I mention the BNP because where I live in England (Essex, Thurrock to be exact) people do take them seriously. As to comparisons with the KKK, last time I checked there were no Klan members who were elected officials…

As to anti-Americanism, if you read what I wrote, you will see that I have experienced quite a bit less of it than I thought I might, and what I have seen has taken the form you have spewed; holding me personally responsible for a president that I did not vote for and who was a large part of my decision to become an expat.

As an ice-hockey fan I have to inform you that the Mullet is a Canadian re-invention, not an American one. However, I will stick to my guns on the rest of my lambasting of the unusually high number of fashion victims I see daily on the tube in London. There is no excuse, none whatsoever, for a woman with a Prada bag to ever wear skinny jeans and UGG boots. None.

As I said earlier, I live here, so I am well aware of the price of things, both relative and absolute, and my conclusion was, and is, that for a struggling writer and a school teacher, the tax burden living in the UK is almost the same as what we had in the US, with the difference being that the NHS does provide adequate care for most things without us also having to buy outrageously expensive private insurance as we did in the States.

Cheerio yourself, ye knob.

I’m sorry if you visiting Americans are disillusioned with our fair country. It must be a real disapointment to find that we don’t all run around saying things like “stone the crows” or “God bless, yer, Guv’nor”. How frightfully upsetting it must be to see us not dressed in Bowler hats and Pinstripe suits, or to be dressed as Beefeaters. Dick Van Dyke has a lot to answer for.

Contrary to popular opinion, very few of us will stand to attention upon hearing “God save the queen”, either.

All of the points metioned above are reasonably fair, to a greater or lesser extent. It’s important to note that we have finite space in this country and are currently being swamped with immigrants. Multi Culturalism doesn’t enter into it - everything has a limit. As for the BNP? Nobody I know takes them at all seriously, and i live in a less than prosperous area. We’ve seen them all before; National Front, Combat 18, Bulldog youth. (Ku Klux Klan, anyone?).

I don’t consider myself European. I’m English and bloody proud of it. Remeber; we are an island. We are ferociously proud of our heritage and even the most mild mannered of us will get upset at the thought of that being cast aside. We are fearcely independent.

Anti American? We’re, simply, NOT!!! We ARE anti Bush. Why oh why did you let him take power? Do you have any idea how unpopular it has made America? For god’s sake do something about him. Please?!!! He makes Margaret Thatcher seem like Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Do the world a favour and make your president look after your country, instead of allowing him to appoint himself leader of the world. He isn’t and never will be.

Snappily Dressed? When you manage to de-invent the mullett and stop wearing overcoats and tartan trousers, over here, you’ll have a point. We do have an underclass in England, known as the “Chav”. These people enjoy cheap \ fake sportswear and doing, basically, nothing. There are many theories as to the origin of the chav; I believe they are the offspring of an unfortunate pigeon who flew too close to chernobyl and mutated.

Less Car Obsessed? Could’nt agree more. far too many of them on the roads and it isn’t getting any better. This might have something to do with the fact that we have, possibly, the worst public transport system imagineable.

England is still a good place to live. I live in the North and spend a lot of time in the Lake District. Our beaches have to be seen to be believed and no; it doesn’t rain all the time!

We are, however, taxed senseless. I pay tax on my fuel, tax on my car insurance, I have to pay road tax to drive the car on the road. I have to pay to have the car scrapped, (wrecked?), when its life comes to an end. I also have to pay for my driving licence aswell as the test i have to pass to get it.

I have to pay National insurance, Income Tax and everything i buy is subject to 17.5% Value Added Tax, (V.A.T.). (Maybe if we didn’t spend it ruining Iraq we’d be better off). The list of taxes goes on and on. At one time, we had to pay Poll tax, just for existing. Now we have to pay Council tax. My council tax this year is £1400.00. This goes towards rubbish collection and such like. We also have to pay an additional amount for the Police. We also pay water rates. (Unless you’re unemployed, that is…). Here are some real life prices for you to make comparisons;

Packet of cigarettes; £5.35

Pint of Milk; 0.47p

Loaf of bread; 85p

Litre of fuel; 89p

I could go on and on.

Cheerio, old fruits.

I’m lobbying the city to create a ‘little britain’ in the west village. Such a moniker will be in the spirit of neighbourhoods like Little Italy and Chinatown and become a welcoming place for Londoners, Britons, and of course, American expats living in London too — why not?

Sign the petition at
http://www.campaignforlittlebritain.com!
(deadline is May 1!)

Check us out on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x96FrakUPfs

In the Nordic countries, whose social medicine programs make the British system look pathetic, that outlay will be around 6-7% and in Britain the cost will be 5%.