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Why I'll Never Cheer for a British Team

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Jun 18, 2009
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I know nothing about track racing, but isn't what this guy did technically legal even if it's outside of the rule's intent? If that's the case, then I don't see a big deal. The rules are the problem, not this guy's actions.

It seems like this is the sorta thing guys do on occasion, but do the old "wink, wink, denial" thing. This reminds me a lot of that baseball pitcher who admitting hitting the guy on purpose. It happens all of the time, but he got suspended for actually admitting it. So, I almost find it refreshing that he was honest about it. But it also seems like they need to change the rules.
 
Feb 28, 2010
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JimmyFingers said:
Are you serious? I dare you to go tell an (Southern) Irishman he's British and see the reaction

In a sense he is British, the term `Great Britain', is French and means Greater Bretagne (Brittany), and refers to the Celtic races (or Bretons) who colonised what are now England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Britanny. In the UK many people think Great Britain refers to its achievements, it doesn't, it's effectively `Bigger Brittany'!
 
Jul 17, 2012
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Hawkwood said:
In a sense he is British, the term `Great Britain', is French and means Greater Bretagne (Brittany), and refers to the Celtic races (or Bretons) who colonised what are now England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Britanny. In the UK many people think Great Britain refers to its achievements, it doesn't, it's effectively `Bigger Brittany'!

Errr, ok, Ireland is Britain. I'm sure they will be delighted, all the fighting for independence will have been in vain
 
Jul 14, 2012
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Hawkwood said:
In a sense he is British, the term `Great Britain', is French and means Greater Bretagne (Brittany), and refers to the Celtic races (or Bretons) who colonised what are now England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Britanny. In the UK many people think Great Britain refers to its achievements, it doesn't, it's effectively `Bigger Brittany'!

Gonna have to pull you up on that one. Because in the UK people think the Great in Great Britain refers to it's achievements, that is exactly what it means when some/many people say it. Regardless of the etymology.

When the Daily Mail say Great Britain, do you really think they are saying Greater Brittany?
 
May 26, 2010
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Hawkwood said:
In a sense he is British, the term `Great Britain', is French and means Greater Bretagne (Brittany), and refers to the Celtic races (or Bretons) who colonised what are now England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Britanny. In the UK many people think Great Britain refers to its achievements, it doesn't, it's effectively `Bigger Brittany'!

The term Great Britain was first used during the reign of King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) in 1603, to refer to the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland. on the same landmass, that were ruled over by the same monarch. Despite having the same monarch, both kingdoms kept their own parliaments.

But the Irish who follow their national sports of Gaelic Football and Hurling consider those who participate in the sports of Rugby and Equestrian to be West British.
 
Oct 30, 2010
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Benotti69 said:
But the Irish who follow their national sports of Gaelic Football and Hurling consider those who participate in the sports of Rugby and Equestrian to be West British.

You pop into Dublin and ask the locals if you're in "West Britain". I'm sure they'll say yes and maybe even buy you a pint.

Crack on, it'll be worth a go.
 
Jul 17, 2012
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The Irish are Irish, the Scots are Scots, the Welsh are Welsh and the English are English. The latter three including Northern ireland make a political union that is refered to as Great Britain or the United Kingdon. Ireland is not part of that and is a distinct national and political entity. That goes for sports too, apart from the Ryder Cup. Using an example of an Irish horse testing positiive to imply British are doing the same is a nonsense, and citing historical 'facts' does not excuse this.

Seperate countries, different nationalities. As I said, call a Catholic Irishman British and see what happens. Better yet, call him it when he's drunk.
 
May 6, 2011
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JimmyFingers said:
The latter three including Northern ireland make a political union that is refered to as Great Britain or the United Kingdon.

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but not Great Britain.
 
Feb 28, 2010
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Benotti69 said:
The term Great Britain was first used during the reign of King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) in 1603, to refer to the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland. on the same landmass, that were ruled over by the same monarch. Despite having the same monarch, both kingdoms kept their own parliaments.

But the Irish who follow their national sports of Gaelic Football and Hurling consider those who participate in the sports of Rugby and Equestrian to be West British.

According to Wikipedia (sorry), the term `Great Britain' was first used in 1474, however Geofrey of Monmouth used the term Britannia Major (Great Britain) to differentiate it from Britannia Minor which was Brittany. I'm mainly Celtic, a mixture of Welsh, Irish, Cornish, with smaller amounts of English and Scottish in me, I prefer to be British, and not English, but that's just my romantic notions.
 
Sep 18, 2010
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JimmyFingers said:
Northern Irish athletes do compete for Great Britain however

They compete for a team that represents the UK, but happens to be mis-named "Team GB".

I do sometimes wonder how the N Irish feel about that: that they've simply been left out of the name for no logical reason. (Why can't the team be called "Team UK"?)

What's next? Just call it "Team England"?

(Didn't a couple of BBC reporters do that already this year?)
 

Dr. Maserati

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Jun 19, 2009
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Hawkwood said:
In a sense he is British, the term `Great Britain', is French and means Greater Bretagne (Brittany), and refers to the Celtic races (or Bretons) who colonised what are now England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Britanny. In the UK many people think Great Britain refers to its achievements, it doesn't, it's effectively `Bigger Brittany'!

So, the Irish are British .... and the British are French.
 
May 6, 2011
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Benotti69 said:
SkyGB can peak most of year it would appear.

On this very specific point (which I assume is a reference to Wiggins' consistency from Paris-Nice through to the Tour): Last year, Evans won T-A, Romandie, 2nd in Dauphine and then the Tour. In 2010, Contador won Algarve, Paris-Nice, Castilla y Leon and 2nd in Dauphine (similarly consistent in 2009). What is so exceptional about Wiggins?
 
Sep 18, 2010
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richtea said:
On this very specific point (which I assume is a reference to Wiggins' consistency from Paris-Nice through to the Tour): Last year, Evans won T-A, Romandie, 2nd in Dauphine and then the Tour. In 2010, Contador won Algarve, Paris-Nice, Castilla y Leon and 2nd in Dauphine (similarly consistent in 2009). What is so exceptional about Wiggins?

That, unlike Evans, he didn't have to suffer like a dog to win the Tour?
 
Feb 28, 2010
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Dr. Maserati said:
So, the Irish are British .... and the British are French.

Sort of, I saw a map of early (may have been 5th c) population movements around the British Isles, it was like looking at clothes in a washing machine. Celtic people moved from the West Country to Brittany and founded many of its churches. Native British/Celtic peoples were pushed to western and northern margins first by the Romans and then by the Anglo-Saxons. DNA tests have shown there is still an east/west split in the UK with those living in the East having more Anglo-Saxon genes. Then of course we have our Royal family....The lions of England flag that is flown for many sporting events, was originally the standard of the French House of Anjou!
 
Feb 28, 2010
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piemonster said:
In a sense, although the English are part French, part German with a smattering of Viking

I find this a really interesting subject. There is not much French blood in the English people as apparently the Norman/French invadors didn't bring their women with them, but preferred to marry the local Anglo Saxons and British/Celts. There is of course a lot of Anglo-Saxon blood in the English race, they presumably brought their wives with them.
 
Marva32 said:
After reading all of the information about how the Olympic team from Great Britain pushed the envelope of rules by having an ambiguous way to purchase the Olympic bikes through their website, to have the latest admission by the British team just makes me sick.

It may be in letter of the rules, but seems to violate the spirit of the Olympics.
A bit like team USA! USA! USA! blood doping and stuffing
caffeine up their bum holes for the 1984 Olympic cycling
events in Los Angeles.

I will never cheer for a team that stuffs things up their
bum holes. Now that makes ME sick.
 
May 6, 2011
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Dalakhani said:
That, unlike Evans, he didn't have to suffer like a dog to win the Tour?

Are you really trying to say that Wiggins' consistency is suspicious but not Evans'? The only difference I can see is that BMC had an extremely weak team last year.
 

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