"Why Does Everyone Hate Birmingham?"

[Wolfshade]

Firstly, I didn't realise that they did.

I knew there was some envy from Manchester for Birmingham being the 2nd city, but I didn't realsie everyone hate it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21429358


in the pages of Emma, [Austin] offers this damning observation: "Birmingham is not a place to promise much... One has no great hopes of Birmingham. I always say there is something direful in that sound."

[Psychosplodge]

I know people that hate it because the accent, personally I think scouse is worse, I dislike driving round it, but but beyond that I can't say I hate it, certainly not like I hate Leeds and Manchester.

[Fizzybubela]

I don't hate Birmingham. :) Personally I hate Slough. :p

[Wolfshade]

I dislike the middle of S****horpe

[Psychosplodge]

I quite like 80% of the first half, though the actual place off the M180 not so much...

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Shouldnt this be retitled "Why does Games Workshop hate Birmingham" so it's in line with the other topics? They did call it "Birmingham the black planet".

[Wolfshade]

Shouldnt this be retitled "Why does Games Workshop hate Birmingham" so it's in line with the other topics? They did call it "Birmingham the planet black".

I would be lying if I didn't say there was an element of mimicry :)

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I would be lying if I didn't say there was an element of mimicry :)

Does your local GW's blackshirt throw open super glue bottles at passers by in protest against Birmingham folk?

[Wolfshade]

Does your local GW's blackshirt throw open super glue bottles at passers by in protest against Birmingham folk?

I wouldn't know

[Wildeybeast]

Oh wow, where to start? :D Seriously though, it's an image problem. The accent is horrible on the ears and it's grimy industrial heritage means there isn't much to recommend it. Do you have any cultural achievements you could market?

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

i actually quite like the accent myself...

[Wolfshade]

Oh wow, where to start? :D Seriously though, it's an image problem. The accent is horrible on the ears and it's grimy industrial heritage means there isn't much to recommend it. Do you have any cultural achievements you could market?

You mean aside from being the home of the industrial revolution?

Ok some fun facts for Wildey.

The Jaguar plant (formerly Fishers) made Spitfires for the battle of Britian
Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice (though people who quote this usually miss the point ;))
Birmingham has an estimated 6 million trees, that's more than Paris, and more parks than any other European city, it has won a record-breaking 14 consecutive gold medals form the Chelsea Flower Show and our National Britain in Bloom awards.
The central library is the largest in Europe (and it is currently moving to a larger location) lending more than 8 million books per year
Birmingham is home to many past and present bands including Ocean Colour Scene, Duran Duran, ELO, UB40 and Black Sabbath.
The first of the famous Odeon chain of cinemas first opened in Perry Barr, Birmingham in 1930
Celluloid was invented in 1862, by Alexander Parkes in Birmingham
Joseph Sampson Gamgee (1828-80), a Birmingham doctor, invented the surgical dressing known as cotton wool
Joseph Priestley, a Birmingham minister (1780-91), discovered oxygen.
Electro-plating was invented in Birmingham by John Wright in 1840.
25% of manufactured exports are made in Birmingham
The Jewellery Quarter is the largest concentration of dedicated jewellers in Europe accounting for almost 40% of UK jewellery
F.W Lanchester built the first four-wheeled petrol driven car in Birmingham
St. Patricks day parade is the 3rd biggest in the world.
Birmingham Hippodrome is the busiest and most popular theatre in the UK with over 520,000 visitors taking their seats at performances every year.
Over 50,000 people watch inspirational and varied musical performances by the world famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) every year. That’s more than any other UK orchestra.
The world’s largest collection of rock album covers can be found at St Paul’s Gallery in the Jewellery Quarter.
Birmingham has three Michelin starred restaurants – Simpsons in Edgbaston, Turners in Harbourne and Purnell's in the city centre.
Famous food brands that originated in Birmingham include Typhoo tea, Bird's Custard, Blue Bird Toffee, Bournville cocoa, Cadbury chocolate and HP Sauce.
JRR Tolkien wrote Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit in Birmingham. The twin towers from the book were inspired by Edgbaston water works!
It has the most lap dancing clubs of any UK city
Birmingham has the 5th busiest Mcdonalds in the world and one of the few in the UK to open on Christmas day.
Birmingham is officially the most congested area of the UK with more cars per square mile than anywhere else
The National Sea Life Center, located in Brindleyplace, is home to the world's first completely transparent underwater walkway.
If the world was flat and you could stand in Birmingham and look East, the first thing to block your view would be the Urals.
Victoria Square hosts one of the largest fountains in Europe, with a flow of 3,000 gallons per minute, it is officially known as 'The River'.
Alec Issigonis was one of the most colourful car designers of modern times. He went on to design the world famous, Birmingham- made 'Mini', which started production in 1959 at Longbridge, Birmingham.

I cannot claim the validity of any of the aforementioned claims.

[Deadlift]

The accent makes all brummies sound thick, and that's coming from a Devonian. :p

[Godless Zealot]

Never understood this whole hating other cities thing. Is it the city they hate as in it's layout and structures or the people? or a little of both? I've visited many of them and there are good parts and bad parts like anywhere but nothing to make me hate any particular aspect of it.

[Wolfshade]

Birmingham has several issues.
The Birmingham accent isn't particularly enamouring, though frequently it is confused with the black country accent.
Like any large city it has the associated issues/benefits of large immigrant communities.
The layout of the city centre was completely re-vamped in the 60s to make it very attractive to car drivers however, the demand far exceeds capacity so there are moves to try and resolve this issue, and also to re-balance it with other modes of transport. For instance all the cars were on flyovers and the pedestrians were on subterrain tunnels, these tunnels then became unwelcoming through the 80s and never recovered, they are now trying to rebalance that.

[Psychosplodge]

I'm pretty sure we're more green/treey than Birmingham.
Plus we had the only steam hammer in the country that could make spitfire drive shafts...

[Learn2Eel]

All I know about them is that Pavlyuchenko scored a goal that saw them relegated. That, to me, is unforgivable.

[Wolfshade]

I'm pretty sure we're more green/treey than Birmingham.
Plus we had the only steam hammer in the country that could make spitfire drive shafts...

Nope, less urban trees, don't for get Sheffield is tiny, less than third the size and quarter of the population (if you use the urban areas surrounding, otherwise its half the population size but larger)

[Psychosplodge]

The pwoers that be are always stating we're the greenest city in the country (apparently that's our new selling point), wonder if they're doing it on head of population?

[Wolfshade]

I imagine it depends on how you count it, it could be in terms of tree density, in canopy coverage, in raw tree numbers, urban trees that are not on privately held land, IDK,

Ah ha "estimated 2.5 million trees, giving Sheffield the highest ratio of trees to people of any city in Europe"

So while you have a higher tree/person we have more trees

[Wildeybeast]

You mean aside from being the home of the industrial revolution?

Ok some fun facts for Wildey.

The Jaguar plant (formerly Fishers) made Spitfires for the battle of Britian
Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice (though people who quote this usually miss the point ;))
Birmingham has an estimated 6 million trees, that's more than Paris, and more parks than any other European city, it has won a record-breaking 14 consecutive gold medals form the Chelsea Flower Show and our National Britain in Bloom awards.
The central library is the largest in Europe (and it is currently moving to a larger location) lending more than 8 million books per year
Birmingham is home to many past and present bands including Ocean Colour Scene, Duran Duran, ELO, UB40 and Black Sabbath.
The first of the famous Odeon chain of cinemas first opened in Perry Barr, Birmingham in 1930
Celluloid was invented in 1862, by Alexander Parkes in Birmingham
Joseph Sampson Gamgee (1828-80), a Birmingham doctor, invented the surgical dressing known as cotton wool
Joseph Priestley, a Birmingham minister (1780-91), discovered oxygen.
Electro-plating was invented in Birmingham by John Wright in 1840.
25% of manufactured exports are made in Birmingham
The Jewellery Quarter is the largest concentration of dedicated jewellers in Europe accounting for almost 40% of UK jewellery
F.W Lanchester built the first four-wheeled petrol driven car in Birmingham
St. Patricks day parade is the 3rd biggest in the world.
Birmingham Hippodrome is the busiest and most popular theatre in the UK with over 520,000 visitors taking their seats at performances every year.
Over 50,000 people watch inspirational and varied musical performances by the world famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) every year. That’s more than any other UK orchestra.
The world’s largest collection of rock album covers can be found at St Paul’s Gallery in the Jewellery Quarter.
Birmingham has three Michelin starred restaurants – Simpsons in Edgbaston, Turners in Harbourne and Purnell's in the city centre.
Famous food brands that originated in Birmingham include Typhoo tea, Bird's Custard, Blue Bird Toffee, Bournville cocoa, Cadbury chocolate and HP Sauce.
JRR Tolkien wrote Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit in Birmingham. The twin towers from the book were inspired by Edgbaston water works!
It has the most lap dancing clubs of any UK city
Birmingham has the 5th busiest Mcdonalds in the world and one of the few in the UK to open on Christmas day.
Birmingham is officially the most congested area of the UK with more cars per square mile than anywhere else
The National Sea Life Center, located in Brindleyplace, is home to the world's first completely transparent underwater walkway.
If the world was flat and you could stand in Birmingham and look East, the first thing to block your view would be the Urals.
Victoria Square hosts one of the largest fountains in Europe, with a flow of 3,000 gallons per minute, it is officially known as 'The River'.
Alec Issigonis was one of the most colourful car designers of modern times. He went on to design the world famous, Birmingham- made 'Mini', which started production in 1959 at Longbridge, Birmingham.

I cannot claim the validity of any of the aforementioned claims.

See, this is the sort of thing they need to promote. Except that BS about being the home of the Industrial Revolution, that honour belongs to Derby and Derbyshire.

[Wolfshade]

See, this is the sort of thing they need to promote. Except that BS about being the home of the Industrial Revolution, that honour belongs to Derby and Derbyshire.

If you say so, obviously the leveraged their position in the centre of the country to maximise their economy and managed to make it a major industrial player, oh wait.

We were operating blast furnaces before you'd even thought of having a water mill..

[Psychosplodge]

I imagine it depends on how you count it, it could be in terms of tree density, in canopy coverage, in raw tree numbers, urban trees that are not on privately held land, IDK,

Ah ha "estimated 2.5 million trees, giving Sheffield the highest ratio of trees to people of any city in Europe"

So while you have a higher tree/person we have more trees

probably taken from the same source

61% of Sheffield's entire area is green space

And furnaces, really?

[Wolfshade]

A cricket pitch is green space and has 0 trees (actually one test match does have 1 tree in it, and there are special rules about hitting said tree).

Also first blast furnace to smelt iron ore and coke.

The crucible process was 1740s, 31 years later...so ssh.

[Psychosplodge]

I'll take your word for it being too lazy to look it up...

Also what are the rules?

[Wildeybeast]

See, this is the sort of thing they need to promote. Except that BS about being the home of the Industrial Revolution, that honour belongs to Derby and Derbyshire.

The key to the industrial revolution was the massive increase in production and the industrialisation of people's lives. The world's first factory is in Derby, not to mention Arkwright building entire towns to house his workers. You may have a got an early foray, but Derbyshire is where the Industrial Revolution proper was born.

[Wolfshade]

Because Bournville wasn't built to house chocolate makers? Oh wait, it was Bournbrooke until they renamed it.

I will grant you the first factory. But I'd raise the factory and see Boultons Soho Manufactury which pioneered mass production on the assembly line principle. (Who also minted the first copper penny, which was only retired at decimalisation).

But certainly proving that you could drive machinery (other than [flour] mills) with water was a major step forwards. Indeed upgrading that from water to steam was arguably a smaller step but I think more important given the easy of installing a steam engine vs having a suitable river for water power.

Though a lot of the industrialists set up towns for their workers, though the first one was in Norfolk apparently.

[Chris Copeland]

I don't hate Birmingham at all. I doubt that you hate New Braunfels, either! :)

[Wolfshade]

I don't hate Birmingham at all. I doubt that you hate New Braunfels, either! :)
Boy do I feel awkward now...

[Psychosplodge]

I don't hate Birmingham at all. I doubt that you hate New Braunfels, either! :)

Where?

[Wildeybeast]

The heart of Germany in the middle of Texas, duh. Founded by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels in 1845 they hold a sausage fest every November and a wassailing festival every December, which sounds great. Unfortunately Cope, your German ancestry means by law we English have to dislike you (though largely because we are jealous of your success). We don't hate you though, that honour is reserved for the French and the Argies.

[Psychosplodge]

I thought all americans were irish? :D

[Wolfshade]

We don't hate you though, that honour is reserved for the French and the Argies.

You should give us the Falklands because they are ours, despite us not existing when you took control of them and the Islanders not wanting this. You just want to exploit the mineral resources which is exactly what we plan to do but we are trying to use high ground and your colonial history to shame you.

The argies have no chance to get the islands back militarily. There best chance was during the 80s when they did invade, since then spending on military hardware has been almost non-existant whereas the UK has been continually investing in upgraded systems.

[Psychosplodge]

Cold, damp and windy, clearly part of Manchester.

[Wolfshade]

Cold, damp and windy, clearly part of Manchester.

But it has penguins...

[Psychosplodge]

So would Manchester if it was in the Southern Hemisphere

[Wildeybeast]

You should give us the Falklands because they are ours, despite us not existing when you took control of them and the Islanders not wanting this. You just want to exploit the mineral resources which is exactly what we plan to do but we are trying to use high ground and your colonial history to shame you.

The argies have no chance to get the islands back militarily. There best chance was during the 80s when they did invade, since then spending on military hardware has been almost non-existant whereas the UK has been continually investing in upgraded systems.

I like the way the keep citing various UN resolutions/codes etc. whilst ignoring one of the UN's fundamental principles which is the right to self determination. TBH, they can moan all they like, no one else in the entire world cares & Argentina has nothing we want so we're keeping them. End of.

[Wolfshade]

I like the way they keep citing various UN resolutions/codes etc. whilst ignoring one of the UN's fundamental principles which is the right to self determination. TBH, they can moan all they like, no one else in the entire world cares & Argentina has nothing we want so we're keeping them. End of.

It is frustrating, ah well, didn't Maggie sent nuclear weapons down there? Obviously in international waters and not in violation of any non-nuclear weapon areas that are/were in effect.

[Wildeybeast]

Touché.

I'm sure we have some subs patrolling round there every time they start sabre rattling. There are always at least three naval vessels down there, ostensibly on anti-criminal and search and rescue activities (one of them rescued some family friends when they sailed their yacht into an iceberg) but mainly to intercept any Argentinian attempts to invade. We have recently sent a spiffy new destroyer (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16810417) and the second in line to throne down there to keep them in check.

[Wolfshade]

Touché.

Sorry I was being petty :)


I'm sure we have some subs patrolling round there every time they start sabre rattling. There are always at least three naval vessels down there, ostensibly on anti-criminal and search and rescue activities (one of them rescued some family friends when they sailed their yacht into an iceberg) but mainly to intercept any Argentinian attempts to invade. We have recently sent a spiffy new destroyer (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16810417) and the second in line to throne down there to keep them in check.

I saw, it and the Argentine reaction and smilied.
It is something like 4th largest military spending vs. 49th...

Though we are without our aircraft carriers so projecting air support might be more difficult, though despite the importance of aircraft in the conflict the Argies also haven't really embraced it either..

[Mr Mystery]

sausage fest.



Oooh Matron! Fnarr fnarr!

Though on a marginally more mature note, I was surprised to note the USA offered to mediate.

Silly Septics. They've forgotten that Britain (well, England to be absolutley precise) has been telling Johnny Foreigner 'no, sod off' long, long before the USA were even foreigners. Indeed. We told so many Johnny Foreigner's 'no sod off' that Johnny Foreigner had to go and invent new countries for us to tell 'no, sod off' to!

[Psychosplodge]

However the airfield on the falklands is a lot larger and better equipped than in the eighties...

[Wildeybeast]

Sorry I was being petty :)

I was being pedantic so fair enough. :)



I saw, it and the Argentine reaction and smilied.
It is something like 4th largest military spending vs. 49th...

Though we are without our aircraft carriers so projecting air support might be more difficult, though despite the importance of aircraft in the conflict the Argies also haven't really embraced it either..

The real issue was that we never thought they'd be stupid enough to invade so didn't defend it properly in the first place and they took this as a sign that we wouldn't bother trying to recapture it. Now we have it suitably well defended to prevent any Argentinian landing on British soil (that sneaky Olympics promo film aside) they won't bother to invade again (that and them not needing to prop up a failing military junta).

As for the Americans mediating, they offered to do that last time and Maggie told them that, with foreign troops on British soil, they could either support us in repelling a hostile foreign power or bugger off. I hope Mr Cameron is take a similar line now.

[Wolfshade]

As for the Americans mediating, they offered to do that last time and Maggie told them that, with foreign troops on British soil, they could either support us in repelling a hostile foreign power or bugger off. I hope Mr Cameron is take a similar line now.
Some times I miss the Iron Lady...

[Psychosplodge]

As for the Americans mediating, they offered to do that last time and Maggie told them that, with foreign troops on British soil, they could either support us in repelling a hostile foreign power or bugger off. I hope Mr Cameron is take a similar line now.

They did apparently take air-to-air missiles off their "ready" stocks to sell to us for immediate use...