Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted February 27, 2018 Okay, first of all, to cover my backside, I am not a racist, etc, etc... There are English people I like, even some of you on this site a little bit (well, sort of....) That said, the three most arrogant, ignorant, imperialistic, overbearing, bullying, rudest pigs I have ever encountered (two separate ones recently and one years ago) were English people that, by coincidence(?) all happened to come from the same town, Saint Albans. I am therefore wondering, does Saint Albans has a reputation for producing A-Class a***holes amongst other Brits? Is it a cultural things in the area, a class thing or just an unfortunate coincidence that I have met the three biggest tossers from the area? With regard to the class thing, I looked up Saint Albans and read it is a fairly wealthy area so I am wondering if I am just dealing with upper class, born-to-rule types. I don't know about the background of any of these people other than that they are obviously wealthy enough to come and live and work in Australia for extended periods and that the woman/wicked witch studied at Saint Andrew's Uni in Scotland which I understand to be one of the more elite ones. Finally, I am not the only person who thinks this way. Other people I know who have met the three Saint Albanians in person at various times think they are absolute pigs too. So, was Boudicca justified in burning the place to the ground? /End rant. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handrejka 1,904 Posted February 27, 2018 I've only ever known one person from St Albans and he was nice enough. Most of the twats I know seem to come from the County Durham/North Yorkshire border so the opposite end of the country. Unfortunately, I also have to say that from a customer service point of view by far the worst customers are Australians, especially Australian women, so perhaps there is some exchange thing going on and we get your twats and you get ours. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted February 27, 2018 12 minutes ago, Handrejka said: I've only ever known one person from St Albans and he was nice enough. Most of the twats I know seem to come from the County Durham/North Yorkshire border so the opposite end of the country. Unfortunately, I also have to say that from a customer service point of view by far the worst customers are Australians, especially Australian women, so perhaps there is some exchange thing going on and we get your twats and you get ours. Yes, got no excuses for them. Interesting that I have managed to know more people from that town than you have. Please stop exporting them. 2 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungWillz 21,053 Posted February 28, 2018 Biggest fool I ever met was from Swindon. Shudder if I hear someone is from there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
time 8,615 Posted February 28, 2018 I have, to my knowledge, met only one St Albanian; he wasn't an a*hole in the traditional sense, but more of a twat. You'll be familiar with the classic dropping an ice-cream on the back of a sunbather - he did that, but with a football rather than an ice-cream; he also managed to knock over one of those rotary displays of postcards with his rucksack. 37 years ago, and it still haunts me, guilty by association! The few Aussies I've met all seem to be decent enough folk, until cricket is brought up. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted February 28, 2018 Well, the postcard story put a smile on my face so I am feeling slightly better now. Thanks! I do have one more data point for you: I know different English accents represent different regions and social classes but I have no idea what means what. Anyway, the wicked witch talks *exactly* like Rey from the Force Awakens: same accent, same phrasing, same intonation, everything, to the point where I don't think I could ever sit through that film again for fear of being traumatised. The resemblance is uncanny. If you could imagine Rey as a breathtakingly arrogant, imperialistic bully with zero empathy for others, that'd be her. So does Rey speak with an RP accent or something else? What does it connotate for you if someone speaks like her in real life? UPDATE: okay, I Googled it and Rey's accent is indeed considered RP. She doesn't sound particularly like the Queen or other RP speakers I have heard in the past though. So does RP in a normal person indicate upper class? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lard Bazaar 3,799 Posted February 28, 2018 6 hours ago, YoungWillz said: Biggest fool I ever met was from Swindon. Shudder if I hear someone is from there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boudicca 702 Posted February 28, 2018 I've only ever been to St Alban's by mistake (wasn't me left it a pile of smoking ruins, you can't prove a thing ) because of a disaster on the M25 and getting redirected. Very middle class. Artisan coffee, wanky patisseries (sp?) stupid house prices etc People who live in Leek, Staffordshire. They're for the watching. No-righters, every last one. Not sure about Rey (I'm very amused by your bad mood ) but I'd say she sounds more middle than upper. My sister in law who is a lawyer and had a military brat / boarding school education is similar. Upper is simultaneously more drawled and clipped, but the British aristocracy usually throw curve balls. Prince William and his glottal stops for example. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heef 166 Posted February 28, 2018 St. Albans has a very pleasant waffle house in the vague proximity of the Cathedral. That's all I know. Just down the road from Cockfosters Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boudicca 702 Posted February 28, 2018 That's you on the register... ETA only joking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spade_Cooley 9,534 Posted February 28, 2018 St Albans has a lot of Italians who moved there when it was run down in the 60s and early 70s who bought property at the right time and are now all rich. My father, who emigrated to Northampton, didn't have the same luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heef 166 Posted February 28, 2018 This thread reminds me of one of my favourite forum topics. Shittest towns of the United Kingdom. When I lived over there, in order to see as much of the country as possible, the missus and I would undertake regular road trips. This involved randomly selecting some town on the map of the UK and then planning a route to that town avoiding all motorways and being obliged to stop in any town that the route went through. As such, a trip to Abergavenny included such places as Daventry, Rugby, Redditch, Evesham, Pershore, Worcester, Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth. Oh, what delights could we find in such evocative places as Stevenage or Braintree. As I recall, we even waded into a curfew in some concrete shit-hole called Basildon. Anyway, I came to the conclusion that Portsmouth was the shittest of shitholes. Vast amounts of concrete. Yep. People that looked as if the only way is Kappa. Yep. A deep foreboding that someone's going to stab you for looking vaguely lost. Yep. A deep seated hatred of the next town for no obvious reason. Yep. The only selling point of the town being something not into the town (Go to Portsmouth they said. Visit the shopping centre at GunWharf Quays they said. Well, if your only selling point is a shopping centre not in the centre, then you're out of home - c.f. Braintree, Clacton). Getting lost in an industrial area in Widnes/St. Helens was reasonably close, but I still think Portsmouth was worse. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lard Bazaar 3,799 Posted February 28, 2018 Maidstone is an absolute shithole. Well, the Travelodge is. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TQR 14,398 Posted February 28, 2018 This shitty Venn took 90 seconds on Word but it sums up my personal observations: 3 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toast 16,142 Posted February 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Heef said: Anyway, I came to the conclusion that Portsmouth was the shittest of shitholes. Vast amounts of concrete. Yep. People that looked as if the only way is Kappa. Yep. A deep foreboding that someone's going to stab you for looking vaguely lost. Yep. A deep seated hatred of the next town for no obvious reason. Yep. The only selling point of the town being something not into the town (Go to Portsmouth they said. Visit the shopping centre at GunWharf Quays they said. Well, if your only selling point is a shopping centre not in the centre, then you're out of home - c.f. Braintree, Clacton). Getting lost in an industrial area in Widnes/St. Helens was reasonably close, but I still think Portsmouth was worse. I think the fact that most of the road signs in Portsmouth direct you "Out Of City" says it all. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heef 166 Posted March 1, 2018 Honourable mention to the Coventry ring road though. Shittiest, most dangerous bit of road I've ever seen. Exits are so close together that those leaving at the next are merging with the traffic joining from the last. Plus the local scallies loved taking air rifle shots from the overbridges. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toast 16,142 Posted March 1, 2018 Oh yes, the Coventry ring road is the work of the devil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boudicca 702 Posted March 1, 2018 7 hours ago, The Quim Reaper said: This shitty Venn took 90 seconds on Word but it sums up my personal observations: You're lucky LFN is taking a break I might just hit him up on FB so he can defend this dreadful accusation. P.S Can you put Leek, Staffordshire in there please? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TQR 14,398 Posted March 1, 2018 3 hours ago, Boudicca said: You're lucky LFN is taking a break I might just hit him up on FB so he can defend this dreadful accusation. P.S Can you put Leek, Staffordshire in there please? Oh yeah, forgot he’s of the Nor Folk. In which case, I think my point is made Good point about Leek! Dire place I’d blissfully forgotten about 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TQR 14,398 Posted March 1, 2018 Our combined contributions so far, plus my own couple. Who needs Tripadvisor? P.S. BIG UP BASILDON 1 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted March 1, 2018 So basically England's a sh*thole from Portsmouth through to Yorkshire. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 18,477 Posted March 1, 2018 12 minutes ago, Davey Jones' Locker said: So basically England's a sh*thole from Portsmouth through to Yorkshire. This post is endorsed by the Scottish National Party. 1 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heef 166 Posted March 1, 2018 Adding to the towns of iniquity, I was once dragged to a party in a Social Hall in Cannock as a mate of mine thought he was in luck with a woman going to this party. It turned out the average age of the attendees was around about 16 (I think I was around 23 at the time) and it was like walking into a village of the damned. Only this village was populated by 16-year-olds with a baby in tow, ears being stretched by the largest pair of Argos hoop 'gold' earrings you're ever likely to see and demanding that you go and buy them some ciggies and White Lightning from the corner shop where they've already been banned for stealing coffee whitener. Fucking hell, never have I been happier to leave a party before getting a drink in. My mate was persona non grata for at least a month after that little excursion. When I drove back home, I made him slum it in the boot. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boudicca 702 Posted March 2, 2018 9 hours ago, The Quim Reaper said: Our combined contributions so far, plus my own couple. Who needs Tripadvisor? P.S. BIG UP BASILDON That's absolutely perfect. Leek where it should be. Lol at Australia and Travelodges being there too Basildon is also in the correct place what with me and LFN both growing up there. And him in Norfolk now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heef 166 Posted March 2, 2018 Speaking of Basildon, it's the only place I've been in the world where I've turned up to see what's going on in the town centre to find some kind of curfew going on. Most bizarre wandering around a town centre in the UK at 7pm at night and literally no one being around. No idea what was going on. Decided to have a night out at some kind of social club in Pitsea instead and passed an evening having a few yarns with some people celebrating a 60th Wedding Anniversary who were surprisingly cogent and didn't once say 'Oi, oi, saveloy', which was a refreshing change to my previous experiences of Southern Essex (yes, I'm looking at you Romford). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
