know how Obama feels about that.
–
The Brits would enjoy/love you more if you got rid of all those French.
…. just joking,
and I changed my email address.
bambam dated the register at Westminster Abbey as May 24 2008 so maybe he is asking for a do over.
Frankly does anyone really give a damn?
England is a dead horse State on its last legs, before becoming an Islamic slave state.
They did it to themselves by voting in worse nuts than anyone else for entitlements that mean nothing. Elitists Stole their own money to keep them in poverty, ignorance & blind to the invasion of thier Island.
All for socialism.
I love Englands past achievments. The fact is Britian does not exist any more. Its just an Island of the coast of Europe, run by socialists . Its more a Mafia state than Italy.
It why no one cared about a royal wedding. The royals
shinanigans have made them a farce.
AyT one time it was beacon of light just like the US. Now the Us is sinking into the same swamp of leftism.
JMO
Hmmmm so we are invisible to the English and unknown to the French.
Next time the Wehrmacht decides to march west I suggest we do no go over and bail out the Slimeys by defending their tiny little island from the Boche and never, ever, ever again fight on the soil of France to redeem the useless honor of the Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys.
You should all get together and write a letter to the Times. I am sure that people in the U.K. will drop everything and reconsider their patronizing attitude towards their former colony and the second biggest economy in the Commonwealth, oh wait, maybe third now that India is off the dole.
Or maybe hell will freeze over.
Just take my advice as one who has ties to the UK and knows the outlook in London — don’t waste your time, the only important places on earth are London, Paris, New York, DC, and Moscow. Everywhere else is some village full of peasants.
If you don’t like it, take a number, nobody on earth likes it except the residents of London, Paris, New York, DC and Moscow. And a few hangers on in places like Ottawa.
Next time the Wehrmacht decides to …. Posted by: Fred at May 24, 2011 5:25 PM….
I whole heartedly agree …. and this is exactly what should have taken place in 1914.
The problem now is that it would not be Germany but Russia seeking to diversify it’s economy with some strategic aquisitions…
Canada isn’t even close to top-of-mind for anybody in Europe. When I was in Crete in June of ’07, I had a friendly chat with a local grocery store owner who tried to identify where I was from from the accent of my English. She started with the big ones (Britain, Australia) and when I kept saying “no” (with a slight smile on my face) she went down the list of every English-speaking country she could think of.
When I finally said “none of those” she asked exasperatedly “Well, what’s left?” “Canada.”
“Oh, Canada,” she said, somewhat dismissively. It was obvious to me that she almost thought I was cheating, somehow.
Perhaps being ignored by Britain, the larger Euro-stans and, most of the time, the US, is no bad thing. Viewed from Toronto, of course (The CBC and the Annex in particular) Canada is being watched and judged all the time by these international powers, at least if you count the number of times one of the TO crowd claim that Canada is “a laughing stock”, “a fascist state”, “a genocidal tyranny killing indigenous people”, a “poverty Hell” (all taken from CBC, Globe and Mail and Toronto Star blog commentators).
More brits are fleeing Britarabia than they are reproducing new ones. Care to guess where all those Socialists’ brits are going to emigrate to? Canada, I’d rather take refugees fleeing Africa than socialists twits from Britianstan.
In 2003 and 2004 I spent some time in Saudi Arabia. I worked with an Australian who remarked, when we were introduced “Canada. Now there’s one place you never hear anything about.”
Canada is a wallflower…accept it.
The fewer of them that think about us the fewer of them that come here to stay. That’s a good thing…
As John Rambo once said, “**** the world”.
The sadder part of the equation is the Canadians who pine for attention from these other states.
I should probably throw my two cents into this discussion. I’ve gotten around, having lived in China and Australia. No, the world doesn’t know, but more importantly, doesn’t WANT to know anything about us or our country.
I’ve been spit on, I have even had a co-worker tell me to my face that she “hates Canadians”. She was a Chinese woman, who had lived once in Germany, and had an American boyfriend (who couldn’t find New York City on a map, and he was a graduate student!). She thinks Canadians are boring. The next day she asked to borrow some DVDs and CDs from my personal collection. Boring, but with good taste, aparently.
My life’s work takes me abroad a lot. Most of the abuse I suffer is because I’m an American, or so they tell me. Even after confronting and talking to these people, they refuse to acknowledge our existence. My first week in China, I was staying with a friend and her parents. One night her uncle, who had visited New York City and Washington, D.C., came for a visit. He would not look at me or speak to me, but he certainly spoke about me (“the American”) in Chinese. Apparently he was treated poorly in the States. I tried to explain that I came from a different country and was a wholly different person than the people he came to know during his trip. I grew up on the border, so no one has to illustrate for me the differences between the two! I was an eye-sore to him, he didn’t care, and that was that.
Fortunately, Australians are different, they are our younger brothers we never hear of. One mate of mine dreams of coming to Canada one day, thanks to National Film Board documentaries narrated by Donald Sutherland. The Commonwealth is still very important down there, though I am familiar with Pommy apathy. I know to many Australians and New Zealanders the Queen and the Commonwealth are a large part of their identities. I only wish it were more important here. In my travels people from the Commonwealth have been the most friendly and outgoing people I have ever met (excluding several Englishman of course, and this is coming from someone who has Englishman in his family!)
These experiences have made me a better Canadian, I don’t give a damn what the world thinks, and I appreciate the Commonwealth and Queen more. It’s hard talking to Canadians of course, who care so much about what others think, and feel nothing but apathy towards what it truly means to be Canadian. Luckily the sun is always shining in Queensland…
“The Brits really do tend to find Canada invisible, in large measure a hangover of imperial arrogance.”
And this is a bad thing because???? We are upset by the fact a soon-to-be Islamic sultanate
doesn’t know we exist?
Name me two VIP’s from Englaistan in the last 50 years besides Winston and Maggie? (And NO…Elton John and Boy George does not count)
The sadder part of the equation is the Canadians who pine for attention from these other states.
Posted by: Jeff at May 24, 2011 7:47 PM”
what jeff, you dont know Canadians are famous for that starting at the personal level all the way up?
No doubt Britain has turned into a pile of cr@p, and cares little for Canada.
So why is Canada fighting their battle in Libya?
old Lori: “So why is Canada fighting their battle in Libya?”
We sent what, four planes? Half the air force its true but still, only four.
Frankly I think its -awesome- these British turds forget about us. Americans too. If they can’t remember you’re there, they can’t pick your pocket can they?
I wish we could get the f-ing Chicoms to forget about us. That would be excellent.
Canada has always been invisible. In Britain, in Europe, in the US. Outside of Canada, we do not exist. That’s why I have to laugh at Layton’s comments regarding Canada’s great reputation and importance on the world stage and how Harper is undermining our good graces. Really? Canada undermined? Overmined? In the minds of most Europeans, particularly the Brits it’s…oh nevermind.
I don’t care that Canada is off the radar elsewhere in the world. I’ve traveled extensively, and as much as I find other countries fascinating, I’m always glad to return home. We can keep our little secret – best country in the world.
Canada has always been considered the wallflower cousin to the US and Great Britain, and beige in the colours of the world. While it shouldn’t matter that much that a dead-in-the-water Great Britain ignores Canada, it’s the principle of the thing. We were integral enough to Great Britain when it wanted to build its empire and they relied on us when the US was fashionably late during WWII. We did the heavy lifting and bled the fields and this the thanks we get?
Enjoy the decline, as is said, guys.
Better to be invisable than a target.
Some good news from Canada – for the good guys….fresh off a smashing victory – love that line…http://quitenormal.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/canadas-harper-will-not-support-obamas-aushwitz-lines-for-israel/
I don’t care if the Brits and others don’t know about us, I just wish the Somalis and Pakistanis didn’t know about us.
If Canada had their wits about them they would have joined the Americans in 1776. People left Europe for a good reason. My forebearers have been here for 250 years and I cannot thank them enough.
I appreciate what Britian gave the world. Democracy, a judiciary and common law. But their interests are not ours. Canada went to Afganistan because there was a security threat, OK. Why we are in Libya is a mystery to me. At best this is a European responsibility. As the EU decends into bankruptcy what new responsibility will they unload on us? Nato is dead and has been for 15 years. Canada should be spending their military $ in North America not Europe or the ME.
I respect the institutions that Britian has given us but do not respect the monarchy and the sideshows that entails. Canadians who grasp at the monarchy as an identity that differentiates us from the USA should reflect on that for awhile and reconsider what is important to a country.
> I appreciate what Britian gave the world. Democracy, a judiciary and common law
CT,
Common law is a dead end.
Remember how the lawyers used to carry those nice leather portfolios around? Fast forward 21st century they are dragging around the roller suitcases.
The volume of precedent law is growing exponentially. Knowing it is impossible even in the age of computers. Complying with it is impossible. Every country practicing English Common Law is sliding into abyss with costs of law enforcement skyrocketing and government bureaucracies running wild.
What’s there to appreciate?
Well we are equal then. Most people in Canada don’t give a ****/know about anything that’s going on in the UK.