Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with britain

Import motorcycle from US to UK?

nickrussell — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:41:02 -0800

A friend may be moving to the UK for a year this summer. He's wondering how he would go about bringing his beloved Ducati with him? It's fully compliant in the US and is less than 10 years old. We're specifically wondering about navigating the legal regulations in the UK, although any thoughts on 1) shipping, and 2) his requirements for a motorcycle driving licensing are helpful as well.

Thank you hivemind!

The Transatlantic Librarian

Isingthebodyelectric — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:37:37 -0800

Give me insight, tips, and strategies for transitioning from American to British librarianship. My husband (British citizen) and I (American) currently live in the US, but are considering moving to England. We're not yet sure where we'll be located.

I have an MLIS and nearly 4 years of professional experience as a librarian. I've worked in a research library/archive, a small business school library, and am now employed as a reference/electronic resource librarian at a community college.

Right now my job includes instruction, reference, web development, electronic resource management, library media, programming, and publicity. I do not currently perform cataloging or collection development, but have done so in past positions. Areas of expertise include Humanities (Language, Literature, History, Art), Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Business), and Culinary Science.

I'm hoping to find employment in an academic library in England. I will not begin applying for jobs until I have a visa (through my husband) and eligibility to work, so I do not need a university to sponsor my visa.

Things I'm already doing/plan on doing:
1. Searching for jobs on LISJobNet.
2. Setting up a couple of informational interviews with academic librarians (probably in London) to ask questions and make contacts.
3. Browsing some university library websites to get a sense of what types of resources are offered to students, and how they're presented.
4. Making sure that my application materials are correctly sized and have the right date & phone number format! :)

But I have so many questions!

1. Do I need to apply for chartership with CILIP? Would that be a prerequisite for being considered for a position?

2. What are some of the key differences between working in this field in the US and UK? In particular, I wondered about: electronic resources, citation styles, research, and instruction. But any insight regarding cultural differences would also be appreciated!

3. Are there any good information sources regarding this type of transition?

4. Would a librarian trained in the US be particularly qualified/desired for any specific type of position?

5. Can you share any anecdotes about working in, or using, academic libraries in both countries?

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

History of Christianity(focus on Britain) for law degree.Where to start?

ethelwulf — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:37:00 -0800

Hi. I was wondering if anyone here could help to recommend resources for a complete beginner to better understand the history of Christianity, etc so I may have a deeper, more contextualised understanding of british history and politics. Some stuff I'd like to know better are: - great Schism
- the Protestant revolution in Britain
- the separatists who came to America
- origin/history/development of the papacy and its relations with Britain
- Puritans, Calvinists, etc
- James II, Henry VIII
- Western Legal past (common law, civil law)

I realise that my question is somewhat broad, but I am hoping to be able to compile suggestions I'll receive into some sort of logical order to get through.

I will be studying the modules constitutional law (Coke, Davis, Hale Bacon, Sovereignty, are the overlapping modules with legal history) as well as legal history (which will cover Ancient Greece, Fall of Roman Empire, Identity and origin of common law) at a British university next year, and so would like to be familiar with the backdrop of defining events in British legal and political history.. basically to make things easier for me before starting the year

Different suggestions or general advice are also welcome. I do have some of the recommended bibliography including journals for the course, but they are not beginner friendly; the latter being the worst to get through.

Thank you for your time

British Economic & Government history, Trade Unions, and Thatcher.

ethelwulf — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:30:27 -0800

I have just seen the movie Iron Lady, and was wondering whether anyone here could recommend me resources to better understand the British economy and government before and during Thatcher? I'd like to better understand what she did for the government and economy, and also about her clash with the trade unions (which I don't really understand; trade unions are rather insignificant in my country)

I'd basically like to get a contextualised picture of what things were like back then- how they were shaped by Thatcher and her predecessors as well as some basic social history I guess..

What I hope to gain from it is to ideally be able to come up with an informed understanding of how Britain has changed since ie how it has adapted to globalisation, EU reforms, human rights, etc and generally be able to assess its current leaders against a backdrop of the past.

Where should I begin?

Thanks very much for your time

Living Like A King

davidjmcgee — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 10:54:42 -0800

I'm looking for information on the structure of life for members of the British Royal Family, particularly the lives of heirs to the throne: protocols, responsibilities, duties, etc. Do they have support staffs from childhood? Are they surrounded 24/7 by huge security details? Are there media consultants and imaging experts? Do they do their own grocery shopping? Do they have "days off" and what would that even mean in this context? I'm working on a fictional thing involving fictional royalty, so I'm not necessarily looking for information specifically about the current heirs, although that would probably be helpful as precedent.

Trilogy set in Britain, Scandinavia and America

Wordshore — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:21:58 -0800

I read a fiction trilogy in the 1990s. The first book was set in Britain (or England), the second in a Scandinavian country (Norway or Sweden), and the third in the USA. What was the trilogy? The overall story arc was "Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl are reunited", with a fair amount of crime and social disorder along the way. I think the writing alternated between a normal narrative and some kind of transcendental text. The trilogy was obscure, which is possibly why it's difficult to track down. Recollection is that the author was probably male, and possibly American. Unsure about what time period it is set in; near-contemporary, I think.

Sorry about how vague and hazy this is; it's been driving me nuts for a while. I've done various searches which have all drawn a blank and am too embarrassed to post on usual librarian lists/forum.

Are there any magazines for anglophiles and francophiles? Google not helpful.

miltoncat — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 16:12:09 -0800

Are there any magazines for anglophiles and francophiles? Google not helpful. I'd like to find magazines (and maybe blogs) that detail life in Britiain and in France. More like everyday slice-of-life profiles, and emphasis on local culture, architecture, food and fashion... more of a feminine than masculine tone.

What all does a "Shadow Secretary" do?

ArthurBarnhouse — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:46:58 -0800

What all does a "Shadow Secretary" do? I've been watching "The Thick of It" this past week, and I've been trying to figure out what a Shadow Minister does exactly. They appear to be an opposition research team on the show, where they check on operations of DoSAC, and then point out embarrassing issues to the press. Wikipedia also says that shadow cabinet members put forth alternative policy recommendations. But being something like Secretary for Transport is more than just policy work. General administrative work would be taking up most of your time day to day. So, what is taking up the day-to-day of a Shadow Secretary's day? Is this just an office that they do part of the time and then they have regular minister duties in addition to it?

Job hunting in London - where do I start?

EatMyHat — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:22:49 -0800

I'd like to work in London but I have no idea where to start! I'm a British citizen, age 30, but I've grown up in Australia. I'm looking for any kind of work that pays the bills. Policy work would be especially nice (I have some experience there) but temping/office jobs would be fine too. Can you recommend me some agencies and websites where I can start, and also any other hints and tips for first-timers to the London/UK job market! Thank you!

Any books about British life during wartime?

bellastarr — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:35:17 -0800

Books about life in Britain during wartime? I've been watching a lot of Foyle's War on Netflix and find some of the bits about life in Britain during WWII fascinating and would like to learn more.

Unlike so many programs that are about the actual war, military operations etc. this show focuses on events that happen in Britain. I don't know how much of it is being a loose with facts there but I'd like to learn more. I never knew about "Funk Holes", the USA building runways from farm lands taken by the British government, manors being converted into hospitals, museums moving artwork out of London, "pole selectors"...

Any recommendations for good reads about life in Britain prior to and during WWII? Particularly interested in life outside of London and the effects there.

Cheers

Heterosexual Civil Partnerships and UK Law

bollockovnikov — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:06:38 -0800

My girlfriend and I want to do that 'public display of commitment' thing, but we don't want to get married. Heterosexual Civil Partnerships are not yet available in the UK. Can we do it elsewhere with legal status? Or should we wait? Marriage has always been a problem for me. I'm adamantly non-religious, and cannot ritualise my love for someone under a set of legal obligations committed to law in the name of God/The King etc.

What's more, having now been to a lot of apparently secular weddings, the issue of female/male equality has also become a nagging problem. One that both my partner and I share. Basically, even our most secular friends have had ceremonies where the registrar has uttered the awful lines, "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Patriarchy is alive and well and my generation seems to be ignoring it.

So, we want to get a Civil Partnership, because it is not as rooted in a history of religion ad patriarchy (and other reasons). But in the UK this is only regulated for homosexual couples.

Civil Partnerships for heterosexuals are legal in other countries. In Holland it is legal, but one of you must be a Dutch citizen. France has a whole bunch of different ways to wed, but none resemble the UK civil partnership and are not legally binding. I remember reading somewhere, that Belgium or maybe Denmark, and New Zealand have Civil Ceremonies that would be legal in the UK, but I can't find evidence of this upon looking again.

It looks as though Civil Partnerships for heterosexual couples might make its way to the UK in the not too distant future. Should we wait? How do we make it known to the courts that we want this law passed?

So, my question is twofold:

- Which countries can we get Civil Ceremonied in that are applicable in UK law?
- Are my reservations unfounded? / Should we wait?

What happened to the servants?

dontjumplarry — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 20:35:54 -0800

By the second half of the 20th century, Britain's servant class had all but disappeared. How was this phenomenon covered in contemporary news, commentary and literature? From memory, some later Agatha Christie novels (once full of butlers and scullery maids) touched on the demise of domestic service. What other contemporary texts explored this major social transformation?

Where can I find art-related social activities during a vacation in London and Edinburgh?

eeby — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:21:38 -0800

Where can I find art-related social activities during a vacation in London and Edinburgh? I'm planning to visit the UK for two weeks at the end of May.

In normal life I enjoy hanging out with friends in a cafe and drawing. I also like going to comic/pop culture conventions such as Comic Con, Wonder Con, APE, etc.

This is one of my favorite events... Sketchbomb SF.

Also this Sketch Tuesdays thing is OK.

I found this London Drink and Draw which looks cool but they aren't actually having any meetings while I'm there. :(

There's a London Dr Sketchy's. OK, getting warmer.

I also found this "cultureseekers" Not drawing specifically, but looks fun.

Anyway, those are some examples of the type of events I'm looking for.

I'm hoping someone knows about the Totally Chill Comic Geek Otaku Drawing Club that isn't listed in Meetup.com.

I'm not averse to fine-art stuff though. Pretty much anything art-related where you get to participate actively would be great. Art walk, gallery crawl, a notable comic store. I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

Accents across the pond.

curious nu — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:10:27 -0800

Have there been any American actors that have been cast as primary characters on British shows and use a British accent? Basically the opposite setup of e.g. Hugh Laurie/House, Jason Isaacs/Awake, Damian Lewis/Life.

Is late May into June an OK time to visit London?

eeby — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:48:52 -0800

Is late May into June an OK time to visit London? (I'd like to avoid the peak travel season and wading through crowds of tourists and students on holiday.) I'd like to visit London for about two weeks. I have a chance to take some time from May 28 to June 15.

What I'm trying to avoid is being there during the most intense tourist season.

I looked a few universities' academic schedules to try to get an idea. It seems like US schools let out anywhere from May 5 (Duke) to June 14 (UC Santa Cruz). London University lets out on June 1st. So June is actually looking a little late. But maybe not too bad?

I read through this question and got some helpful info, but it's more focused on the weather patterns.

So for people who live in the UK or have traveled there, is early June reasonable, or am I going to start getting caught in the crowds during that time?

If it helps, what I'm planning to do is go to some social events, like social drawing get-togethers and city walks through meetup.com and stuff like that. And also spend a good amount of time at museums and galleries.

I want to be a Caretaker, too

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:04:21 -0800

Can you point me to music that is like The Caretaker's An Empty Bliss Beyond This World? I'm looking for more of the dreary, creepy kind of post-Great-War, 1920s British jazz music that is in this album. Especially unprocessed classics from this era, which I could run through a few reverb and echo filters, that sort of thing.

What do I owe Her Majesty the Queen?

bad grammar — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:21:05 -0800

Help an American citizen with British income tax on book royalties. I published an university press book that did moderately well, as those things go, and received royalties of US $188 in 2011, or about 119 GBP.

Since the press publishes simultaneously in the US and in the United Kingdom, I also received a mass of red tape about British income tax on royalties from the press. This was general information; I don't know if it applies specifically to me. Do I have to pay British income tax on 119 GBP?

What about my total SE income, which includes other writing gigs solely in the U.S., and totals about 1600 dollars US? I have a day job (U.S. only) from which payroll tax has been withheld in the usual way.

I need help completing a UK style job application form.

crabintheocean — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:42:39 -0800

So this (US union staffer returning to London and looking for a job) was me. Since then I've found a job opening that's absolutely perfect... but I need to fill out a UK style application form, and having spent my whole career in the US, I need some advice. I'm applying for a job that's absolutely spot on for my skills and experience - if I wrote a description of what I've been doing for the last five years, this would be it! It's with an organisation I respect, the money is great, and there aren't a lot of people locally who do what I do. Friendly overtures to the department that's recruiting make it look like I would at least be seriously considered. This is a senior (but not top of the ladder) management position that would have me responsible for about 20 people and executing the organisation's strategy for a region.

So now I have to actually apply, and it's an unfamiliar process for me. In the US we generally send a resume (CV) that lists past experience, and a cover letter that explains how we're excited about the opportunity and perfect for the role. This organisation (large non-profit) has sent me a "Person Specification" listing desired personal qualities like "able to handle conflict and competing priorities", and a "Job Description" describing what the role means, eg "working with the department to develop a regional plan". I need to take this info about what they're looking for, and fill out an application form that has an area for a work history, and a large blank area to describe how you meet the requirements.

I have a few questions that Google isn't helping with, as every site that comes up is too generic and too focused on applying for very junior roles:

1) How comprehensive does the chronological work history need to be? Do I need to include very early jobs that weren't related to my career path, but which I would mention at interview because I would be referring to my union membership during that time?

2) I have two gaps in my work history. The first was a couple of years ago, when after leaving one job I took a course unrelated to my career path because I was considering changing careers, before being recruited for another career path job and becoming more certain I'll stick with what I've been doing. It means I have a neat, but unrelated qualification. It's a gap of about 9 months that I could theoretically cover up if I can just list years of employment, not months. How would you handle this?

The other is that I haven't worked for the past year, because I had a baby and I've been home with him. If I had been in the UK I would have been on maternity leave, but that essentially doesn't exist here, so I chose not to be employed. Do I list the last year in the history or do I let my work history end in December 2010, and explain in the interview? Or something else? As a woman in my field in the US, putting on an application that you had a young child would be the kiss of death, but my Mum (who works in the public sector) is telling me the gap will scare them more, and would stop me getting an interview.

3) Any tips on that long free-form part appreciated. I've been told that any way of completing it that makes sense will work - is that so? My instinct is to treat it like a very detailed and specific cover letter, and to break it down into thematic paragraphs that address most of their bullet points in total, but don't go through them one-by-one.

4) One last especially stupid question! The form wants the names and addresses of all my past employers. Does it literally want the full postal address, or just the city?

Any advice from those with relevant UK experience appreciated, thanks. It's weird to be a British mid-career professional who has essentially no work experience in my home country!

Look Mom, Big Ben... Parliament...

buzzkillington — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:17:17 -0800

Help me plan my mom's first trip to the UK/Ireland. My mom (Ohio born and raised) has never been anywhere other than North America and has always wanted to visit the UK/Ireland. I've finally convinced her to take the trip this summer (before the Olympics,) but she has no idea at all where she wants to go/what she wants to see or do, and has left it up to me to plan our itinerary.

In high school I went on a trip that originated in London, went through Wales, over to Southern Ireland and up the coast to Dublin, then back over to Glasgow and back down to London. I feel like that's the perfect idea for her, perhaps minus Wales (because it doesn't seem to interest her much) but I feel like she'll quite like Scotland.

We've got 2 weeks and a few rules:

1) Trip must include London (to visit my sister-in-law and her family) as well as a few days in the Plymouth/Penzance area (to visit my aunt and uncle whom I've never met.)

2) She's not super into tourist-y things like seeing the changing of the guards, Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge or the Blarney Stone. She'd much rather meander through the countryside, stopping in small towns and experiencing local flavor. I am a history/literature nerd, so I dig seeing where James Joyce lived, etc. We like to eat and drink well, so any nice restaurant recommendations would be great.

So, if anyone has done the circuit, let me know what route you took, what not to miss, towns and cities that may be nice to see, and places to stay if you know of any (the higher-end the better - this isn't a budget expedition.) Thanks!

How are British people taught to expect failure and disappointment?

steinsaltz — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:47:32 -0800

Is it true, what Ricky Gervais says, about how in contrast to Americans and their high hopes, British people are taught to expect disappointment? British people: What life advice along these lines are British people given, that might differ from such U.S. ideas as Back to the Future's "you can do anything if you put your mind to it?"

Post-Kipling, Pre-Independence

Gori Girl — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:46:52 -0800

I'm looking for anything - websites, nonfiction, fiction - that would give me an idea of what daily life was like for the British in India in the first half of the 20th century. So, I feel like I'm fairly well-versed on modern Indian history, including the independence movement. But I don't know much about what life was like for the British - especially children and wives in India - during that time period.

Were children still being sent back to Britain for education, or were their parents keeping them in India? What was the social scene in Delhi and Calcutta? How did the two world wars affect life? What about the days leading up to Independence?

Any help would be much appreciated!

In practice, could a Catholic be British Prime Minister?

plonkee — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:30:15 -0800

Is there any reason why a Catholic would be unelectable as British Prime Minister, or any practical difficulties in having a Catholic Prime Minister? I know there's a prohibition against a Catholic monarch, or a Catholic marrying someone in line to the throne. On the other hand, I've never really had the sense that outside parts of Northern Ireland and possibly Glasgow, that's there's that much serious anti-Catholic sentiment in the UK.

I read something that suggested a Catholic Prime Minister would be problematic. I don't think there's a law stopping a Catholic from being Prime Minister, but sometimes we have unwritten stuff...

FWIW I'm British, and I grew up Catholic.

How does my British passport work?

media_itoku — Sun, 01 May 2011 12:47:19 -0800

I'm a dual British/New Zealand citizen, but I've never been to Britain/Europe. What can I do with my British Passport? So, I'm a New Zealander (living in the US on a green card, if it's relevant) who got a British passport through my Dad. I've never used it - it's just been sitting in a drawer. I renewed it recently and started wondering what it's actually good for. I know I can live in Britain - can I also live in Europe? Where? Do I have to go through other qualifications to be treated like a "real" citizen (tax residency etc)? And if I do go to Britain/Europe, should I use it so I can get into the fast line at customs? If I travel to Europe on my British passport, and then return to the US, which one to I use to reenter (ie do I show my New Zealand passport, which I'm assuming is "attached" somehow to my green card - I haven't left the US since I got it)? Tips appreciated!

What would be the name of a republican UK (without monarchy)?

andrewesque — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:28:38 -0800

What would happen to the name of the United Kingdom if it became a republic? Anything? A randomly specific question. All the talk about the royal wedding has had me reading about British monarchy, government and republicanism (I'm an American, so I don't feel strongly about it either way), and a random question came to mind.

Seeing as the United Kingdom, is well, a United Kingdom, has Republic or any other pro-republican group made any statement about what would happen if the monarchy were actually abolished? What would be likely?

Perhaps this is obvious, and it'll just default to the "United Republic of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." Or there will be no change at all. I'm just curious, though.

(I don't want this to become a debate about monarchy vs. republicanism, these threads already exist. I'm just wondering about this particular subject.)

Twits go mad in South America

unliteral — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:09:51 -0800

I'm looking for the name of a documentary I saw many years (over 15) ago. A group of British upper class, university age people go trekking in South America. I'm pretty sure they are going in the gap before university. There were about 8 or 9 people in the group. The documentary followed them as they made plans and preparations for the trip and then as they made their way across the continent.
One scene I remember is them having a camp in the Amazon rainforest and they are eating something that has been killed by their guide and one of the girls who is refusing to eat it says something along the lines of, "I didn't realise we were going to cross the country eating our way through the wildlife ".
The group is incrementally broken up by personality clashes and its attendant bickering. The final scenes find them on the Inca trail with only one or two of them left.