Nicktendo
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From Facebook (via The Times written by A.A. Gill).
We all know what “getting our country back” means. It’s snorting a line of that most pernicious and debilitating Little English drug, nostalgia
It was the woman on Question Time that really did it for me. She was so familiar. There is someone like her in every queue, every coffee shop, outside every school in every parish council in the country. Middle-aged, middle-class, middle-brow, over-made-up, with her National Health face and weatherproof English expression of hurt righteousness, she’s Britannia’s mother-in-law. The camera closed in on her and she shouted: “All I want is my country back. Give me my country back.”
It was a heartfelt cry of real distress and the rest of the audience erupted in sympathetic applause, but I thought: “Back from what? Back from where?”
Wanting the country back is the constant mantra of all the outies. Farage slurs it, Gove insinuates it. Of course I know what they mean. We all know what they mean. They mean back from Johnny Foreigner, back from the brink, back from the future, back-to-back, back to bosky hedges and dry stone walls and country lanes and church bells and warm beer and skittles and football rattles and cheery banter and clogs on cobbles. Back to vicars-and-tarts parties and Carry On fart jokes, back to Elgar and fudge and proper weather and herbaceous borders and cars called Morris. Back to victoria sponge and 22 yards to a wicket and 15 hands to a horse and 3ft to a yard and four fingers in a Kit Kat, back to gooseberries not avocados, back to deference and respect, to make do and mend and smiling bravely and biting your lip and suffering in silence and patronising foreigners with pity.
We all know what “getting our country back” means. It’s snorting a line of the most pernicious and debilitating Little English drug, nostalgia. The warm, crumbly, honey-coloured, collective “yesterday” with its fond belief that everything was better back then, that Britain (England, really) is a worse place now than it was at some foggy point in the past where we achieved peak Blighty. It’s the knowledge that the best of us have been and gone, that nothing we can build will be as lovely as a National Trust Georgian country house, no art will be as good as a Turner, no poem as wonderful as If, no writer a touch on Shakespeare or Dickens, nothing will grow as lovely as a cottage garden, no hero greater than Nelson, no politician better than Churchill, no view more throat-catching than the White Cliffs and that we will never manufacture anything as great as a Rolls-Royce or Flying Scotsman again.
The dream of Brexit isn’t that we might be able to make a brighter, new, energetic tomorrow, it’s a desire to shuffle back to a regret-curdled inward-looking yesterday. In the Brexit fantasy, the best we can hope for is to kick out all the work-all-hours foreigners and become caretakers to our own past in this self-congratulatory island of moaning and pomposity.
And if you think that’s an exaggeration of the Brexit position, then just listen to the language they use: “We are a nation of inventors and entrepreneurs, we want to put the great back in Britain, the great engineers, the great manufacturers.” This is all the expression of a sentimental nostalgia. In the Brexiteer’s mind’s eye is the old Pathé newsreel of Donald Campbell, of John Logie Baird with his television, Barnes Wallis and his bouncing bomb, and Robert Baden-Powell inventing boy scouts in his shed.
All we need, their argument goes, is to be free of the humourless Germans and spoilsport French and all their collective liberalism and reality. There is a concomitant hope that if we manage to back out of Europe, then we’ll get back to the bowler-hatted 1950s and the Commonwealth will hold pageants, fireworks displays and beg to be back in the Queen Empress’s good books again. Then New Zealand will sacrifice a thousand lambs, Ghana will ask if it can go back to being called the Gold Coast and Britain will resume hand-making Land Rovers and top hats and Sheffield plate teapots.
There is a reason that most of the people who want to leave the EU are old while those who want to remain are young: it’s because the young aren’t infected with Bisto nostalgia. They don’t recognise half the stuff I’ve mentioned here. They’ve grown up in the EU and at worst it’s been neutral for them.
The under-thirties want to be part of things, not aloof from them. They’re about being joined-up and counted. I imagine a phrase most outies identify with is “women’s liberation has gone too far”. Everything has gone too far for them, from political correctness — well, that’s gone mad, hasn’t it? — to health and safety and gender-neutral lavatories. Those oldies, they don’t know if they’re coming or going, what with those newfangled mobile phones and kids on Tinder and Grindr. What happened to meeting Miss Joan Hunter Dunn at the tennis club? And don’t get them started on electric hand dryers, or something unrecognised in the bagging area, or Indian call centres , or the impertinent computer asking for a password that has both capitals and little letters and numbers and more than eight digits.
Brexit is the fond belief that Britain is worse now than at some point in the foggy past where we achieved peak Blighty
We listen to the Brexit lot talk about the trade deals they’re going to make with Europe after we leave, and the blithe insouciance that what they’re offering instead of EU membership is a divorce where you can still have sex with your ex. They reckon they can get out of the marriage, keep the house, not pay alimony, take the kids out of school, stop the in-laws going to the doctor, get strict with the visiting rights, but, you know, still get a shag at the weekend and, obviously, see other people on the side.
Really, that’s their best offer? That’s the plan? To swagger into Brussels with Union Jack pants on and say: “ ’Ello luv, you’re looking nice today. Would you like some?”
When the rest of us ask how that’s really going to work, leavers reply, with Terry-Thomas smirks, that “they’re going to still really fancy us, honest, they’re gagging for us. Possibly not Merkel, but the bosses of Mercedes and those French vintners and cheesemakers, they can’t get enough of old John Bull. Of course they’re going to want to go on making the free market with two backs after we’ve got the decree nisi. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”
Have no doubt, this is a divorce. It’s not just business, it’s not going to be all reason and goodwill. Like all divorces, leaving Europe would be ugly and mean and hurtful, and it would lead to a great deal of poisonous xenophobia and racism, all the niggling personal prejudice that dumped, betrayed and thwarted people are prey to. And the racism and prejudice are, of course, weak points for us. The tortuous renegotiation with lawyers and courts will be bitter and vengeful, because divorces always are and, just in passing, this sovereignty thing we’re supposed to want back so badly, like Frodo’s ring, has nothing to do with you or me. We won’t notice it coming back, because we didn’t notice not having it in the first place.
Nine out of 10 economists say ‘remain in the EU’
You won’t wake up on June 24 and think: “Oh my word, my arthritis has gone! My teeth are suddenly whiter! Magically, I seem to know how to make a soufflé and I’m buff with the power of sovereignty.” This is something only politicians care about; it makes not a jot of difference to you or me if the Supreme Court is a bunch of strangely out-of-touch old gits in wigs in Westminster or a load of strangely out-of-touch old gits without wigs in Luxembourg. What matters is that we have as many judges as possible on the side of personal freedom.
Personally, I see nothing about our legislators in the UK that makes me feel I can confidently give them more power. The more checks and balances politicians have, the better for the rest of us. You can’t have too many wise heads and different opinions. If you’re really worried about red tape, by the way, it’s not just a European problem. We’re perfectly capable of coming up with our own rules and regulations and we have no shortage of jobsworths. Red tape may be annoying, but it is also there to protect your and my family from being lied to, poisoned and cheated.
The first “X” I ever put on a voting slip was to say yes to the EU. The first referendum was when I was 20 years old. This one will be in the week of my 62nd birthday. For nearly all my adult life, there hasn’t been a day when I haven’t been pleased and proud to be part of this great collective. If you ask me for my nationality, the truth is I feel more European than anything else. I am part of this culture, this European civilisation. I can walk into any gallery on our continent and completely understand the images and the stories on the walls. These people are my people and they have been for thousands of years. I can read books on subjects from Ancient Greece to Dark Ages Scandinavia, from Renaissance Italy to 19th-century France, and I don’t need the context or the landscape explained to me. The music of Europe, from its scales and its instruments to its rhythms and religion, is my music. The Renaissance, the rococo, the Romantics, the impressionists, gothic, baroque, neoclassicism, realism, expressionism, futurism, fauvism, cubism, dada, surrealism, postmodernism and kitsch were all European movements and none of them belongs to a single nation.
There is a reason why the Chinese are making fake Italian handbags and the Italians aren’t making fake Chinese ones. This European culture, without question or argument, is the greatest, most inventive, subtle, profound, beautiful and powerful genius that was ever contrived anywhere by anyone and it belongs to us. Just look at my day job — food. The change in food culture and pleasure has been enormous since we joined the EU, and that’s no coincidence. What we eat, the ingredients, the recipes, may come from around the world, but it is the collective to and fro of European interests, expertise and imagination that has made it all so very appetising and exciting.
The restaurant was a European invention, naturally. The first one in Paris was called The London Bridge.
Culture works and grows through the constant warp and weft of creators, producers, consumers, intellectuals and instinctive lovers. You can’t dictate or legislate for it, you can just make a place that encourages it and you can truncate it. You can make it harder and more grudging, you can put up barriers and you can build walls, but why on earth would you? This collective culture, this golden civilisation grown on this continent over thousands of years, has made everything we have and everything we are, why would you not want to be part of it?
I understand that if we leave we don’t have to hand back our library ticket for European civilisation, but why would we even think about it? In fact, the only ones who would are those old, philistine scared gits. Look at them, too frightened to join in."
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I don't care about how this weighs on the current argument but man, I feel sorry for you on this. Banjo Kazooie is one of the greatest games of all time. I couldn't get an N64 at launch, I didn't get one for over two years after release actually. When I could finally have one, after a price drop and at Christmas, Banjo Kazooie - a game I had played a lot at my friend's house - was my only must have title. Before SM64, Goldeneye or anything like that, I wanted Banjo Kazooie. The music, atmosphere, humour, charm, size, variety of worlds, general fun and quality of gameplay/controls and intelligence of it all... did I mention the music? There are very few equals out there. The generation's best developers (after Nintendo) at their absolute peak.
I encourage you to hunt down this game if you have a means of playing it (Xbox 360?) then you might understand what we're all excited about except nando.
I chose Banjo over Mario 64 when my parents asked me what game I wanted for my birthday. I don't regret my choice
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haha :p
I see you are living in St Petersberg. Are you Russian, may I ask?
British, but I've been living and working here for almost 2 years. I'm did my Master's in Estonia, worked in Latvia and did my teacher's qualifications in Poland because it was 70% cheaper than back home. I have Estonian residency until 2017 and used it to travel around Europe until UK citizens were required to travel with a passport in 2014.
It's simply amazing to get on a bus in Riga and wake up the next day in Warsaw, vastly different architecture, different culture, language and people- only 12 hours away. The removal of borders and ease of travel within Europe has arguably been one of the greatest EU achievements. The fact I was given a 5 year residency in Estonia shows they are welcome and open to knowledge and expertise and have a desire to strengthen their country, many other people I studied with stayed and now work in IT or academia in Tallinn. My Master's was a two year one, the first of which was in Glasgow and the second in Estonia, paid for by the European Union in the form of Erasmus funding.
I occasionally return to Tartu or Riga to visit friends and even the border with Russia is a smooth process. Quick check of the baggage, visa check and you're done. Same for my girlfriend, who is Russian. Different story when she comes to the UK though. She has to prove her income just to get a visa, present a detailed itinerary at the border and spend 30 mins answering questions about who she is, where she's going and why and who she knows. It's an excruciating and far from welcoming process and only highlights the level of paranoia in the UK compared with our European brethren.
The EU is not an uncontrollable behemoth which dictates British politics. It is a wonderful opportunity to affordably experience and engage with hundreds of different people and cultures. To see the effects of war and history, to understand why a united Europe is a stronger Europe. The opportunity to work, study or simply holiday in beautiful places with people from all walks of life. I'll be damned if a bunch of ignorant little englanders are going to ruin that for the people who actually understand and appreciate these benefits.
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Because the British are racially superior! And the people who come and live here are poor criminals whereas the British who leave are lovely lovely middle class retirees.
No one will say it but thats what many here believe.
My grandma complained, a while ago, that so many immigrants come to Britain and they dont even speak our language! Thats very selfish and stupid of them!
Then my mother pointed out that my grandma used to live in Iran and has never spoken Iranian in her life.
The subject was changed soon after.
:p
It really is some kind of superiority complex and it baffles me because there is almost nothing 'better' about Britain than any other European country, especially the food
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After living, studying and working in the EU for almost 3 years I'm for remaining of course. I'm still yet to hear a reason for leaving which either doesn't spout "economic" nonsense straight from the pages of The Sun, or isn't tinged with racism.
One thing that's really annoyed me about this debate is the language being used. Why is it that a European living in the UK is an 'immigrant' and a Brit living in Europe an 'Ex Pat?'
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Oh noes!! I can also play tomorrow, happy to be first reserve.
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I've only just left work and won't make it in time I'm afraid
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I got rid of my huge collection about 4 years ago. Thankfullly, a lot of the old N64 / NGC magazines have been scanned and put up online, not all of them are there, but it's still great to read through them again for those wanting a nostalgia trip.
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CTRL F "Crazy Taxi", good!
No mention of Bayonetta 1 & 2 though?
The way they took these classic tunes and re-invented them is pretty damn inspired and it's hard to imagine the games without them : peace:
YES, YES, YES! Fantastic remixes.
This however is the original and best:
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I enjoyed Top Gear last night.
I genuinely laughed out loud numerous time. It was refreshing to have a change, compared to the heavily scripted events and blundering caricatures that the previous presenters became.
I thought Matt LeBlanc was great. Really good.
Chris Evans was ok, but I hope when watching the show back he realises that he doesn't need to shout. The camera is right there on him and yet he seems to feel like he needs to speak to someone at the very back of the audience, which is the case for a live event, that he may be more used to presenting, but not for a TV show. Mind you he shouts on TFI Friday. But his voice in that hanger becomes so shrill.
I liked that they tried to shake up the hot lap. But I think I'd have preferred a flat out rally track if they're going to do something different. As it was, it seemed gimmicky. The celeb guests were also crap, and the 'game' they played, so self-indulgent for Gordon Ramsey it was disgusting. Hopefully when the guests actually have something decent to talk about they can cut out that crap.
But as a whole I enjoyed it. Good features and a decent if unspectacular road-trip. I imagine they're easing the audience back in.
I also enjoyed it, can't believe the hate it's been getting online. I'd pretty much stopped watching Top Gear because of how much I despised the other three, but last night's show was refreshingly good, if not spectacular. Matt LeBlanc was great and I think he'll only get even better with time, I'm not a fan of Chris Evans though and I don't think he'll last long if he can't develop his own style and doesn't stop trying to imitate Clarkson.
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Great night and great tracks, thanks again everyone! One thing to look out for on the highlights: on Yoshi's Egg Maze and Moo Moo Meadows I was second behind @Bullet_Will and on both races he came careering towards me the wrong way! Don't know if it was a glitch or intentional!
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With Mourinho now all but confirmed as Man Utd manager, I'm going to make a bold prediction.
Marcus Rashford will be sent out on loan to MK Dons next season.
Along with Martial, Januzai and Lingard
. Even though I hate United, I'll be sad to see Juan Mata leave. One of the good guys of the Premier League. -
Oh so in..!
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I'm a big fan of the new idea. Think it will definitely help with attendances and fixture congestion. Plus it means York will have a better chance of actually staying in the football league
Heard a bit of talk about the bigger Premier League clubs potentially having "B sides". That I'm 100% against. Horrible idea. As for Celtic and Rangers, I don't see why not. We have Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham, so it would only be fair to include Rangers, Celtic and maybe the Edinburgh clubs. Scottish football is pretty much dead anyway. They'll certainly never reach any sort of European success with the way the Scottish league is at the moment. No harm in trying. Creating a 2 week winter break would also be welcome in my book.
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GP2 has ruined my life
Not just yours. I had the worst GP of my life. Last twice and constantly hit 2, 3 even 4 times in a row. At least it will make hilarious highlight material. Good night all round though, another great theme, thanks!
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I'm in
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I am speechless, what a great race! Kudos to Verstappen!
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So I picked this up today and I'm only about an hour in. My only comment thus far is that I just do not get the hate for the controls, at all. I think they are very intuitive. Sure, at first it's a lot to take in and my brain felt a bit mashed a couple of times, but there's so much more to see, do and target than when just using the analogue stick and buttons. Really impressed so far and I think they really add to the experience. Can see myself sinking the time in to get all the medals and go for really high scores.
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Think I was the only one who must have seen that 200cc was chosen instead of mirror mode and was mentally prepared at the start of the first race
Really great theme this week and finally got my first GP win!
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I'm in this week!
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Might have been good for the N-E show?
Just had a thought.... maybe you could have a poster of the month or w/e and they get a code for a game from the eshop.... might encourage more people to post (sensibly and courteously) and would be a good way of giving back to the more active forum members.. I mean I guess those codes aren't free but... just an idea. I know there is already the competition.. and the shout outs acknowledging people.... but that could maybe be another carrot to people being active and positive members of the community...
Can save it for the N-e show if the powers that be so wish. Not sure about the expiry date on it though. @Dcubed @Kaepora_Gaebora
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If anyone's not interested in the bundle I've now got a spare Shantae code for WiiU, willing to give it away for free to anyone who wants it. PM me for details.
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If my guess is right and they do go ahead and release the E3 demos of their upcoming Wii U titles on the eShop during E3, I bet they'll put out demos for everything except Zelda. Gives the journos at E3 an exclusive and makes the tease all that much more of a tease to us here at home.
Can't fault that logic, especially after the success of Nindies@home last year. Can see them making the majority of games playable... to everyone. Except Zelda, obviously. Would definitely be a good way to approach E3.
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But many, including myself didn't hence...
While I did finish the game, I didn't really enjoy it and have no desire to play through it again due to the control scheme.
Strange how they divided opinion so much, though I do remember that horrible E3 press conference when they didn't work for Shigsy
. If they do rework the controls, I hope they give us the choice at least to play it with motion plus.
Mario Kart League 2016
in Nintendo Gaming
Posted
I've only gone and chosen Morton. Give me time to switch before gp2... Sorry