"When you were rhapsodising over village greens, cricket and spitfires, I told you that this chocolate box vision was somewhat undermined by the realities of the past: rural poverty, enclosure, childhood disease and death, and the many iniquities of the class system.... "<<<<<<

No, you told me that my words about England, which were in fact my actual memories too, did not exist, expect on biscuit tins. I have since assured you, many times over, that they actually EXISTED and still do, in many parts of this country. Just a few weeks ago in Torquay they were all out playing cricket on the green there, with the church spire in the background and the sea to the front.

It exists. It has always existed. It is PART of English culture, both past and present....and future.


What you **actually** said was this.....and I have taken this from a PM you sent me a while back:

"...What I actually said, after a long, misty-eyed bout of whimsy from you about spitfires and cricket and church bells and village greens, was (and this was a thought that has since been echoed by many of your countrymen) the England you were trying to conjure up was a sentimental image that ony existed on biscuit tins and Hovis adverts, and it did not take into account the real, multicultural society that we live in...."


"...You responded (and this is the important bit) that I would have to have "England running through every part of me" to be able truly understand your vision. The implication being that, as I was not born here, I could never properly understand or appreciate England in the way that you could...."

You took that to imply what you wanted it to. And I told you that if I had gone to live in America, then I would still never know that country as well as you, still never have the memories you have because you have half a lifetime's more memories of America than I do and always will.

I would never dream of telling anyone that their actual memories did not exist, apart from on biscuit tins. (!!)

I have SAT on village greens, heard the sound of leather against willow..whilst the bells rang out the hours...and it is a vision I love.

I have never seen the Notting Hill Carnival, apart from on the news, because I have never lived in Notting Hill. It looks great fun in some parts and a bit dodgy in others when things get a little out of hand. I have seen the Glastonbury/Bridgwater Carnival of Lights, though, because I used to live down the road..but that ain't on Albion Heart either.   And things can get out of hand in Glastonbury too sometimes.



"And the fact is that the real, living breathing England of 2009 has, for the majority of people, regardless of culture or origin, a lot more to do with urban culture and diversity than the treacly, whimsical nonsense you were espousing at the time. You would not accept this."

I still don't accept it. England is not 'urban culture'...it is a huge variety of cities, towns, villages, countryside, beaches, coastline, lakes...Urban culture is not and never has been a part of my life, because I have never lived in a city. And that is a hanging offence????????? I identify far more with cows, sheep and tors, than I do with urban culture and clubbing....Yeesh!



"You also went on to launch one of your nasty, hysterical attacks on my culture."

In what way? Was it baseball caps? Gawd...I hate baseball caps, always have done, always will do. Terrible invention! I also dislike Corporate America, but then I loathe Corporate Britain too.

I seem to recall saying that if I had launched the 'America No Thanks' campaign, instead of Ian Anderson, then I'd have been called a racist, but because Ian did it, it was seemingly OK.


"That's whay I called you a racist."

Then you were wrong, weren't you.   


"I think the things you said at that time were at the very least xenophobic, at worst racist. I find the Daily Mail, red-top politics you continue to espouse deplorable. I didn't apologise then and I don't now. "

I would not accept your apology, after reading what you put about me on Facebook, so that truly is of no importance to me.


As I recall you inferred my father was a facist, simply because he used to read the Daily Mail. Whoa!!! The fact that Dad went to war er...AGAINST facists obviously completely went over your head then?????

I'm puzzled about the Daily Mail Leftie Hysteria, it has always puzzled me. It's the top selling paper in the country, it launches blistering attacks on the BNP, it often has very intelligent pieces in it which are anything but racist....so that must mean that most people in this country are er...racist then?

Of course it bloomin' doesn't.

The Daily Mail phobia within the Left is bizarre. I've always found it bizarre and always will. I'm not an Extremist of Left or Right, I support no particular party, because let's face it, they're all crappily corrupted....but I love my country and I have true and beautiful memories of it, some of which come only from yesterday, not purely decades ago.

I find The Sun far more worrying, and The Mirror, with their dumbed down words and nude women plastered everywhere, coarseness and vulgarity on almost every page.

What is it with Newspaperism in the folk world in England. WHY do you judge people on the papers they read? It's so weird!

I don't care about the colour of anyone's skin, nor their religion or background. I don't see people as 'class' but as people, pure and simple...yet I am a racist xenophobe facist.   

Cool, huh?

I do judge people though, but only on their souls....