Thread: On being British ...

I wrote this as an essay (and updated it recently,) a little time ago, but I thought I might give the Brit-bashers a little more target practice. So go for it ...

TBH, I have never thought much about what it is to be British, but now that I temporarily live in a foreign country, I occasionally give it a thought.

I am happy to have been born and grown up in Britain (England specifically,) cos the values that I have developed are, I think, largely British ones. I have some German ancestry but that was many generations ago (like two hundred years) so I feel no allegiance to any other society.

To me, those who say being British consists of holding a British passport, and those who say it is something much more, are both right. My family is a very old one, and a very conservative and traditional one, and so I have grown up with quite a strong sense of history.

There is value in the history of struggle of this island race. From Agincourt to the Battle of Britain, and from Magna Carta to the Westminster System of government. And, more importantly, from a feudal society to one of considerable equality and social justice.

There was a certain magnificent folly in our days of empire, but speaking purely personally, that was the least glorious chapter in Britain's history. It was a remarkable and unparalleled feat that a tiny island nation so dominated most of the world for so long, but there was too much human misery associated with our colonisation for it to be a truly glorious thing. Granted, we were probably the least cruel and tyrannical of the empires, and many sincere men tried to do great and good things, but the nett result was unhappiness (and not just abroad.)

So I am not particularly proud of that legacy, but I am proud (in a sense) of being part of a society which is moderately civilised and tolerant. It is also a society which is quite kind and caring in its own way. I have not lived in London, so I may not be generally correct in this, but I do not feel afraid anywhere I go in Britain (no matter the original ethnic composition of my fellow Britons.)

I feel that anyone who is a citizen of the United kingdom is as British as anyone else, and doubly so for anyone (irrespective of parentage) who is born here. If they choose to live their lives in a manner which is not typical of their fellow Britons, that is their prerogative, but (in my admittedly partisan view,) that is also their loss. By which I don't mean everyone should live alike, but if you choose not to be a part of the greater community, then you lose a sense of community and common interest.

And I cannot close without referring to the concerns shown by a minority of people here (and elsewhere) about Britons of Muslim orientation. I know of the problems caused by a miniscule number of Muslims in Britain (and again, elsewhere,) but we should bear in mind that the Muslim percentage of the British population is 2.7%. We are not likely to be slaughtered in our beds by a small radical percentage of 2.7% of the population.

And while 1st generation Muslim families tend to be larger than most European ones, there is no evidence that 2nd generation Muslim Britons have larger families than the national average. Large families are a characteristic of poor 3rd world societies with few social justice programmes, and no societal safety nets. Put simply; you need to make lots of children, so that some survive to look after you in your old age.

So I am totally comfortable with being British of Anglo-Saxon ancestry, but I do not consider myself different from anyone else who is British of any other ancestry. We live in a society which is not without its problems, but it is not jingoism to say that it is also one of the more remarkable societies the world has seen, and it is certainly one of the more pleasant and socially just ones.

I seem to remember that your British passport got you into trouble at Los Angeles once eh Leo?

This is just a quick response before bed (it is almost 4:00a.m. here, so I may not phrase this as well as I would wish.)

It is my firm belief that no person of goodwill should fail to respect and admire the Nation that produced this young man. To my mind, he is the veritable embodiment of the best traditions, sentiments and governing values of Great Britain.

I've been to the UK many times and I've always enjoyed my visits. Britain continues to be an island of civility and decency in what is becoming an ever increasingly uncivilized and discourteous world. Oxford ranks among my most favorite cities in the world.

Leo, I really look forward to your very excellent and profoundly true observations of life. You see life with simplicity and an unmatched clarity and you are always upbeat and interesting. Thank you.

Any country that produced Leo, the Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who and Black Sabbath must be doing somehting right.....

Originally Posted by Ausinus

I seem to remember that your British passport got you into trouble at Los Angeles once eh Leo?

LOL! You are right in essence, but it was at San Francisco, and it was really my big mouth, and inexperience of traditional American immigration customs, that got me in trouble.

I was in the process of politely, but firmly, pointing to the instruction in my passport which says: "Her Britannic Majesty requires those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to provide the bearer with such assistance and protection as may be necessary." But my dignified and ever-so-slightly superior stance was rudely interrupted, when the moody cow called the guards, and had me locked up in some sort of detention centre. I am still unconvinced that Her Maj had that sort of treatment in mind, when she required me to 'be provided with such assistance and protection as may be necessary'.

Originally Posted by Bourne

I've been to the UK many times and I've always enjoyed my visits. Britain continues to be an island of civility and decency in what is becoming an ever increasingly uncivilized and discourteous world. Oxford ranks among my most favorite cities in the world.

Leo, I really look forward to your very excellent and profoundly true observations of life. You see life with simplicity and an unmatched clarity and you are always upbeat and interesting. Thank you.

Thank you, Bourne, for those kind words. And yes, the 'dreaming spires' of Oxford are indeed magic, and so is Cambridge. But my fave places in the UK are the Lake District of Cumbria, York and Devon/Cornwall. I am not a great lover of London, but apart from the Chelsea/Kensington area, I hardly know London.

Originally Posted by Oftencold

This is just a quick response before bed (it is almost 4:00a.m. here, so I may not phrase this as well as I would wish.)

It is my firm belief that no person of goodwill should fail to respect and admire the Nation that produced this young man. To my mind, he is the veritable embodiment of the best traditions, sentiments and governing values of Great Britain.

Thank you - I am embarrassed. :waving:

Originally Posted by Blueneck

Any country that produced Leo, the Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who and Black Sabbath must be doing somehting right.....

Thank you - I am even more embarrassed. :waving:

Originally Posted by Leo

Thank you, Bourne, for those kind words. And yes, the 'dreaming spires' of Oxford are indeed magic, and so is Cambridge. But my fave places in the UK are the Lake District of Cumbria, York and Devon/Cornwall. I am not a great lover of London, but apart from the Chelsea/Kensington area, I hardly know London.

You're quite welcome Leo.

This thread brings to mind one of the very best breakfasts which I have ever had. It was in a small restaurant just outside Oxford.

Kippers, fried tomatoes, thick cut peppered bacon, and three beautifully fried eggs on a bed of beans in tomato sauce. Wheat bread and lime marmalade on the side. All washed down with a pot of Twinings Assam. Just outstanding.