British Culture: The NHS and What it Means to British People

Why We Love The NHS

If you ask any group of British people which institution they are most proud of, most would probably say the NHS, the abbreviation for the National Health Service.

Founded in 1948, the NHS was one of the world’s first health services which was founded on a national basis, bringing together all medical practitioners and services in one organisation. Before it was set up if people wanted to see a doctor or have an operation in a hospital, they had to pay for it. One of the three founding principles of the NHS has always been that it is free at the point of delivery. Quite simply this means that if you have ‘Ordinary Resident Status’ in the UK, whenever you go to see a doctor, if you need to stay in hospital, have an operation or use many other, though not all, related services, you won’t need to pay for anything.

Quite a few people, however, also take out private medical insurance or if they work for certain companies they may be given it as part of their remuneration package. This allows people to access private medical services. Increasing numbers of people, if they can afford these services, have turned to private medicine as waiting times to access NHS services can be quite long, whether it is to see a GP (General Practitioner) or to have an operation.

In recent years there has been a lot of financial pressure on the NHS, particularly in A & E (Accident and Emergency), when it comes to investing in new equipment, employing more doctors and nurses and spending on the latest treatments and medicines. Nevertheless, most patients who use the NHS are happy with their experience of using it.

The NHS is publicly funded, mainly through general taxation, though some money comes from National Insurance (Social Security) contributions and some comes from foreign visitors who pay fees for certain services.

Prescriptions, which you get from a doctor, and which allow you to get medicine which is not ‘over the counter’, result in a charge for many people. A number of groups of people, however, get their prescriptions for free, for example if you are under 16 or over 60, are pregnant or if you are receiving certain state benefits.

Though the NHS faces many challenges now and in the future, most British people, of whatever political persuasion, are likely to continue to be very supportive of the organisation, for what it provides and what it has achieved.

British Culture - 9 Things that Make Britain Different to the Rest of the World.

Continuing our series on British Culture: 

A Few Little Differences

A few little differences

In an increasingly global world it can be difficult to see the differences between countries, but if you look closely you can always find them. Here’s a few you might come across in the UK.

• Driving on the left! Perhaps because we are an island the Brits have never seen the need to go over to driving on the right. However, we are not alone. 76 other countries and territories also drive on this side of the road, including several in Europe (Ireland, Cyprus and Malta).

• Talking about driving, when on the road you should remember that all distances are measured in miles and not kilometres. There are about 1.6 kilometres to the mile. Very few countries still use this form of measurement though the United States still does.

• Like in most of the rest of the world, when you stop at a petrol station you will buy your petrol in litres. Naturally, some Brits still insist on using the old measurement when calculating liquids, which is the gallon. There are about 4.5 litres to the gallon. 

• By law, all shops must calculate weight in kilos and grams. However, a lot of Brits still like to use the old Imperial forms such as stones, pounds and ounces. There are 12 ounces in a pound, 14 pounds in a stone. Easy to understand, isn’t it? OK, to understand it more clearly there are about 2.2 pounds in a kilo.

• Generally, height is calculated in centimetres. Nevertheless, lots of people like to use the Imperial forms of feet and inches! There are 12 inches in a foot. What does this mean?? Well there are 30 centimetres in a foot. Clear??

• When you are in a pub, do not say when ordering drinks ‘I’d like a beer, please’. The bartender might start laughing! Instead use the correct size of glass as well as the name of the beer you would like. So, for example, you might say ‘I’d like a pint of Carlsberg, please’. If you wanted a smaller size you could say ‘I’d like half a pint of Carlsberg, please’. One pint is about 0.56 litres. Still clear??

• Opening times tend to be shorter in the UK. Most shops open at 9.00am and close at between 5.30 – 6.00pm, though most supermarkets stay open for longer as do many shops in London and other large cities. Unlike in a lot of countries many shops are also open on a Sunday. Pub opening times tend to be 11.00am to 11.00pm, though in recent years a lot of pubs stay open until midnight or even later, especially in the big cities.

• Remember that British electricity sockets take a three prong plug compared to the two prong variety used in many other countries. You will need to buy an adaptor if you want to use your electrical equipment here.

• Though more modern bathrooms are different, many wash-basins and baths still come with separate taps for hot and cold water. Do not worry, they are really easy to use!

British Culture - British Humour - That Very Strange Thing!

Continuing our series on British Culture: 

British Humour

Humour is important in every country and the UK is no exception. However, to truly understand a country’s humour and how and why it is used is not easy. In Britain humour is an important part of life and can be found in just about every situation, no matter how difficult that situation might be. So, what is British humour and how can we best understand it?

British humour comes in many different forms. It is often very sarcastic, ironic or self-deprecating (making fun of oneself); at other times it is slapstick (being clumsy / talking about embarrassing events); sometimes it can be dark; it can even be quite vicious. Most people in Britain expect to hear and use humour on a regular basis and hope that others will understand them when they say something funny. British humour is often very subtle. Perhaps one of the best pieces of advice to understanding British humour is to remember that sometimes the speaker does not want you to take what they have just said literally. So, if someone says to you ‘I really like your new jeans’, try to listen for their tone of voice and not just the words they’ve used. It may be that they really like your jeans or perhaps they do not like your jeans at all!

The British will often use humour as a defence mechanism. If they have done something wrong, forgotten or lost something, or cannot think what to say, they will often make a joke about the situation. The listener may or may not join in, but would be expected to understand why the joke was made.

Humour is frequently found in the work place. The British will often use humour to diffuse a tense situation and to limit confrontation, especially in a meeting or a negotiation, or when giving problematic information during a presentation. Some non-native listeners may feel that the person who is speaking is not taking the situation seriously enough. In fact the opposite is true. Employees like to make jokes about their boss, often right in front of them. As long as the joke is not too harsh, the boss should except it. Even in a place like A&E (Accident and Emergency) in a hospital lots of humour is used to lighten the mood.

Try not to react badly if you are the recipient of the joke. Laugh at it and make a joke back. The first speaker will expect it. Even if the joke is not aimed at you, remember to join in the laughter. What is important to note is that if someone has made a joke at your expense, it means that they like you!

Of all areas of humour there is one that is perhaps most associated with the British, the understatement. So, if it is pouring with rain a British person might say ‘I suppose the weather could be a bit better’. Or if there is a hundred people in a queue someone could say ‘Well, there’s hardly anyone in this queue’. Now that really is funny!

Festivals and Holidays - British Culture

Like any country, the UK has plenty of festivals and holidays, some national and others regional. Here are some of the more common/unusual ones.

Burns Night (25th January) – Scotland

This is a celebration of Scotland’s most famous poet, Robbie Burns. On this day throughout Scotland there are lots of events, many of which involve bagpipe playing, the singing of traditional songs, the eating of a classic Scottish dish, Haggis, as well as the drinking of a certain amount of whisky! To know more click here

Glastonbury (June) – England

By far and away the most famous music festival in the UK, Glastonbury has now been going since 1970. Over the years many of the world’s most famous groups and musicians have performed here such as the Rolling Stones, Adele, David Bowie and many others. In addition to the music, there is theatre, comedy, dance and many other forms of art. More information here

Victorious Festival (August) – Portsmouth

This is a two-day music festival held on Castle Field and Southsea Common. The 2017 Festival may be attended by as many as 200,000 people and will have acts such as Madness and Stereophonics. More information here

Goodwood Festival of Speed (June-July) – Goodwood (20 miles from Portsmouth)

If you like cars and racing then you are going to love Goodwood. Many of the latest sports and high-performance cars are on display or racing around, and numerous famous racing drivers are on hand for racing enthusiasts to talk to.

More information here.

Boxing Day (26th December) – UK wide

While in many countries the day after Christmas day is a return to work, that’s not the case in the UK. We have another day to recover from all we’ve eaten and drunk on the 25th! But why exactly is it called Boxing Day? Well, there are many theories but one of them is that in the 19th-century servants and others, who had to work on Christmas Day, were given the next day off as a holiday and in addition they were given a box by their employers which contained a small present. To know more click here

British Culture - Queuing - Why do we do it?

Queuing and why we do it

Another in our series of articles about British Culture. This week we look at the art of Queuing - and why and how to do it properly.

If you were to ask people around the world what they think the British love doing, many would immediately think about queuing. The British are certainly experts on queuing and have a particular set of rules about how to do it properly!

So when in the UK this is what you need to do:

1. Never ‘jump’ the queue! (jump – go to the front of the queue) This is considered the biggest no-no of all and will result in everybody muttering loudly, though being British nobody will probably say anything directly to the queue jumper.

2. Try not to stand too close to the person in front of you. The British like a certain amount of personal space.

3. If a large gap opens up in front of the person who is in front of you, do not tell them to move forward. This is not considered to be polite.

4. On the whole people do not really talk much to each other when in a queue, though a casual remark about the weather is acceptable. Do not talk about Brexit!

5. Do not offer your place in a queue to another person. A ‘newcomer’ to the queue is always expected to go to the back (Unless you came together and will leave together – for example at the Supermarket).

6. In a supermarket it’s OK to ask someone to hold your place in the queue as long as a) you ask politely b) you are near the back of the queue and c) you come back quickly. Otherwise the others in the queue will start muttering again!

So are the British, in reality, actually good at queuing? On the whole they are, but then so are lots of other nationalities. It very much depends on where you are. In a bank, a supermarket or when buying tickets at the cinema, theatre etc. the British are pretty good at queuing. However, at bus stops or waiting to get on to a train or the Tube (the London Underground), the system starts to break down. It can collapse completely outside large stores on the first day of the Christmas sales. Seeing people shoving and shouting at each other, an observer might say: ‘This is just not cricket!’ before they themselves try to force their way into the store!

British Culture - The Great British Breakfast

The Full English Breakfast

You’re in the UK. You get up in the morning. You’re hungry. So, what do you have for breakfast? Well a full English breakfast of course!* Whether you’re a meat eater or a vegetarian there’s no better way to start the day than to have this sort of breakfast. Whilst it’s not a good idea to have it every day, having it once or twice while you’re here is fine and it does set you up for the day. But what exactly does this substantial dish consist of?

As mentioned above you can have a breakfast which comes with meat or not. Both types normally have some or even all of the following: fried eggs, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and hashed browns. The meat version will also include bacon, sausages and possibly black pudding. This last food is not a pudding at all but is the British variation on ‘blood sausage’! The vegetarian dish will substitute meat sausages for vegetarian ones. Occasionally the breakfast will come with another very British food, bubble and squeak. This is a dish made from left over mashed potatoes and cabbage which has been combined and then fried. Accompanying this very full plate will be toast and butter, washed down with lots of tea or coffee.

The popularity of this dish means that many cafes, restaurants and pubs will offer a full English breakfast (it’s also simply called a ‘full English’ or a ‘fry up’) up to and including lunch time and some will even offer it as an all-day meal. Trendy cafes will offer ‘artisanal’ versions of the dish. If however you wish to get the full British experience, try to find a ‘greasy spoon’. This is not as the name suggests a very dirty piece of cutlery but instead a cheap cafe or restaurant which specialises in fried food.

Many eateries today will have a full English breakfast on their menu and normally at a very competitive price. Most places will also offer alternatives to the ‘full’ meal with just a few of the main ingredients. In some you can ask for your eggs to be cooked in a particular way: fried, scrambled or poached.

Whichever way you choose to have your full English breakfast, enjoy it!

*You can also get a ‘full Welsh’, a ‘full Scottish’ and a ‘full Irish’. There are regional variations as to what you will find on your plate, though the main ingredients are mostly the same.

Sorry I'm British - How to be Polite When you are in England

British Culture - Politeness

Two people try to go through a door at the same time. One says to the other “After you”. The other says “No, after you”. The first person says “No, really after you”. And so it goes on. In another scene two people are in a restaurant and one wishes to use the salt but it is out of reach. They say to their companion “Excuse me, but could you pass me the salt? … Thank you so much”. A few minutes later the second person will say exactly the same thing! Why? The reasons why the British are, on the whole, considered to be polite are probably lost in history. Whatever the reasons for it, being polite is an important part of British culture. 

Working out how to be polite and the subtleties of it are not easy, but watching how it is done is important if you wish to adapt to British culture. While nearly all languages have words for ‘thank you’ and ‘please’, changes in how languages are used, partly as a result of social media, mean that these words are not as commonly used as before. In British culture, particularly in certain situations such as going into a shop, a café, a pub, buying a ticket etc., it is seen as impolite to forget to use these expressions. Forgetting to say ‘please’ when ordering will probably result in the waiters/waitresses taking a lot longer to serve you!

Even signs and other public notices and announcements in this country can be polite. For example, you might hear in the London Underground ‘Please mind the gap’ or while walking you might see a sign which says ‘Please pick up after your dog’.

Quite often the British will go to great lengths to avoid saying the word ‘No’. Instead they might say ‘I’d prefer not to’ or ‘Not really’ or slightly misleadingly ‘I’m fine, thanks’! What can be more of an issue is when you ask a British person the question ‘How are you?’ and not wanting to be too enthusiastic with their answer the British person will reply ‘Not bad’ or ‘Quite good’, while as many other nationalities might have said ‘Very well’ or ‘Fine, thanks’.

Though not strictly speaking an example of politeness, how the British deal with silence in a public setting can be related to it. So for example, if you are having a meal with British people and there is a pause in the conversation, the British feel that it would be rude for the silence to go on for too long so they will start asking you as many questions as possible, even if they have already been asked before!

But perhaps the best example of politeness is when one person treads on the foot of another person by accident. The second person apologises for having their foot trodden upon! Now that really is being polite!