Posted by: coastalreflections | November 10, 2008

Do the British actually like to be uncomfortable?

I have been reading Alexander McCall Smith’s latest novel, ‘Cordoruy Mansions’ on line and was struck on this freezing cold, wet and windy day in N.Ireland, as I read this: ‘The British certainly lived in conditions of great discomfort, with their cold, draughty homes and their admiration for a culture of cold showers. But did they actually like to be uncomfortable, or did they accept discomfort as a constant factor in British life, like bad weather and run-down trains?’ Can anyone answer this for me?


Responses

  1. Maybe if they don’t learn to like it, they crack up? But perhaps they don’t like it at all: the DT today suggests that moaning is the national characteristic! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/10/do1007.xml

  2. As a Brit abroad (enjoying the good life “on the continent”) there’s not too much that I really miss about Britain – certainly not the damp, rain, overcrowed trains, the tribal politics nor the overcrowded roads. My nightmare is that God will one day call us back to the U.K.


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