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The new face of Britain?

P

Prestwick

Guest
The British flag has always been a source of argument. Is it too old? Is it too patriotic? Is it not patriotic enough? Should Scotland have more prominence in the flag? What about Wales? Northern Ireland? Should it just be the English flag?

Well chaps FEAR NOT! For the Japanese have taken on this burden and given us new flag designs and then some MOAR!!! First of all though...the winner of the contest is:

flag27.gif


f***ing badass eh? Screw your multicultural, "lets please everyone" South African style flags when we can just have a flaming skull from a Japanese animation stuck on the front!

Anyway, behold just some of the entries from our tiny friends in the Far East:

flag18.gif

flag32.gif

flag25.gif

flag24.gif

flag17.gif

flag27.gif

p1.jpg


The New Face of Britain?
Japanese want Buster Bloodvessel on UK flag

The Telegraph did post a rather amusing comment about Foreign bemusement over why Brits go on all the time about incredibly trivial matters which would have absolutely no bearing on any serious matter if they were to be changed!

There is widespread bemusement on the site as to why Britain is considering doing away with a symbol that many seem to have more pride in that Britons.[/b]

The nice thing is that if you look in the comments area, the usual pointless argument between liberal luvvies and right wing nutjobs about whether or not to drop the union/queen/other-thing-which-isn't-broke-but-needs-changing-for-no-reason has been RUINED by billions of Americans from various Anime forums over there rampaging around with Gurren Lagan quotes! Genius XD

EDIT: and before you ask...no, Australia can't incorporate this new and cutting Union Jack design into its flag, although we would be receptive if we relaced the skull with a superimposed image of a fat, balding Australian drunkard beating someone up on a beach near Sydney...
 
EDIT: and before you ask...no, Australia can't incorporate this new and cutting Union Jack design into its flag, although we would be receptive if we relaced the skull with a superimposed image of a fat, balding Australian drunkard beating someone up on a beach near Sydney...
[/b]
Sounds like a Pommie tourist to me. :)
 
Okay okay okay, here we go then. This is what Australia's flag would look like upon the adoption of the new supa-dupa-Union-Jack-replacement.

australianflaggp3.jpg
 
Actually no, I think Australia is an independent nation and should go forward to emphasising its OWN heritage.

With this in mind, lets remove the symbol of British tyranny from the flag and replace it with a symbol of AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE:

australiaga9.jpg


AUSSIE PRIDE!!!1121
 
Actually no, I think Australia is an independent nation and should go forward to emphasising its OWN heritage.

With this in mind, lets remove the symbol of British tyranny from the flag and replace it with a symbol of AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE:

australiaga9.jpg


AUSSIE PRIDE!!!1121
[/b]
It's funny how you Poms and the Yanks go on about the Aussies being convicts yet our nation is infinetely safer then both of your countries, it seems Australia moved on from the past while your criminal tendencies were simply left to fester and expand. Come for a visit Prestwick, you can actually walk the streets without getting mugged!
 
I think what Brodizzle meant to say was that, while our gun restrictions actually work and we have a falling violence related crime rate, Australia is infinitely safer for Australians

For clarification, if you do choose to visit and waltz around Bondi clad in strap sandals + white socks, like a lot of English people before you, you will face a short future of confinement and brutal torture that we can only assume you deserve.

Prestwickrape.jpg
 
I wouldn't really hark on because I think Australia has serious problems of its own that it seriously needs to address. The idea that Australia has "moved on" contradicts its sometimes desperate and usually comical search for a national identity other than one which links back to the UK. Paul Keating and his adventures trying to sell the idea of Australia being an equal partner in Asia back in the 1980s is just one chapter of a litany of embarrasing drunken cultural fumbling.

I don't deny that we have problems with crime, but there is crime and then there is media hype. I've lived in several cities in the UK in England and Scotland and walking home late at night I've never really felt that at any moment in time I could be mugged. I mean, seriously, if you just use common sense like in any Western nation then you'll be fine. I can assure you though that the UK has been a bit more liberal and progressive than Australia ever has. I mean, Australia were still confiscating porn from visitors well into the late 1960s and early 1970s, just ask my Dad, 3 Para had all their porno mags nicked by Australian immigration in 1969!!!

If you really want to be informed, the number one crime is drunken fighting on a Friday night. Something which, I can assure you, is a problem throughout the Western world.

In any case, this is what happened next on the beach...

raephn0.jpg


Andy Sheridan can wear what he likes on Bondi because, lets face it, there isn't anyone man enough so far in Australia to match good ol' Andy on the field anyway...
 
Well, looks like this was more serious than i first believed, but if I've learnt anything over the years, it's that the internet is serious f***ing business; this obviously being no exception.

"The idea that Australia has "moved on" contradicts its sometimes desperate and usually comical search for a national identity other than one which links back to the UK"

-Interesting sentiment, happens to be one that I don't really disagree with, in any societal context. If you read any of the wankers that constitute the contemporary western literary canon, they will tell you that a homogenous (and fictional) construction of nationalism is one of the precepts in creating a stable nation-state. That, by homogenising separate 'nationalisms', a diverse and highly opposed polity may be influenced and indeed mobilised by the employment of a mere few catch-phrases. Indeed, Australia is a poignant example, so is the United Kingdom.

I finding it rather ironic in the extreme, that in a topic dedicated to what can be fittingly described as a desperate and comical search for national identity, you see fit to criticise Australian conceptions of group nationalism.

Some kind of competition was run to define a flag which best represented the U.K. The winner, you described as a f***ing badass flaming skull from a Japanese animation series, and then in your next breath turn around and criticise the Australian identity and bust an ovary because some customs officer (a.k.a the most reasonable people in the world) stole some porn from your dad (thus reflecting on the whole Australian population...obviously). What's our reaction supposed to be, I mean are you purposefully trying to abase your argument by presenting it in the most unfortunate context and basing it on the most generalised dictums possible?

"I can assure you though that the UK has been a bit more liberal and progressive than Australia ever has"

O'rly? That's interesting, so all the time i've been studying both English and Australian Common Law and subsequently researched examples of Aussie judicial activism that have been later appropriated within English case law, i was obviously mistaken. Your dad had his porn confiscated in 1969, 'nuff said aye?

Shall I continue? I can; previous euthanasia legislation, equitable practice reform, there is quite a bit. Both the United Kingdom and Australia have made gains (and also taken steps backwards) within different areas, and by no means is it a simple matter of "U.K > Australia". If I made the opposing claim when i'm in the U.K tomorrow, i'd save other people the trouble and consider myself a bigot.

As for the Sheridan dig? A 60% win ratio over England in RU (an Australian minority sport), good cricket history, and far superior medal talley in both the Commonwealth and Olympic games will do me over just fine.
 
-Interesting sentiment, happens to be one that I don't really disagree with, in any societal context. If you read any of the wankers that constitute the contemporary western literary canon, they will tell you that a homogenous (and fictional) construction of nationalism is one of the precepts in creating a stable nation-state. That, by homogenising separate ‘nationalisms’, a diverse and highly opposed polity may be influenced and indeed mobilised by the employment of a mere few catch-phrases. Indeed, Australia is a poignant example, so is the United Kingdom. [/b]

True, but what kind of 'nationalism' would you class majority Australian society under? Would it be chauvanistic nationalism for example or civic nationalism? What direction is Australia headed towards? Is it developing a distinct identity backed by pride in such developments as a more diverse society, a more developed and diversified economy reaping the benefits of globalisation and as a result developing a more distinctive and unique culture and society? Or is it based on more chauvanistic and expansionist ideals linked back to its original Anglo-Saxon and even Celtic roots and bent on loudly emphasising itself through unashamed pride in its sporting and cultural traditions and yet at the same time is at odds with itself because it knows that those very same traditions are not its own?

Now, I'm not saying that Australia is either of those, neither am I saying that Australia should keep the Crown or a Union flag in its standard. The last time I checked, Australia was a sovereign and proudly independent nation state. However, its attempts to try and fit in with a region which patently expresses frequently negative views about Australia bordering on the racist, a region which simply does not like the idea of a huge, white and anglo-saxon superpower sitting on its doorstep does lead one to wonder what exactly does Australia want in the world today.

I finding it rather ironic in the extreme, that in a topic dedicated to what can be fittingly described as a desperate and comical search for national identity, you see fit to criticise Australian conceptions of group nationalism.

Some kind of competition was run to define a flag which best represented the U.K. The winner, you described as a f***ing badass flaming skull from a Japanese animation series, and then in your next breath turn around and criticise the Australian identity and bust an ovary because some customs officer (a.k.a the most reasonable people in the world) stole some porn from your dad (thus reflecting on the whole Australian population...obviously). What’s our reaction supposed to be, I mean are you purposefully trying to abase your argument by presenting it in the most unfortunate context and basing it on the most generalised dictums possible?[/b]

Now I disagree about this. Point one, you seriously misunderstood my comments for point one, I busted a liver, not an ovary. Who do you think I am? Margaret Thatcher?! No, I think I am quite comfortable that the population of the United Kingdom, be they Scottish, Welsh, English or indeed, Ulstermen are some of the most confused people around and I take great pleasure in making as many jokes about it as possible. I also take great pleasure in knocking other confused cultures around the world, such as Canada for example. Belgium always creates opportunities for a chortle.

There is a saying that those in glass houses should not throw stones. Indeed, you may cite this example in my case, but when all of the panes in my glass house are broken through to excessive throwing in the end you think "aw sod it" and go the extra mile. Contradictive? Yes. Illogical? Maybe. Light-hearted and happy to open ones culture to abuse? Of course and I'm quite proud that I can take as much as I give and I'm quite happy that you're being rational about this whole thing.


O’rly? That’s interesting, so all the time i’ve been studying both English and Australian Common Law and subsequently researched examples of Aussie judicial activism that have been later appropriated within English case law, i was obviously mistaken. Your dad had his porn confiscated in 1969, ‘nuff said aye?[/b]

So...you're saying that all the porn I brought back from Japan should have been confiscated when I returned home becase the English legal system re-adopted some randomly puritan law about indecent publications through precidents set in Australia? Quick! Someone phone HM Revenue & Customs! I jest, I jest of course, but I am perfectly sure that the obscene publications act was ammended to make it..well...friendly to freedom of speech way before anyone in Australia ever thought about it. I am sure that legal precident in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica and other places which have a similar system of common law have been adopted in England, but surely you could have picked an example which made better sense.

Shall I continue? I can; previous euthanasia legislation, equitable practice reform, there is quite a bit. Both the United Kingdom and Australia have made gains (and also taken steps backwards) within different areas, and by no means is it a simple matter of “U.K > Australiaâ€. If I made the opposing claim when i’m in the U.K tomorrow, i’d save other people the trouble and consider myself a bigot.[/b]

NOW we're cooking with gas! Although to be honest, as I'm sure you've noticed when studying English common law, with the Common Market Act entering the UK into what was then the Common Market (which became the EEC, then the EC and then the EU and soon to be the European Superstate), the emphasis on legal precident being set by English courts or being adopted from other nations with similar systems has gradually given way to precidents set by both the European Court and the Court of Human Rights. Remember that in the Bill of Rights it declares that "Parliament is sovereign". It is said that Parliament is so powerful, it could vote to turn Sunday into Monday. However, this sits sumptiously at odds with the fact that under European legislation, all national legislatures must give way to European law. We may have the opportunity of first refusal in order to ammend and modify what we may not like but in the end, we must accept that. Australia may have influenced English law and politics but it is Europe which has undeniably ridden roughshot over and changed British society and law forever.

If you did make the opposing claim in the UK tomorrow, I would doubt you would get much objection past "who won the World Cup in 2003?" and "who won the Ashes in 2005?" and..well..that would be it. You vastly overestimate the British capability of fighting back with stinging arguments, arrogant critisisms and barbed points. If you were in France my friend, then you may get what you ask for and be taught a lesson you may never forget (even if 90% of it is total rubbish). However, in the UK, you'll be met with irrelevent rubbish about the state of beer, the Holden Commodore and maybe even the odd former Neighbors actress that it will make you beg to be sent home, home to where people actually talk about politics and society with a hint of seriousness rather than with some kind of resigned hysterical humour.

As for the Sheridan dig? A 60% win ratio over England in RU (an Australian minority sport), good cricket history, and far superior medal talley in both the Commonwealth and Olympic games will do me over just fine. [/b]

Ah yes, but despite all of that, you still score a big, fat, juicy D- at scrummaging and general forward play...although Rocky Elsom is starting to redress that. I'll amend that to a "D, Must do better!"

A pleasure and an honour to cross your path sir.
 
Or you could not bring Australia into a topic that has nothing to do with them? If the topic was about Australia then fair enough, but it seems this is just a jab at a country, and an offensive one at that, that is not needed. Judging by the amount of UK immigrants that come over here is your disdain for Australia stem from a deep seeded jealousy or was your VISA application denied?

As for Australia wanting to foster ties with Asia, why not? As for racism in regards to Asia, they may not like us, but they still flocked, and continue to flock to our country since the abandonment of the White Australia policy. And why should we remain isolationist when there are huge amounts of resources to be exploited on our doorstep....besides, they can hate us but if nations like Indonesia are allowed to commit genocide without our intervention we would be no better then them...
 
Or you could not bring Australia into a topic that has nothing to do with them? If the topic was about Australia then fair enough, but it seems this is just a jab at a country, and an offensive one at that, that is not needed. Judging by the amount of UK immigrants that come over here is your disdain for Australia stem from a deep seeded jealousy or was your VISA application denied?[/b]

Well, this is quite a comical topic to start with. My disdain is not with Australia but with those who don't really like poking fun at their own culture and socety. Considering I've spent a fair bit of the topic basically ******* on my own flag and setting it alight should be a bit of a clue. I am a bit jealous of Australia, I must admit it, for there is no motoracing event here which gives you the chance to drink loads and throw flaming toilet rolls at one another around a big bonfire. Seriously, it sucks.

What I'm wondering is why you are so hyper-sensitive about what is standard banter here in the UK. Considering that the Queen Mother was always drunk on gin and that the Duke of Edinburgh is quite happily one of the most non-PC guys around, depicting the Queen as a sex worker is quite mild by comparison, quite hilarious too! :lol:

As for Australia wanting to foster ties with Asia, why not? As for racism in regards to Asia, they may not like us, but they still flocked, and continue to flock to our country since the abandonment of the White Australia policy. And why should we remain isolationist when there are huge amounts of resources to be exploited on our doorstep....besides, they can hate us but if nations like Indonesia are allowed to commit genocide without our intervention we would be no better then them... [/b]

Well I'm not saying you should be anything, you're quite capable of doing anything you chaps want. What I found comical is that Australia wants to "foster ties" with a region whose leaders have never ever wanted you and probably never will either. It reflects a substantial racism against Australia in which Asia is more or less a closed shop. Yes, immigration from various parts of Asia has been successful for Australia, but that doesn't reflect one bit on the attitude of the leaders of China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc who treat Australia with a mixture of digust and suspicion. Sure, some of them are taking advantage of Australia's abundant natural resources but that does not mean friendly international relations. Asia is very much a closed shop full of authoritarian regeimes disguised under a veneer of democracy who rarely speak out and in fact close ranks when a neighbor does something wrong.

This is something which is very much out of step which how Australia operates, a vibrant federal democracy with a strong and independent press and judiciary with an outspoken record on international affairs guided by a strong sense of right and wrong with no doubts that rocking the boat gets results. Without Australia for example, Zimbabwe would never had been punished in the Commonwealth and that is something which I am truly jealous of: a backbone on the world stage something which nations like New Zealand, the UK and Canada could all seriously do with rather than poncing around with "Nuclear free zones" and "sustainable development investment" rubbish.

Anyway, all of this simply scares the leaders who make up ASEAN and even raises eyebrows in nations such as supposedly democratic Japan (who have only had one change of government in the last 50 years).

As you can see, Australia has many things to be proud of, but I have no doubt that Paul Keating did make a mistake in pandering to the various leaders of Asia in an attempt to "forge stronger ties".

On the basis of all of this, there is alot to be proud of but when things are wrong or could be improved, you should not feel that poking fun against your own society is a bad thing. It just makes for a healthier democracy and society as a whole.

(that and I did have a VISA denied...it was for the porn too!!! :( )
 
<div class='quotemain'> Or you could not bring Australia into a topic that has nothing to do with them? If the topic was about Australia then fair enough, but it seems this is just a jab at a country, and an offensive one at that, that is not needed. Judging by the amount of UK immigrants that come over here is your disdain for Australia stem from a deep seeded jealousy or was your VISA application denied?[/b]

Well, this is quite a comical topic to start with. My disdain is not with Australia but with those who don't really like poking fun at their own culture and socety. Considering I've spent a fair bit of the topic basically ******* on my own flag and setting it alight should be a bit of a clue. I am a bit jealous of Australia, I must admit it, for there is no motoracing event here which gives you the chance to drink loads and throw flaming toilet rolls at one another around a big bonfire. Seriously, it sucks.

What I'm wondering is why you are so hyper-sensitive about what is standard banter here in the UK. Considering that the Queen Mother was always drunk on gin and that the Duke of Edinburgh is quite happily one of the most non-PC guys around, depicting the Queen as a sex worker is quite mild by comparison, quite hilarious too! :lol:

As for Australia wanting to foster ties with Asia, why not? As for racism in regards to Asia, they may not like us, but they still flocked, and continue to flock to our country since the abandonment of the White Australia policy. And why should we remain isolationist when there are huge amounts of resources to be exploited on our doorstep....besides, they can hate us but if nations like Indonesia are allowed to commit genocide without our intervention we would be no better then them... [/b]

Well I'm not saying you should be anything, you're quite capable of doing anything you chaps want. What I found comical is that Australia wants to "foster ties" with a region whose leaders have never ever wanted you and probably never will either. It reflects a substantial racism against Australia in which Asia is more or less a closed shop. Yes, immigration from various parts of Asia has been successful for Australia, but that doesn't reflect one bit on the attitude of the leaders of China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc who treat Australia with a mixture of digust and suspicion. Sure, some of them are taking advantage of Australia's abundant natural resources but that does not mean friendly international relations. Asia is very much a closed shop full of authoritarian regeimes disguised under a veneer of democracy who rarely speak out and in fact close ranks when a neighbor does something wrong.

This is something which is very much out of step which how Australia operates, a vibrant federal democracy with a strong and independent press and judiciary with an outspoken record on international affairs guided by a strong sense of right and wrong with no doubts that rocking the boat gets results. Without Australia for example, Zimbabwe would never had been punished in the Commonwealth and that is something which I am truly jealous of: a backbone on the world stage something which nations like New Zealand, the UK and Canada could all seriously do with rather than poncing around with "Nuclear free zones" and "sustainable development investment" rubbish.

Anyway, all of this simply scares the leaders who make up ASEAN and even raises eyebrows in nations such as supposedly democratic Japan (who have only had one change of government in the last 50 years).

As you can see, Australia has many things to be proud of, but I have no doubt that Paul Keating did make a mistake in pandering to the various leaders of Asia in an attempt to "forge stronger ties".

On the basis of all of this, there is alot to be proud of but when things are wrong or could be improved, you should not feel that poking fun against your own society is a bad thing. It just makes for a healthier democracy and society as a whole.

(that and I did have a VISA denied...it was for the porn too!!! :( ) [/b][/quote]



Or Singapore! No change in 43 years! :p 31 of that 43 was under one, singular Prime Minister.
 
Ima gunna post later, i'm in Singapore atm (feeling the hate), just sayin' we should spread the manlove and not the manhate; mixed meanings and mistaken insults are far too common between our two pplz

btw everyone is azn, it's freakin' me out!
 
Look, seeing as I am not a 100% Aussie, raised by Kiwi's and all, I give most aspects of Australian culture **** then most Aussies, but it is very different when an outsider does it to your country....plus the convict joke is hugely over-done, I mean, why don't you make some jokes about Americans being slave owners or something....that's how relevant the convict past is to our society....focus on our actions during World War 1 and 2, that is Australia...

PS. 12:03AM here in WA, praise to baby Jesus!
 
Brooody...the Jaccuzi is getting warm *taps the side along with Macca and Caled*...
 
<div class='quotemain'> <div class='quotemain'> Or you could not bring Australia into a topic that has nothing to do with them? If the topic was about Australia then fair enough, but it seems this is just a jab at a country, and an offensive one at that, that is not needed. Judging by the amount of UK immigrants that come over here is your disdain for Australia stem from a deep seeded jealousy or was your VISA application denied?[/b]

Well, this is quite a comical topic to start with. My disdain is not with Australia but with those who don't really like poking fun at their own culture and socety. Considering I've spent a fair bit of the topic basically ******* on my own flag and setting it alight should be a bit of a clue. I am a bit jealous of Australia, I must admit it, for there is no motoracing event here which gives you the chance to drink loads and throw flaming toilet rolls at one another around a big bonfire. Seriously, it sucks.

What I'm wondering is why you are so hyper-sensitive about what is standard banter here in the UK. Considering that the Queen Mother was always drunk on gin and that the Duke of Edinburgh is quite happily one of the most non-PC guys around, depicting the Queen as a sex worker is quite mild by comparison, quite hilarious too! :lol:

As for Australia wanting to foster ties with Asia, why not? As for racism in regards to Asia, they may not like us, but they still flocked, and continue to flock to our country since the abandonment of the White Australia policy. And why should we remain isolationist when there are huge amounts of resources to be exploited on our doorstep....besides, they can hate us but if nations like Indonesia are allowed to commit genocide without our intervention we would be no better then them... [/b]

Well I'm not saying you should be anything, you're quite capable of doing anything you chaps want. What I found comical is that Australia wants to "foster ties" with a region whose leaders have never ever wanted you and probably never will either. It reflects a substantial racism against Australia in which Asia is more or less a closed shop. Yes, immigration from various parts of Asia has been successful for Australia, but that doesn't reflect one bit on the attitude of the leaders of China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc who treat Australia with a mixture of digust and suspicion. Sure, some of them are taking advantage of Australia's abundant natural resources but that does not mean friendly international relations. Asia is very much a closed shop full of authoritarian regeimes disguised under a veneer of democracy who rarely speak out and in fact close ranks when a neighbor does something wrong.

This is something which is very much out of step which how Australia operates, a vibrant federal democracy with a strong and independent press and judiciary with an outspoken record on international affairs guided by a strong sense of right and wrong with no doubts that rocking the boat gets results. Without Australia for example, Zimbabwe would never had been punished in the Commonwealth and that is something which I am truly jealous of: a backbone on the world stage something which nations like New Zealand, the UK and Canada could all seriously do with rather than poncing around with "Nuclear free zones" and "sustainable development investment" rubbish.

Anyway, all of this simply scares the leaders who make up ASEAN and even raises eyebrows in nations such as supposedly democratic Japan (who have only had one change of government in the last 50 years).

As you can see, Australia has many things to be proud of, but I have no doubt that Paul Keating did make a mistake in pandering to the various leaders of Asia in an attempt to "forge stronger ties".

On the basis of all of this, there is alot to be proud of but when things are wrong or could be improved, you should not feel that poking fun against your own society is a bad thing. It just makes for a healthier democracy and society as a whole.

(that and I did have a VISA denied...it was for the porn too!!! :( ) [/b][/quote]



Or Singapore! No change in 43 years! :p 31 of that 43 was under one, singular Prime Minister.

[/b][/quote]

Yes they went from the father to the sun and any criticism is seen as defamation. :toss:

But it warmed my heart to see the Singapore Workers Party for the first time in Singapore history make the election a non-forgone conclusion with every seat being filled with an opposition candidate hooray for the commies!. B)

I find it funny that bar a few exclusions that we are the most democratic country in Asia considering we are for all intentions and purposes a 2 party state. <_<
 
I find it funny that bar a few exclusions that we are the most democratic country in Asia considering we are for all intentions and purposes a 2 party state. <_<
[/b]

You're lucky to get that far! Could be worse mate, could be ruled by a single party for over 50 years like in Japan or Taiwan? The political opposition and trade unions in Japan are simply comical, the latter are allowed one token day to "strike" which everyone sees as just a public holiday which means everyone goes off doing something else instead of protesting for better pay or conditions which in turn defeats the point of the exercise!!

Or, you could be like the UK where you have the choice of multiple parties who all campaign roughly along the same lines. Even the more left or right leaning parties usually sing on the same hymnsheet as Labour or the Tories, just on a slightly more extreme note.
 
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