Makes you proud to be English - - NOT!!

Echoing what Cove says Charlie.  Don't let it get you down. 

Patricia

"Gambons", "Por favores", "Girris" Heard them all.

They should call us the "Comida Tajetes" or "De niro Maquinas" !! Meat Tickets or Cash machines.

Gave Gotardo from Palmera £30,000  never to be seen again

Paid £175,000 for  a 2 bed Duplex in Vera! Almeria.

Pay minimum £4,000 a year into spanish account for Elec, Water, Council tax, Community charge, Valle del este community charge Bin emptying charge, local taxes non resident  and account bank charges, ( endless list )

At Easter ate out every night so kept the local eateries happy,

In fact I go to work just to keep the spanish economy going!!

I have been golfing to Spain with the lads many times and we spend a fortune, this year we are not going.

WHY  - The lads say it is now way too expensive they are off to Turkey.

Any way in future if you bump into me in the 19th hole at Valle del Este just call me the cash machine!! and put a drink on my Tab!!

Hmm -Now where did I put my football shirt and union jack shorts?

OO ER TURKEY OR UK U COME GOOD LUCK MATEY

WELL SAID YB, THATS KINDA THE POINT OF THE THREAD I STARTED ALTHOUGH TANGENTS AND OFF SHOOTS HAVE APPEARED, PERHAPS THEY ARE THE GOLFERS DO U THINK ??

Charlie - don't know how new you are to forums but it's called "thread drift" and is a well known phenomena on forums. Good fun!

Also a well know phenomenon on this particular forum is that there a number of people on here who like to have a go at anyone who expreses a view that this different from theirs. I know one lady who was was so seriously bullied by some obnoxious (in my opinion) people that she left never to return again.

Threads will be also be hijacked by some people on purpose just to try and make their own point and be rude to other people. You can see the evidence already on this one.

Yes I do feel strongly about Brits on holiday - or any nationality for that matter  - making an idiot of themselves and by association anyone of the same nationality. And yes, I am passionate about integrating into the Spanish way of life if you chose to come to live here. But I am not so idiotic to expect eveyone to feel the same as me. Like you, I am of the "older" genration and was brought up to respect people and be polite.

Forums are such an easy place for people to sling mud, be abusive and harass people. It's easy, many people don't use their real names and are never likely to meet the people they are being rude to,.

I have not actually posted on a main thread on EOS for over 12 months as I felt seriously intimidated after the last time I ventured an opinion (and not a whine as I seem to have been accused of). I will probably not be posting again on a main topic - I will just stick the the private forum I post on where everyone is polite and courteous you'll be pleased to hear.

Enjoy!

Thats a real shame pommers, love the handle by the way, perhaps that is something eos should regulate ?? I ran a talk show on the radio in UK  and was always popular due to diverse content. However it all needs to be regulated and each and everybody should be able to voice an opinion without recourse. For such a small yet popular site in the scheme of things if bullying occurs then it should be quashed immediately. There are ways to voice an opinion without being rude, if rudeness occurs then get rid. By the way just to stand correct these were ex pats living here not tourists. Pommers and everyone else who would like to voice a concern or debate if you cower away the bullies always win. A debate is a debate and that is one of my major gripes in the UK, if you have an opinion you should be able to voice it,hence DEMORCRACY or has that gone also.

I don't think anyone on this thread has defended loutish behaviour by Brits abroad whether tourist or resident expats.  Some have pointed out that it is true of other nationalities too and I think you have a consensus for the view that civility and respect by and for all nationalities and all age groups are to be preferred.  No surprise there.  I did express a view opposite to that of pommers when she suggested that everyone had some sort of duty to learn Spanish and integrate when they move to Spain and, happily she has moved back from that position.  So all is well with the world. 

And yb, are you sure that the Brits who shouted "oi" weren't trying to use their newly acquired Spanish language given that "oi" is the imperative form of the Spanish verb "oir" - to listen - and used with people with whom you are familiar; as opposed to "oiga" which is the subjunctive form reserved for people with whom you do not have a close relationship.  We took the word "oi" from the Spanish, originally with the meaning "hear me".  The Latin root is the same as that which gave us the French "oyez" favoured by town criers to call crowds to "hear me".

Well the thing is.

these british people have worked 50 weeks of the year to pay for their 2 week holiday.

They have a bit of cash in their pockets and there is bar owners and people that will benefit from it.

So they have a bit of arrogance and ect with it.

Look at how the rich treat the poor. Very bad and they look down on them very much but they get away with it because they run the countrys.

So for 2 weeks some scouser that lives in a council estate with his scratty little scouser wife and their 2 snotty nosed kids out twokking cars or smoking heroin ,,,,,
Well these scousers get to act like the rich for 2 weeks of their miserable lives.

They get to be rude to waitors and staff and think because they leave a massive 2 euro tip they have absolved themselves.

or thats how i see it.

Jek - I see that English is obviously not your first language? Or are you just plain stupid? You obviously did not understand the nuances of my posts.

I have not re-trenched from my position. What makes you say that? What I said was ". . . I am not so idiotic to expect everyone to feel the same as me". However, I think it is a duty of anyone going to live in another country to learn the language. In my opinion it is the polite and proper thing to do. Sheer and utter arrogance to expect the locals to speak to me in my language. I also did not use the word "integrate" - what I said was "embrace the fabulous culture ". Perhaps you enjoy living in little Britain and try to use various tenses of the Spanish language, which anyone can find in a book or in Google, to try and impress eveyone reading this forum.

Yes I was born in England, as were my mother and father. However, my lineage is Russian, Italian, Welsh and Irish for 4 of my great-grandparents. But yes I am a Brit.

We can all be offensive when we choose. Most of the time I choose not to be as I was taught that this showed a lack of intelligence and integrity. I was taught to be polite, but in your case I will make an exception.

 Guys, over all you seem to agree but for some reason you prefer to focus on small differences. A personal opinion is just that and should not be taken personal or lead to personal attacks. Attacks and creative semantics interpretations will  just get your blood boiling and make your day miserable. Before you know it you are cross with your spouse who will kick the dog which will bite the cat...... you get the picture.

Have a point of view, defend it but leave out the ugly bits. No need. Not likely that strong words will win the argument.

Pommers - sorry if I misread you and I agree that if Brits come to live in Spain, they have no right to expect the Spanish to speak English.  That's not what I was saying.  There are many places in Spain - Costa del Sol, Costa Calida, Costa Blanca, Costa Brava - where it is perfectly possible to live life without speaking a word of Spanish.  If Brits choose to live there accepting they pay more in the bars than if they go inland to a Spanish village; and if they choose not to embrace the Spanish culture, then it is a discourtesy and arrogance to say that this is unacceptable and that they should behave in the way you choose to behave.  Freedom of choice; tolerance; respect for people adopting a different way of life. 

I like this

Quote charlie11 "Having moved to Spain a month ago and thoroughly enjoying it,"

Quote charlie11 "Dont turn Spain into UK part 2."

Sorry charlie11

we have been enhancing/destroying (delete as applicable) the place since the 1960`s when cheap package holidays came.

BIGWILLY

You have already upset this "SCOUSER WIFE" .  I am so CROSS I cannot reply to your post.

Opps

Sorry about that.

I wasnt saying anythign bad about Scousers and i apologise.

When i was a probation worker back in the uk i met some fantastic ones with real personality and a real good heart.

I was just using scouser as an example.

Could have been woolyback or cockney i just chose scouser because it came to mind.

OK.  Thank you, you are forgiven.

Cove Robert - having lived with my husband for almost 40 years I know better than to have a go at him - he can be even more creative with words than I can (lol). And If I kicked one of cats (pictured in my avatar) who look as soft as putty but would take your foot off if you tried, I avoid that too (even bigger lol). Doesn't make my blood boil or make my day miserable at all - I just love a good clean discussion.

Jek - thanks for the apology and it's good to see we do agree on something. I agree with your statement that we should all have " Freedom of choice; tolerance; respect for people adopting a different way of life". But if you can explain to me WHY people choose to live in the "litlle britain" urbanisations, pay more for meals and drinks (when they often profess that they came to Spain for the cheap food and booze etc), moan about the Spanish and their way of life, and when they do actually venture into a Spanish bar or shop are rude and load mouthed to the owner, then I would greatly appreciate it.

We've owned our house for 10 years and I have to say in that time I think the behaviour of may ex-pats of all nationalities has deteriorated considerably, but in my opinion the Brits are the worse. So I do avoid it, walk away and live-and-let-live but it does make me feel uncomfortable to be British at times like many other people have commented.

 Good post, Pommers.

As to why people choose to live in urbanisations in a way you describe I have to say that there might be many reasons.I am not so inclined and therefore can only speculate. It could be an utter lack of curiosity and imagination or a fear that the outside can't be mastered. It could be to have the comfort of the known in the sun. I imagine that it might be quite easy for someone looking to live in the sun to pick a proven spot, somewhere with established recognizable structures that one does not have to establish oneself. 

As for people behaving badly, that is simply ignorance. Ignorance of oneself and others. Why are people ignorant? I just googled it and I've got 25,500,000 results. That should about cover it.

Bigwilly

What is an woolyback?

Kenny

Should it not be Union Flag shorts? I thought the term Union Jack was reserved for the Navy and such.

Cove Robert,

my understanding is a woolyback comes from Lancashire, but I may be wrong! My husband calls me that and I was born in Chorley, although I understand pie-eaters are from Wigan, not too far away from there. I won't say any more for fear of jek having another go at my so called 'superior attitude'

Cove Robert - I thought a woolback was someone from the countryside around Liverpool. But according to wiki the term was orininally applied to the workers on Liverpool docks who carried wool bales on their backs!

However, the urban dictionary had 2 definitions :
Woolyback (1 word) " A person born in the town St. Helens, in the North West of England. 
Wooly back (2 words)"A derogatory expression for people from lancashire and cheshire, originating from the early 1900's when the population of lancashire used to wear a form of sheepskin coat and was considered to be a sheep ******** by scousers" (ie liverpudlians).

So, take your pick!

Spot on about the Union Jack. This term applies when the Union flag is flown from the jack staff located in the bows of a boat and only when in harbour. Any boat an  fly it but it is normal only naval vessels that have a jak staff.

However, Union Jack was officially acknowledged as an alternative name for the Union Flag by the Admiralty and Parliament in the early 20th century!

Not being superior on this later one - I sailed for many years and have friends that are ex-navy!