The English; who on Earth are we?
I am English. And I am proud to be so. I was born in a country with an incredible history. The achievements of my countrymen and women through the ages have been astonishing. This one country; just part of a little island that was regarded for centuries as being on the edge of the world, has done amazing things thanks to its natives and the influence of foreigners. We have a history to be both proud and ashamed of. But it is our history. Our past deeds have made us disliked by many but we also have made a profound difference to the world for good.
It is an unfortunate thing that regarding yourself as proudly English these days seems to have some sort of negative right wing association; but it shouldn’t given who we are.
So who are we? We are Spanish, Southern French and Portuguese thanks to our Celtic invaders. We are North African and Middle Eastern and Eastern European; thanks to the Roman invaders. We are Scandinavian thanks to the Viking invaders. We are Scottish, Welsh and Irish; thanks to our neighbouring invaders. We are German thanks to our Saxon invaders. We are Northern French thanks to our Norman invaders. And that just takes us up to 1066.
So knowing this, and being proud to be English, and proud of our ancestors, does not make me a Xenophobe.
The 1950s saw the start of an influx of people from the Caribbean; people of a different race to me, who have made an immense contribution to my country. Their children are English too, as are people who have origins in Asia. I know this, still remain proud to be English, and I am proud of them too, so I am not racist.
So I ask the question again; who are we? And the answer becomes clear. We The English, are the World.
Now another question arises…. what are we?
It seems to me that we are a nation of different cultures, united by our geographical location, and almost afraid to proclaim our national identity for fear of being labelled as extremist or bigoted. And afraid to stand up for ourselves. But we are a mindset.
Surely being independent of thought and having our own ideas does not make any of us right-wing? No- it is a continuation of the tradition of being English, and being unafraid of what others may think of us. And yet elements of the press would make people think that having English national pride is verging on Fascism. The Irish, Scottish and Welsh are fiercely proud of their nationalities, and rightfully so: and yet it would seem that for some reason we should not be.
All want independence from England; a demonstration of their “acceptable” nationalist views. So how about this? Give them what they want; their own parliaments etc, but kick them out of ours. Or at least set up a wholly English parliament. Our parliament represents Britain; so where is the Parliament for England alone? You see, being English is not about colour or culture, it is about being part of a mindset, so we should be represented.
As an example, should we really be governed by people who still argue to the point of violence over sectarian issues? We the English rose above that one centuries ago. What has made us; the English, a great people, is acceptance of different cultures and global influences. Long may it continue. But for this to work, we must remember who we are, and create a voice of our own.
We must be proud to be English. This does not mean we should then don suits of armour and rampage through the Welsh Marches or invade Ayrshire. We do not have to bring the results of World War 2 to every discussion regarding our history, and there is far more to us than going on and on like a cracked record about the World Cup in 1966. But we should be proud of our flag, and not see it as a divisive emblem.
Let us regain our sense of national identity and hold our heads high. Let us be proud of our liberal values, fought for over many centuries by so many. Let us be proud to be the tolerant people that we have become, thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of our forebears. But let us still be prepared to stand up and fight against those who wish to destroy our ideals, and help to defend those who cannot defend themselves.
We must remember, if we are the world, then we are part of it.
And when the other countries of Britain have their independence, should documents state my nationality as English, not British? Or will England become nothing more than a province, governed by everybody else?
This article I wrote 4 years ago…. and in these days of Brexit Mania- it applies now as much as then.