Wilshere Flak

[Finnegan]

I'm walkin' in the aaaaaaaaaair.

[Manwell Pablo]

It is somewhat a matter of pinion, which is why Finners reaction is utterly hilarious.

 

Pieterson to me will never be considered English, in fact if he wasn't famous for playing cricket English for us, the suggestion he is would be absolutely ridiculous to most people.

 

In my opinion, yes.

 

Well he is half English, so has every right to consider himself English if he wishes too. And according to your argument all he would have to do is take some elocution lessons and he would be considered English.  

 

I've got a Scottish mate who talks in an English accent 90% of the time and bizarrely reverts back to Scottish whenever talking to immediate family, even the members of his family that have thick midlands accents as they've been down here that long, so where's he from? Where is someone like Niko Rosberg from, he has no recognizable accent its a complete mish mash. Another mate of mine is the youngest sibling from a family that moved from South Africa when he was 3/4 despite barely remembering being there he still has a distinct SA twang to his accent which I can only imagine he gets from his dad but I digress, his older brother who would have been 10 or 11 years old upon leaving SA now has a completely English accent, so your telling me one should be considered English and the other South African because they talk differently even though one spent the entirety of their early childhood in South Africa and the other doesn't even remember being there. Is Jurgen Klinsman American now? 

 

As Finners says there are billions of examples, he doesn't sound Welsh most of the time at all but as he has Welsh heritage you've got no place saying he's English because he's accent has mellowed after years of living here, if anyone is saying you can choose what nationality it is you, just move there long enough and talk like the locals and presto, you're now English/Scottish/Welsh etc. I've met loads of people with accents nothing like their place of birth due to them moving around, I went to uni with one lad who sounded like he was from Oxford because he'd been privately educated, for free due to his family struggling for money. I don't think he'd ever even been to Oxford, he was a 6'2 black lad from Moss Side, Manchester and you could see it plenty of ways but his accent wasn't one of them as it had been taught out of him. 

 

Just a very silly pov in my eyes sorry! I'm quite sure quite a lot of people would find it very offensive as well.

[Finnegan]

Pretty much spot on, Manny.

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

Well she is Scottish and to be fair to her she is proud she is Scottish (God knows why), simply because that's her place of birth and moved down here when she was around 5 years old.

 

Each to their own and what not, I just think your nationality is the Country you were born in. Without obvious exceptions..

 

She is English then.

 

That's the same as Sterling and Zaha and everybody considers them to be English and not Jamaican and Ivorian.

[Stadt]

Does Lewis Hamilton's accent annoy anybody else? The half English, half American accent is just horrible.

[ADK]

At the end of the day it's impossible to have an inflexible set of regulations that decide what nationality a person can be. You'll always have a problem whereby there are people clearly representing a country that has nothing to do with them or people being barred from representing a country that Is clearly where they are from.

[Finnegan]

She is English then.

That's the same as Sterling and Zaha and everybody considers them to be English and not Jamaican and Ivorian.

No, she isn't, she's whatever she identifies as, within reason.

[Guest MattP]

At the end of the day it's impossible to have an inflexible set of regulations that decide what nationality a person can be.

 

Think this is spot on.

 

Though I could still never consider someone a nationality of a country either they weren't born in or didn't have family members in the previous two generations from.

[Guest MattP]

Does Lewis Hamilton's accent annoy anybody else? The half English, half American accent is just horrible.

 

He annoys me full stop.

 

He's nicknamed Robo*** in our local for his accent.

[Corky]

It is somewhat a matter of pinion, which is why Finners reaction is utterly hilarious.

 

Pieterson to me will never be considered English, in fact if he wasn't famous for playing cricket English for us, the suggestion he is would be absolutely ridiculous to most people.

 

In my opinion, yes.

 

If he wasn't famous or trying to play for England it wouldn't be an issue as it wouldn't affect or interest people.

 

Yes, he doesn't sound English, but he's represented the country in nearly 100 Test matches and obviously cares about the country and it's traditions.

[ealingfox]

I would even say the grandparents thing is too tenuous. Parents, residency or wherever formative years are spent for me.

[Guest MattP]

I would even say the grandparents thing is too tenuous. Parents, residency or wherever formative years are spent for me.

 

You're right.

 

It's tenuous at best. I was just trying to be diplomatic.

[ADK]

Think this is spot on.

 

Though I could still never consider someone a nationality of a country either they weren't born in or didn't have family members in the previous two generations from.

 

It depends on the situation though. Sometimes a person has good reasons why they might consider their adopted country to be their nationality. People seeking asylum for example. Likewise if someone emigrated from a country at a very young age, then grew up in a different country, they might consider themselves that nationality.

[Guest MattP]

It depends on the situation though. Sometimes a person has good reasons why they might consider their adopted country to be their nationality. People seeking asylum for example. Likewise if someone emigrated from a country at a very young age, then grew up in a different country, they might consider themselves that nationality.

 

The clue is in your first sentence - "adopted country" - that isn't and never will be nationality.

 

Mo Farah is a British citizen who has been a fantastic servant to this country and it's athletics team, but he'll never be 'British' just because he can run fast.

[shen]

The clue is in your first sentence - "adopted country" - that isn't and never will be nationality.

 

Mo Farah is a British citizen who has been a fantastic servant to this country and it's athletics team, but he'll never be 'British' just because he can run fast.

 

Debating nationality, citizenship and cultural belonging isn't made any easier by the fact that the terms are used interchangeably. I don't mind that you have a strong opinion re: nationality and who gets access to the 'British' label. I do mind that you try to convey your opinions as fact or as general consensus, though.

Mo Farah is de jure British, and as such who are you to claim he isn't 'British'? It's interesting to note the irony in that statement re: your comment about my own integration into my country of birth. Here is a man that has qualified for becoming British, yet instead of now accepting him as a fellow integrated (maybe even assimilated) countryman, you actually create a pseudo-barrier to distinguish yourself from him. I sure hope you never become a spokesperson for integration, ever...

[Guest MattP]

Debating nationality, citizenship and cultural belonging isn't made any easier by the fact that the terms are used interchangeably. I don't mind that you have a strong opinion re: nationality and who gets access to the 'British' label. I do mind that you try to convey your opinions as fact or as general consensus, though.

Mo Farah is de jure British, and as such who are you to claim he isn't 'British'? It's interesting to note the irony in that statement re: your comment about my own integration into my country of birth. Here is a man that has qualified for becoming British, yet instead of now accepting him as a fellow integrated (maybe even assimilated) countryman, you actually create a pseudo-barrier to distinguish yourself from him. I sure hope you never become a spokesperson for integration, ever...

 

I think that goes for both of us doesn't it?

 

Yep let's leave it at that, we have our opinions on it.

[Jordan]

I think it would be terribly unfair to deny a British citizen that is eligible and worthy to play for England the right to do so.

The 5-year residency requirement is a more murky issue, but how many complaints can you have if England cap a foreign player moves to England, works hard for five years (all while not being capped by his home country), pays his taxes, learns English and becomes accustomed to English culture, and begins to feel an affinity for his new home? Can he not wear an England shirt proudly?

[Jimothy]

Can't believe this accent thing! Can't believe I've missed it! It's the most retarded thing I've ever read.

If accents are an indication of nationality what the **** does that make Dietmar Hamann?!?

[Finnegan]

Can't believe this accent thing! Can't believe I've missed it! It's the most retarded thing I've ever read.

If accents are an indication of nationality what the **** does that make Dietmar Hamann?!?

Ahahahahaha it's just occurred to me - Steve McClaren

[Guest Bilo]

Oh, and Peter Schmeichel.

 

He doesn't so much speak English as thick Manc.

[ADK]

The clue is in your first sentence - "adopted country" - that isn't and never will be nationality.

 

Mo Farah is a British citizen who has been a fantastic servant to this country and it's athletics team, but he'll never be 'British' just because he can run fast.

 

It's a matter of opinion then. If someone comes over here, becomes a British citizen and identifies much more strongly with British culture and calls themselves British then I would really say they are British.

[Voll Blau]

Deciding people's nationality by their accent.     

[Uncle Albert]

She is English then.

 

That's the same as Sterling and Zaha and everybody considers them to be English and not Jamaican and Ivorian.

 

How the **** is she English when she was born in Scotland, raised there by her Scottish mother and then moved to England when she was 5 years old? What a ridiculous thing to say, oh wait because she has an English accent then she is English? Or she has lived in England for 43 years she is English? Seriously re-read that and digest it and realise what a complete helmet you have made yourself sound.

 

They're two exceptions, they will personally know they aren't English, they just want to play for a so called 'better' national team, looking at the two types of people Sterling and Zaha are do you really think they're patriotic about England? Are they hell, they would just prefer to play for England over Jamaica and the Ivory Coast. Playing for England they have more chances of playing at international tournaments over their respected nations of birth, fact, that's all Raheem Sterling and Wilfred Zaha are thinking about. They have taken advantage of a residency ruling, Arteta, Cudicini and Almunia could have, why England didn't ask them we'll never know, that's not to say Arteta, Cudicini and Almunia would ever have wanted to have played for England.

[Bert]

You're always so abusive whenever you don't agree with someone. Christ you've got issues! Try and least come out with a definitive argument if you're going to be such a twat.

 

Accent and language is far more of an indicator than where the fvck you're born for Christ's sake, and a load of (some would say 'thick') people define it by where you're born.

 

So basically your opinion is if you've lived in a bunch of places you should be able to decide where you're from? Bollocks mate.

 

There has to be some kind of concrete reason as to why you say someone is from a certain country. No way is perfect and that's why there is often some ambiguity.

 

Some people never know their parents so why should that decipher what nationality you are? Also your mother could give birth to you when on holiday so where you're born isn't the be-all and end-all.

 

Everyone laughs off King being from Wales for example but how the fvck do you know how much time he's spent there? He might visit all the while, but the reason we say he's not Welsh is because you can tell he's not when you listen to him talk. If he had lived there for the first few years of his life would you consider him Welsh? Come off it.

 

Obviously in your dismissive arrogance you've ignored my very crucial example of my Uncle. He was born in Italy but he is not Italian. Don't even try to suggest he should play in Italy over England because it's ridiculous.

 

So 'ideally, birth' makes you sound plain thick to me. You've obviously not thought that one through. At least I've accepted that it isn't black and white, whereas you've completely dismissed my point when your idea of birth being an important factor makes a lot less sense.

 

You can view it how you like, it's your opinion but I won't accept someone saying they're English if English is their second language for example.

 

You're basically advocating people deciding where they're from.

So say someone is born in England, lives here for 15 years then goes to say the USA for two years, comes back speaking with an American Accent, that makes them American?

[marko]

So say someone is born in England, lives here for 15 years then goes to say the USA for two years, comes back speaking with an American Accent, that makes them American?

 

Of course!