Your starter for ten: talk about "Britishness" for a German friend ...

[Snufkin]

I worked in an installation project for a main british car manufacturer.
An OEM was responsible for the installation of robots in an assembly line. It had 2 teams on site: one german, the other british

It was interesting to see diferent philosophy of work:
The German:
Dead pontual. Arrived early, put phones in a box and cracked on working until the morning break, when they would have a coffee, cigarrette and checked phone for calls and social media.
Once the break was over, they would put the phone away and go back to work until the lunch break.
They worked like robots, emotionless, with very little space for cracking a joke or banter.
They were always the last to leave, working until the last minute allowed.

The british:
Arrived on time, started working but would have coutless breaks for cigarrette or sometimes would just be regularly checking their phones.
Good sense of humour
Always finished work before the Germans but would ask to work weekends to catchup.

I presume the robots were programed with these national characteristics?

 

[Paul L]

My parents are retired teachers. Their pet hate is "they should teach them that in school" . The reply is "FFS, we get the kids for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, in that time we have to take a register and cover all the basic maths, English, a foreign language, history, geography, science and engineering, some elements of decent behaviour, sport AND stop them kicking the shit out of one another, which we generally do, yet we now are supposed to take on bloody X! What the FxxK are the parents doing with them the other 18 hours a day and all weekend?"

...which starts the whole debate about what constitutes good parenting and should there by syllabi on the rest of child’s education. Educated parents (meant in the broadest sense) do that in many ways on life and social skills and sadly some do not.

 

[Paul L]

Ha! It's mostly, as you would expect from me, middle-of-the-road, one the one hand this, on the other hand that kinda stuff.

safest place to be in a Kennedy-two-handed-economist sort of sense

 

[RJohan]

Brits are very polite:

- When in London some years ago I stood at the gate to the tube, trying to figure out how to get in. An, obviously, very stressed bloke stopped and showed me how to do it!
- When I, very clumspy, turned in to people they, very politely, said 'Sorry!', even if it was my fault.

Germany:
- There is no gates when you want to get on a public transport. But, figureing out how the ticket machines work...

 

[ks.234]

Is there any such thing as Britishness? It implies a collective but in truth we live in a divided society, divided one way by ideas of class and another by identity.

One piece of news today is about a Major general found guilty of fraud. Forgetting the fraud itself, is a system that gives out huge advantages based historic notions of class a collective society, or one that’s divided?

 

[S-Man]

I worked in an installation project for a main british car manufacturer.
An OEM was responsible for the installation of robots in an assembly line. It had 2 teams on site: one german, the other british

It was interesting to see diferent philosophy of work:
The German:
Dead pontual. Arrived early, put phones in a box and cracked on working until the morning break, when they would have a coffee, cigarrette and checked phone for calls and social media.
Once the break was over, they would put the phone away and go back to work until the lunch break.
They worked like robots, emotionless, with very little space for cracking a joke or banter.
They were always the last to leave, working until the last minute allowed.

The british:
Arrived on time, started working but would have coutless breaks for cigarrette or sometimes would just be regularly checking their phones.
Good sense of humour
Always finished work before the Germans but would ask to work weekends to catchup.

 

[Yank]

I doubt that

 

[Yank]

20 generalities when I think of Britain and British people:

• ...

Brits love rules, and are quick to cite Hoyle or the Highway Code at the slightest provocation.

 

[Joe Hutch]

Germany:
- There is no gates when you want to get on a public transport. But, figureing out how the ticket machines work...

In Rome, some years ago, we were trying to get into the Underground system. We had bought tickets, but couldn't get the barriers to open. Mrs H suggested we just climb over them. I pointed out the presence of armed police, and was less keen on the idea. Fortunately a friendly local turned up and demonstrated the correct way to swipe the tickets.

 

[Monitor Gold 10]

Good evening all!

With this thread- and my thoughts on the subject being discussed, I decided to ask my workplace what these British Values mentioned on the posters actually are.

I'll spare you the rather lengthy response; my workplace provide Apprenticeships, so the following is required by OFSTED:

https://blog.optimus-education.com/ofsted-and-british-values

Needless to say; these posters (displayed with no context) have raised a few eyebrows.

It speaks volumes that my colleagues thought I was gutsy to question these posters...

Here's my email (edited for my reasons)

To whom it may concern,

I've noticed a poster (enclosed) that appears to promote "British Values".



Assuming this isn't a 'Spoof' what are "British Values" according to *The Company*?



Is *The Company* asserting itself as the Guardian of the Rule of law? If so, please advise as to the position of (the) *Company* within the British constitution.