Are you proud to be British ?

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, or The British Isles? Confusing!

And is it exactly where you are born or where your forebears come from?

In most cases I would think we are mongrels.

Europeans in the 1950s only had access to one version of the story...'twas not so, Aka. Reports of alleged abuse did filter through at the time to the UK and elsewhere. There were protests, and collections were made to help the Mau Mau. It was a bad time. I do not support the view that one should support one's country right or wrong, or look at the past through rose-coloured spectacles. All we can do is learn from those times. There were many worse regimes than the British with all their warts, but I can't think of any better.

Another thread, that, rozequartz, are you proud to be a mongrel?
Yes, it came as a shock to us that our grandson was not British, as he was born in the hospital in the next street to us. His mother has lived over here since she was 18 and teaches in our schools without having to show her passport.
My other son's wife is Spanish, and his first wife was half American, half Norwegian. They all live in this country. I see no reason to even think about being British. They do know I'm proud to be from Yorkshire, and if they could afford to and get jobs there, they would all move back to York.

I will have a look at that thread, djen.

I am amazed that someone born here is not British wherever his/her parents were born.

Proud is not the word I would use but yes! I am very happy to be British.
As others have said we have had a pretty awful Imperial past, but so have many other nations. I do not think its really relevant to dwell on some of the awful things "we" did in our past but we do need to learn from them and not repeat them.

You also can only judge historical actions by what was "the norm" for the time, as appalling as those times were.

Looking at the newer nations, many of them seem to be working through the sort of historical political power struggles and instabilities that we have had to do over the last 1000+ yrs.

This is in general a very good country to live in. We usually behave well.
There is generally a lot of concern for others and we do not have the levels of serious corruption and violent crime that, so many other countries do.more.

Perhaps a lot of what makes Britain what it is, is down to the indefinable thing of "Britishness" that is deep in our national psyche. Anything else is just not cricket.

I do not want to live anywhere else. I would really miss the lovely varied countryside we have in this small island? A green and pleasant land indeed.

I come back from jaunts abroad to hot dry countries like Greece or Spain and suchlike and always marvel at how lovely Britain is in comparison.
( NellieM) goes off to bed singing sentimental songs about Britain.)

Started singing Land of Hope and Glory, but think some of the words need changing.

Now humming Sheep may Safely Graze as we saw a lot of sheep and lambs yesterday.
Written, of course, by that quintessential Englishman Johann S Bach. Hmm
Try again, Rose.

roseq, Eire is still part of the British Isles even though it isn't part of Great Britain or The United Kingdom. No wonder people get confused

In answer to goldengirl's enquiry, I say I'm British because I've spent half of my adult life in Scotland, am still here, and I love it. I happened to be born in another country: W Yorkshire. I've also lived in E Yorkshire, S Yorkshire, Lancashire, Oxfordshire, Angus, Midlothian and Songkla, S Thailand (not necessarily in that order. I have Irish and Norse ancestors among, no doubt, others.

I think it's important not to be parochial.

Besides, I feel British.

One of my best friends is German. She is not ashamed to be German because of the Nazis. She's just ashamed of the Nazis.

We can be ashamed of bad Brits without being ashamed of being British ourselves.

Pleased to be English. What would you rather be?

A lovely post Nellie and it nicely puts things into perspective.

Yes, thatbags. Confusingly Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland, although it is included in the United Kingdom.

This is interesting:
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2011/08/whats-the-difference-between-uk-britain-and-british-isles

I do agree that we should be able to say that we do not like parts of the history of England/Britain without being told it is not 'patriotic'. I think too we should be better at learning from history.

Part of my upbringing took place as a colonial child in East Africa. I had a lovely and privileged time. A very vivid memory was of waking up to find the garden and roads full of cattle as the Masai walked their traditional grazing paths despite the western buildings built on the land. The country also benefited from all sort of educational/health/infrastructure from the various colonial powers but a great deal was stripped out too! However things have moved on and these younger nations are finding their feet...it took England time too..I think we sometimes forget that.. to get to full democracy!

Some of the difficult political issues in the world today are a direct result of Western colonial mis-judgement and arrogance. But time cannot be turned back so we have to do what we can to learn from past mistakes and also to minimise the impact on current lives.

I think our lack of national/regional costume is sad.. Scotland and Wales managed it but England did not! What do you think it should be??

I owe my existence to Britain.

My father's German, my mother was Canadian. I am British and fortunate to belong here. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We are very lucky in so many ways - one of them being our wonderful, if flawed, NHS - there are other reasons, but we also have much to learn from other countries and cultures. I'd agree with Bananas and Mishap though in many points.

What does it mean to be English? Or British? We're all of us a mixture of races going back centuries. There is no such thing as a pure race - thank goodness - and neither is such a concept desirable. We're humans first and foremost.

I love being British and will be sad if Scotland leave. I sometimes feel bad about the things we did in the past but you cannot change history so why dwell on it?. Thanks for your explanation Papaoscar . Bet they would still let your grandson play sport for England Jen! Hope his situation is resolved and he can be a true Yorkie. I am curious why Ariadne dislikes Yorkshire? It is such a diverse county there must be some bits you like?

I am happy and, sometimes, proud to be British. We are living in the present and can't be held responsible for our antecedents actions although we can be sorry that they happened. We are in 'the now' and have to concentrate on that and the future.

I am English, born in London, brought up in Sussex and have lived in Scotland for more than half my life, but am increasingly feeling more 'English' (maybe due to the brouhaha about the forthcoming election)

Late husband, born in London and lived in the SE until moving to Scotland

DD1 born Surrey - brought up from 5 in Scotland, now lives Gloucestershire and feels Scottish/English

DD2 born Sussex - brought up from 2 in Scotland, now lives in Oz and feels Australian/Scottish

DD3 born Scotland and lives in Berkshire. Feels Scottish/English - and supports the Scottish Rugby team

I think we would all say we feel British first but obviously drawn to where we feel the most comfortable.

I love being British and that I can feel English as an identity too & proud of being a Londoner. I can be proud of being all of these things & without disrespecting people for being proud of their own identities. I love our British idiosyncracies & how we can accept people from so many different parts of the world. I'm proud that people with other identities are now part of our family & now, with a son in Germany I can see the value in being a European too. Yes, we have many things in our past not to be proud of but even with colonization we probably de-colonised in a better way than some other countries. I'm proud about what these small islands have given, & still give, to the world, inventions, ideas, administrative structures etc. The problem is if we begin to think we are the only ones to do so or the superior ones.

What an excellent post Gadabout. I feel an attachment to all the countries that I've lived and worked in, I suppose because I made friends, got to know the culture and way of life and learned to appreciate differences. I think I feel more European than British as my father was English, my mother French and there are assorted Italians and Flemings in the mix as well. My father loved Wales to bits and we went there for the fortnight's holiday most years when I was a child, we never made it to Scotland as it was too far and consequently too expensive but I have a number of Scottish friends and my most inspirational teacher was a Scot from St Andrews. I should be very sad if the Scots went it alone.

My BF was Scottish and always referred to herself as British.

I do feel sad when some Welsh or Scots, if defeated in any sporting event, will then support any opponent of England. I don't think the English have that mentality.
Living and working for years in Wales, I was one told by a Welsh colleague that she detested, hated and loathed the English. When I replied "Oh, I'm English!" she replied "You're different, I love you!"

Seasider, I do not think Ariadne said she did not like Yorkshire. It was her daughter, but as her children all went to school in Yorkshire, that's understandable.
In Denmark, they still have the call-up for the army. As my grandson has ASD he hopefully will not be called up and sent to Afghanistan, or wherever their forces are in six years time. He is a fast runner, and sometimes does parkruns, so maybe he will be allowed to run for England.

DJen, not sure of all the circumstances of your DGS and I am sure you will have gone into it all thoroughly, but I read the following:

' Where a parent subsequently acquires British citizenship or "settled" status, the child can be registered as British provided he or she is aged under 18.
If the child lives in the UK until age 10 there is a lifetime entitlement to register as a British citizen. The immigration status of the child and his/her parents is irrelevant.'

Surely they would regard his mother's status as 'settled'?

That is right, durhamjen!

seasider what I was saying was that my children, have travelled widely while Theseus was in the army, all have places where they feel they were happiest. DD would not like to live in Yorkshire, I think, and that is her choice, and from her personal experience.

I think Gally is saying much the same - where they felt most comfortable.

I agree with that Ariadne, as I wouldn't really like to move back to where I was born and grew up. Where we live now is fine, but I hankered for years to go back to where we lived when we were first married and where 2 of the DGC were born.

We did that Rose, but moved away again ten years later. Never went down south again, though, moved to York, then Durham.
Regarding your comment about my grandson and his mother, and being deemed to be settled, read this.
www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2014/04/17/immigrant-stories-the-british-citizen-whose-passport-was-con

That sounds like a jobsworth decision. I despair sometimes.