I think the

"Oh The accent is so sexy thing" works both ways.

All the brit girls I know love just about every accent apart from the one spoken from their own countries males.

Conversely If I go to any other country girls seem enamoured by the british accent on a bloke. It is true that American girls seem particularly enthralled but I've had similar reactions from South American and Carribean girls.

On thinking about it the following may apply

Attractiveness to any nation is directly proportional to distance from nation of birth multiplied by said nations GDP

So with respect I'm off to Peru for some major action (gibber)

There is a nice hill near where I live.

Actually PS360 I live in England and refuse to vote in the General Election.

 As I'm sure some people know we run a first past the post system which the American elections with the colleges and such are based on.

I personally believe proportional representation is the way to go as it is the only way to ensure all votes count and your voice is heard.

I stopped voting when a polititian stated after the 1992 election that all the people that vote in the general election believe in the first past the post system and that is all that matters.

Well I dont believe in the system and if the only way to make my voice heard is to withhold my vote I will do so. Ironically in doing so I feel more politically active than most of my friends.

As for the time honoured Brit comment that people died in the war so you could vote. I asked my Grandfather who in his own wonderful style laid that particular beast to rest.

 I Quote.

Me : Grandad did you fight in WW2 so I could have the right to vote.

My Grandad : Did I FU&K as like.

 You do know the Lib Dems are in favour of proportional represention and would impliment it if elected.

give me london town on a sunny day walking up wood green or the royal london pub in walthamstow and to finish your weekend camden town market.
ie f**k the politics you cant beat london town

The question was England as a whole. In my isolated area of town gas prices may have just dropped a dollar. That doesn't mean gas prices are rapidly dropping all over the world.

When I think of England I think of the following: (And this is honestly what I think of.)

1) And this is mainly from my experiences with your countrymen on Wikipedia, is that you guys take yourselves too damn seriously. I'm not trying to knock on you guys, but c'mon, the british empire died in the ashes of Europe during WWII. I suppose you guys would think the same about my fellow Americans, but we ARE the world's most powerful country. You aren't. You WERE in the past, but you aren't now. Sorry to sound harsh, but that's how I feel. I don't know if all Brits are like this, but I honestly don't think half the Brits on Wikipedia can comprehend the fact that the vast majority of the world does not care what player Manchester United F.C. acquired last week.

2) Your TV and movies suck. (in my VERY humble opinion, they do.) Whenever I see BBC movies, I have to struggle to keep a straight face because the production values are so crappy. (Maybe they're just different from what I'm used to, but it always seems to me that the special effects, camera angles, etc. are 20-30 years behind American movies) The same goes for your news broadcasts. They're soo... welll... boring. Maybe that's a result of you being like 1/45th as big as our country, but it seems like nothing ever happens in your neck of the woods... Also, most of your sitcoms/soaps/etc. to me look crummy compared to american versions. (All of these shows on both sides of teh pond suck imo, but at least ours don;t look like they were made by a bunch of youtube wannabes in their spare time...)

3) And this goes along with the first thing, but it seems like you guys are living in the past. I mean, your monarchy, your intrusive government, your spelling, heck, even your automobile designs.... Maybe I can't comprehend you guys mindset because I live in a nation that is less than 250 years old, but ....... well, that's what it seems like.

4) Your awesome tourist attractions. Where else in the world can you see Big Ben, the British Museum (!), the Tower Bridge, the Humber Bridge, the Straits of Dover, the Channel Tunnel, and Buckingham Palace without having to drive more than 400km?

5) You get to drive on the wrong side of the road. ('nuff said)

6) You guys have awesome accents (ALSO 'nuff said....)

So there you have it, that's an American's perspective on your country. (and just for the record, your country would be my first choice to live in if I couldn't live in the US. I could also list a lot of thoughts on my own country, but that will have to go in a different thread....)

I have visited the UK only once, but I had a good time during my stay.

I loved traditional architectures in cities. Even stone pavements had some artistic flavors. I liked its cloudy weather, which made me somewhat calmer. I loved flat green pastures in the countryside where sheep and shepherds were peacefully roaming around. I enjoyed a remarkably nice view of ocean while I was on a train to Edinburgh.

Food - I don't know. I went to a decent restaurant in town, and ordered a relatively expensive steak, but the one I got tasted like a rubber mat with tons of spices on it. Maybe bad luck.

People - Overall, it was enjoyable to converse with people in the UK. Sometimes, I had trouble comprehending what they were saying since I'm accustomed to American accents. But it was no big deal.

I didn't experience blatant racism during my stay - unlike my experience in France where I felt people were much colder on average or somewhat more hostile to me.

Well, maybe except one occasion - After I arrived at Cambridge, I was trying to get to my hotel in downtown dragging my suit case. A few young people outside some pub looked at me and started to jeer calling me a monkey dragging a tire or something. It was a bit painful experience. I guess it had something to do with me being Asian.

Later that day, I had a chance to talk to one of the students at the University of Cambridge, and I told him about the unpleasant encounter in downtown. He said there's no way that those rude people were students from his university.

I was somewhat impressed by his conviction that his fellow students would never do such a thing. I mean, how many of us can say with conviction that other students at our university would never do such a thing? He must have a lot of pride and trust in the integrity of the school and students, which is a good thing.

I didn't encounter any physically violent youth during my stay, but I'm interested in what is generally considered to be the cause of youth violence in UK cities - such as income disparity, high unemployment rate, lower social mobility, or more broadly a sense of social stagnation, I wonder.