😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

rabie 😉

same here – happy easter everyone 😉

rabie 😉

Originally posted by Geforce
Rabie,

The American war of independence happened more than 130 years after the English civil war. I don’t think one can consider this war to be a new English war for more democracy. Actually, since the Act of Union in 1702 (correct me if I’m wrong), not much has changed in the UK. (constitutionally).

The American war of independence would never make it into the history books if it weren’t that the USA is a superpower today. For Europe, the 7-year war (1756-1763) was a lot more important, because here the Britons finally beated the French as the number one colonial superpower in the world (in North-America and the Indies). Therefor, the French insisted on American Independence, to take revenge on the Britons. However, the American Revolution has also influenced the more important French Revolution. Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesqieu, Kant (Kritik der Reinen vernunft/Kritik der Praktischer vernunft) … these philosophers of the Aufklarung have all influenced the American constitution, a lot more than the British. And since the American constitution hasn’t changed a bit since 1783, how can people still claim the US has nothing to do with (continental) Europe. America was the dream of the 18th century French philosophers. Bear that in mind! Montesqieu and Benjamin Franklin were friends. Currently, America looks a lot more like Leviathan (The Hobbesian world) than the land of liberty, once inspired by Montesqieu and Kant.

ahh look what a year at uni does to you (maybe i will be able to type this time next year 😛 )

geforce you miss the point – the Whig party at the time was for what the people like Franklin was advocating. The Tory party in power was a party of landowners who were not for the liberal democratic measures advocated by the revolutionaries – the liberal party was essentially advocating a similar line. NB about 1/5 of Americans left the 13 colonies post war because they disagreed with the line taken.

I wouldn’t consider it in such a European context as you do, as we over here don’t think like that – we think of our immediate neighbours – France and the Dutch and any other colonial rival.

I wouldn’t say the American constitution ideas are essentially French either – they are just what was at the time liberal thinking

The auk constitution – 😀 😀 😀 – what you must understand is that its not codified (i.e. not written in one document) – its is constantly changing – the most major change to us was joining the EU as it raises the question “is the UK parliament still theoretically sovereign ???2 – yes if we repeal the membership treaty – but practically no. our constitution doesn’t work like how you image it 😉

The UK constitution is made up of 6 parts – each of different waiting and it is all a balance

1) Statute law – every single act of parliament is of equal constitutional weighting
2) Common law – every single court judgment
3) Royal Prerogative – monarch makes war, etc, etc – by custom only the PM does most of this now (no laws say one should) – parliament approves all funding – therefore no need to have a vote to go to war.
4) Convention – we do it like this because it is always so – e.g. having a PM, no law says we should have one.
5) Works of authority – some clever people wrote some boring books – useful theoretical reference but no legal standing.
6) Treaties – NATO, UN, EU all affect our constitution.

A war for democracy 😀 😀 😀 – they were all fearful of “the tyranny of the majority” – i.e. democracy brings about mob rule and lack of property. So you get an undemocratic in the true sense of the word state with representative democracy and that famous clause about who is eligible to vote. The whole system is rigged to protect the rich property owners – they designed it with that in mind to prevent the majority from taking their property away 😉 (Am I thinking of Jefferson – there is a quote somewhere)

BTW – mongu – sept 2001, munich, 5:1 to the In-GUR-LUND (repeat until arrested) – this is what is wrong with US sports – they can’t have great inter nation football clashes like this and then have silly nationalistic fights afterwards

rabie 😉

happy birthday mate 😉

rabie 😉

ahhhhhh – but is my news a big surprise ???

rabie 😉

Re: “Tell Us Something We Don’t Know!”

Originally posted by T5
– Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

yes – just, why ???

rabie 😉

not really that into football……..

local team are gillingham – went to a few matches when they were in division 3 (mid 90’s – attendence 8,000 ish) – they are now mid table in divison one and have almsot totally redevloped their stadium (it was terreces when i went – attendaence now 11,000 ish – capacity)

also a bit of a gunners (Arsenal) fan – its a tight title race 😉 (attendence – full house at 38,000 looking to get a new bigger ground)

rabie 😉

geforce

a) 2 good posts in 2 days – very worrying

b) the US war of independence is sometimes considered a second english civil war – ie the uk opposition was for what the us independence people wanted – democractic lberal reforms

rabie 😉