Vogue: How Men’s Fashion Changed for the Better This Year

[crfriend]

DO NOT visit Texas and say out loud that "Biden is the President of Texas"...

Yeah, Texas is a bit of a queer beast. Their tourism bureau's advertising slogan is "It's like a whole 'nother country!" I wish it was.

And if they don't think Biden is president, then who do they think is? Dick Cheney?

[Big and Bashful]

There's also the unsettled matter of the Falkland Islands (the Malvinas, if you listen to the Argentines) over which a brief but nasty war was fought over in the 1980s.

How could I forget the Falklands? oh yes, they got re-categorised, my job focusses me on the places where we have operational berths for our nuclear subs, due to technical differences the Falklands now comes into a different category so I will never have to visit and go penguin spotting.

[crfriend]

my job focusses me on the places where we have operational berths for our nuclear subs,

I. Do. Not. Want. To. Know...

[rivegauche]

I won't clog the thread up by cutting and pasting, here is the link to the page I paraphrased from, not arguing either/any way, I saw, I read, I paraphrased:
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/H ... ifference/

This site illustrates why the internet is not reliable. It was snot two kingdoms that united in 1707. The kingdoms had united in 1603. It was the parliaments that united in 1707. We still have our own Crown jewels and the monarch was never King or Queen of Scotland, but of Scots.

Then Big and Bashful (who seems to work on a certain UK weapons of mass destruction site in Argyll (yep, Scotland)) said "

Scotland also has the same Queen and has Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister with a Scottish Parliament however they would like to be fully independent but currently also have to answer to the English Parliament at Westminster.

This shows why we Scots have a problem with this Union. People actually think of Westminster as an English institution. It absolutely is not. It is the Parliament of the UK. We, as usual, are an afterthought. Once again, for far too many people, England = British.

[Ray]

Hi Dust,
Britain = Great Britain, no difference. It is the largest of the British Isles, On it are the countries of England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales and also Northern Ireland, which is part of the island of Ireland, the rest of Ireland being a republic.

The British Isles includes Great Britain, Ireland and all the other smaller islands.
The Queen is erm, well she is Queen of the United Kingdom and any other parts of the Commonwealth that haven't binned her, or something.
We also have overseas territories, the BIOT being a contentious one, (The British Indian Overseas Territory, all or part of the Chagos islands, largest island is Diego Garcia) and Gibraltar is also part of the UK.

England has the Queen to wave at people and a Prime Minister to indulge in shouting matches.
Scotland also has the same Queen and has Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister with a Scottish Parliament however they would like to be fully independent but currently also have to answer to the English Parliament at Westminster.
Wales have the Welsh Assembly and some say over what happens there, as do the people of Northern Ireland.
Gibraltar has the Government of Gibraltar and some of their laws are slightly different to the laws back in Great Britain.
The BIOT is an odd one, an almost uninhabited group of islands with a U.S. military base on it. No local population, just US military, some British military and support contractors.
The most powerless seem (to me) to be the Royal family, in theory the Government rule on behalf of the Queen, but effectively the Royals are nothing more than figureheads. Even most of their speeches are written by the Government.

Oh dear. Where do I start?

Even the Brits can’t get it right. Usually the English, who, while being the nicest people you could meet, are a bit geographically challenged. They keep referring to the U.K. as England - which is an easy way of getting verbally assaulted in Scotland or parts of Wales.

Great Britain is a geographical term. It’s the big island. You can’t call the U.K. Great Britain (even though our Olympic team is wrongly named, to appease the pro- Unificatiion faction in Northern Ireland). We’re a bit screwed up that way. I blame the politicians. Do NOT refer to the U.K. as Great Britain. It excludes Northern Ireland. Sometimes our own politicians do that - but they are generally cretins with no geographical awareness.

Britain is a common name for the U.K. we are all British. Makes sense.

Britain is not the same as Great Britain. It’s a proxy for the U.K.

There is no such thing as the English Parliament. B&B - are you feeling okay? Thats the U.K. Parliament. Scotland, Wales and NI have their own devolved parliaments with certain devolved powers for that nation - but England doesn’t have an equivalent. It may come in time. BUT the London Parliament is U.K. - not England’s.

Sumnary

We’re from the U.K. and we are all British, hence the loose term Britain.

Dust, you’re from the USA and you are all Americans, hence the loose term America.

Got that? It’s not hard. Just use U.K./Britain and you’ll be fine. Never England. Or Scotland or Wales (Dust - that’s the Welsh, not the Welch). Unless you’re identifying purely with that country as distinct and separate from the U.K. Like a Texan who announced themselves using that moniker.

Sorry if it’s confusing. Dumb English dominant (I.e don’t care) governments and ignorant masses. Having a Bank of England is the most dumb one of all. Do dollar bills have bank of Texas on them?

Welcome to the screwed up state that is the U.K.

Ray

[Ray]

Oh, British overseas territories are not part of the U.K. so says Wikipedia!

[Big and Bashful]

Hi Dust,
Britain = Great Britain, no difference. It is the largest of the British Isles, On it are the countries of England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales and also Northern Ireland, which is part of the island of Ireland, the rest of Ireland being a republic.

The British Isles includes Great Britain, Ireland and all the other smaller islands.
The Queen is erm, well she is Queen of the United Kingdom and any other parts of the Commonwealth that haven't binned her, or something.
We also have overseas territories, the BIOT being a contentious one, (The British Indian Overseas Territory, all or part of the Chagos islands, largest island is Diego Garcia) and Gibraltar is also part of the UK.

England has the Queen to wave at people and a Prime Minister to indulge in shouting matches.
Scotland also has the same Queen and has Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister with a Scottish Parliament however they would like to be fully independent but currently also have to answer to the English Parliament at Westminster.
Wales have the Welsh Assembly and some say over what happens there, as do the people of Northern Ireland.
Gibraltar has the Government of Gibraltar and some of their laws are slightly different to the laws back in Great Britain.
The BIOT is an odd one, an almost uninhabited group of islands with a U.S. military base on it. No local population, just US military, some British military and support contractors.
The most powerless seem (to me) to be the Royal family, in theory the Government rule on behalf of the Queen, but effectively the Royals are nothing more than figureheads. Even most of their speeches are written by the Government.

Oh dear. Where do I start?

Even the Brits can’t get it right. Usually the English, who, while being the nicest people you could meet, are a bit geographically challenged. They keep referring to the U.K. as England - which is an easy way of getting verbally assaulted in Scotland or parts of Wales.

Great Britain[\b] is a geographical term. It’s the big island. You can’t call the U.K. Great Britain (even though our Olympic team is wrongly named, to appease the pro- Unificatiion faction in Northern Ireland). We’re a bit screwed up that way. I blame the politicians. Do NOT refer to the U.K. as Great Britain. It excludes Northern Ireland. Sometimes our own politicians do that - but they are generally cretins with no geographical awareness. Read that paragraph again, that is what I said.

Britain[\b] is a common name for the U.K. we are all British. Makes sense. Ignoring Wikipedia, many definitions via Gurgle disagree and equate GB with B.

Britain is not the same as Great Britain. It’s a proxy for the U.K. see above, here is a definition from the Free Dictionary: Britain – British – Briton
1. 'Britain'
Britain or Great Britain consists of England, Scotland, and Wales. The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The British Isles refers to Britain, Ireland, and all the smaller islands around the coast.

There is no such thing as the English Parliament. B&B - are you feeling okay? Thats the U.K. Parliament. Scotland, Wales and NI have their own devolved parliaments with certain devolved powers for that nation - but England doesn’t have an equivalent. It may come in time. BUT the London Parliament is U.K. - not England’s. Britain – British – Briton Oopsie!
Sumnary[\B]

We’re from the U.K. and we are all British, hence the loose term Britain.

Dust, you’re from the USA and you are all Americans, hence the loose term America.

Got that? It’s not hard. Just use U.K./Britain and you’ll be fine. Never England. Or Scotland or Wales (Dust - that’s the Welsh, not the Welch). Unless you’re identifying purely with that country as distinct and separate from the U.K. Like a Texan who announced themselves using that moniker.

Sorry if it’s confusing. Dumb English dominant (I.e don’t care) governments and ignorant masses. Having a Bank of England is the most dumb one of all. Do dollar bills have bank of Texas on them?

Welcome to the screwed up state that is the U.K.

Ray

[Big and Bashful]

Oh, British overseas territories are not part of the U.K. so says Wikipedia!

Well spotted! I wan't sure, so have now double checked, not via wikipedia but from the BIOT web site, so the next paragraph is not only right but from the horse's mouth:

The constitutional arrangements for BIOT are set out in the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004 and related instruments. The 2004 Order gives the Commissioner power to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the territory. As with any other British Overseas Territory, BIOT is constitutionally distinct and separate from the UK, with its own laws and Administration.

[Bodycon]

And just to throw in an extra twist, we also have Crown Dependencies to consider too.

Not part of the UK, but sort of attached....

[rivegauche]

And then we have the Is of Man and the Channel Isles ....

[Ray]

It’s a mess. Can we agree on that?

Thanks all for the light tone. Appreciated.

[crfriend]

It’s a mess. Can we agree on that?

I'll vote "aye" on that count! All of this is making this old Yank's head spin.

Thanks all for the light tone. Appreciated.

Greatly appreciated!

[MrSoapsud]

There's also the unsettled matter of the Falkland Islands (the Malvinas, if you listen to the Argentines) over which a brief but nasty war was fought over in the 1980s.

This comes up on Quora a lot. The "matter" of the Falkland Islands is very settled. The people who live their were asked and by a massive majority voted to stay aligned with/part of/governed by the UK. AIUI they've been part of the UK since before Argentina existed as a country. The invasion in the early 80's was intended to distract the public from the mess the leaders were getting into at the time. Sound familiar at all??
M

[crfriend]

Sound familiar at all??

Now that you mention it, yes. Unfortunately very familiar.

The question for the historians to answer is whether the rise of the neo-cons and the far-right in the '80s could have been stopped or whether it was inevitable.

[Uncle Al]

Boy - Talk about thread drift, this thread has Avalanched down the hill and away from
the original topic "Vogue: How Men’s Fashion Changed for the Better This Year".

QUESTIONS - -
Where does politics come into this picture, talking about a "News Article"
WHAT does politics have to do with Men's Fashion

This thread LOST sight of the topic somewhere between pages 5 and 6

PLEASE, IF you want a topic on politics(which must reference men in skirts - See Rule #2),
start one. Just remember Rule #2.

Now - May we resume regular programming
PLEASE

Uncle Al