Fish the second.

[ron_broxted]

Poll Continuing the theme from yesterday, seeing as how L.J is actually working now. Notorious and revered blogger davesmusictank along with equally notorious and revered keresaspa voted that Argentina and Russia were the most anti-UK. Perhaps. Falklands/Malvinas aside the Argies do not give a fandango about Britain. Venezuela and Bolivia are both not fans, one can include

Comments

[keresaspa]

China, Iran and North Korea would all see Britain for what it is - a third-rate stooge of their real foe America. Argentina on the other hand has been producing a regular stream of anti-British rhetoric and literature since at least the Irazusta brothers in the 1930s.

EDIT: And I should specify that I took "anti-UK nation" to mean the country where they are most widely hated rather than just where they have an anti-British government. The British are detested by most ordinary Argentinians.

[steepholm]

I must protest that Britain is a first-rate stooge for America. Do they have any better?

As for the Argentines' detestation, I speak from a position of ignorance, so I'd be interested to know why that might be. Is it all about those disputed Atlantic islands? Or because the British helped them gain independence from Spain with more than half an eye on making money on the deal? (Not nice, but then altruism is pretty rare in foreign policy - and do they detest the Spanish even more?) Otherwise, I'd have thought the UK today was an irrelevance to most Argentines, as Argentina is to most Brits, and to read that they're detested is almost as puzzling as to read that the people of Nepal have a scunner against Iceland - which for all I know they do.

I remember btw that Borges seemed something of an Anglophile, at least in terms of his literary references, though I know nothing of his politics. I wonder if he was something of an aberration?

[ron_broxted]

Haiti is better than us! As I said in another reply there is a huge Anglo-Argie contingent, but, basically, since 1982 they are not fans of Inglaterra. Falklands/Malvinas have oil...

[keresaspa]

For the two reasons you name in particular the money-making one which was a big theme for Roberto de Laferrère, the Irazustas and others of that ilk. To the best of my awareness Borges never had any involvement with that bunch of reprobates. There was also some football stuff specifically against England rather than Britain as a whole. Not having had an empire I suppose Argentina is a bit starved of rivals really and has had to latch on to whoever it could.

[ron_broxted]

They hate Chile...

[keresaspa]

And Brazil but every country hates their neighbours, it's hardly new.

Egypt and Sudan?

[ron_broxted]

Austrians and Germans?

Re: Egypt and Sudan?

[keresaspa]

Germans love Austrians in the same way the English love the Irish - they think of them as their funny little neighbours and enjoy patronising them. Any of the Austrians I've ever known have hated the Germans, largely for this reason as well as for always being assumed to be German everywhere they go.

[ron_broxted]

Disagree re:Argentina. There is a huge Anglo-Argentine contingent, 2 of them were in my Dept. North Korea is f***ed so not too much to worry about. Most places hate the UK, the US and a few South America states are OK cos of Lord Canning. Asia? No. Africa, ditto. Aussie? It can't wait to fark orf. That leaves Bhutan...

[keresaspa]

Bhutan is too busy jailing people for having a feg.

[ron_broxted]

At least they get reincarnated in Connecticut...