For the English liberal

[Yerda]

I've seen a few people (here and elsewhere) state their embarrassment at their Englishness in the past few weeks. Take more pride in your country.

We've all done horrible things in the past or will in the future (except Ireland - they'll always be cool). Nations are made of people and they are mad creatures.

You have one of the most fascinating histories of any country. You've got long and robust traditions of egalitarianism, tolerance, solidarity. Your Church preaches love and kindness. Your culture produced some of the greatest works of art in history. Built beautiful cities and shires. Made great scientific, mathematical and scientific discoveries. You gave the world The Beatles. Nobody is ever topping that.

Don't leave your national identity to the loonballs and racists.

 

[exchemist]

I've seen a few people (here and elsewhere) state their embarrassment at their Englishness in the past few weeks. Take more pride in your country.

We've all done horrible things in the past or will in the future (except Ireland - they'll always be cool). Nations are made of people and they are mad creatures.

You have one of the most fascinating histories of any country. You've got long and robust traditions of egalitarianism, tolerance, solidarity. Your Church preaches love and kindness. Your culture produced some of the greatest works of art in history. Built beautiful cities and shires. Made great scientific, mathematical and scientific discoveries. You gave the world The Beatles. Nobody is ever topping that.

Don't leave your national identity to the loonballs and racists.

Hmm, the IRA weren't cool. But this is not the thread for cavilling. You are right: there is much to be proud of.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I've seen a few people (here and elsewhere) state their embarrassment at their Englishness in the past few weeks. Take more pride in your country.

We've all done horrible things in the past or will in the future (except Ireland - they'll always be cool). Nations are made of people and they are mad creatures.

You have one of the most fascinating histories of any country. You've got long and robust traditions of egalitarianism, tolerance, solidarity. Your Church preaches love and kindness. Your culture produced some of the greatest works of art in history. Built beautiful cities and shires. Made great scientific, mathematical and scientific discoveries. You gave the world The Beatles. Nobody is ever topping that.

Don't leave your national identity to the loonballs and racists.

When I think of the UK, I think of literary riches, stately automotive designs, and beautiful architecture, among other things.

No nation's history is without blemishes, so I do agree that focusing on the present is best. My grandparents witnessed British attacks on Egypt in the '50s. In the present day, a few of my closest friends are British. Times change, and sometimes so should perspectives.

 

[Ella S.]

Maybe we would all be better off if we let go of national identity entirely and instead viewed each other as citizens of the world, identifying as people instead.

 

[Father Heathen]

Maybe we would all be better off if we let go of national identity entirely and instead viewed each other as citizens of the world, identifying as people instead.

We would still be divided by culture and ideology.

 

[Viker]

When I think of the UK, I think of literary riches, stately automotive designs, and beautiful architecture, among other things.

No nation's history is without blemishes, so I do agree that focusing on the present is best. My grandparents witnessed British attacks on Egypt in the '50s. In the present day, a few of my closest friends are British. Times change, and sometimes so should perspectives.

I think of Triumph, Norton, Royal Enfield and Mini Cooper. Stone Hinge and Loch Ness. And Monty Python and football. Sorry, I'm an American.

 

[Augustus]

I've seen a few people (here and elsewhere) state their embarrassment at their Englishness in the past few weeks. Take more pride in your country.

We've all done horrible things in the past or will in the future (except Ireland - they'll always be cool). Nations are made of people and they are mad creatures.

You have one of the most fascinating histories of any country. You've got long and robust traditions of egalitarianism, tolerance, solidarity. Your Church preaches love and kindness. Your culture produced some of the greatest works of art in history. Built beautiful cities and shires. Made great scientific, mathematical and scientific discoveries. You gave the world The Beatles. Nobody is ever topping that.

Don't leave your national identity to the loonballs and racists.

It has been a hallmark of the left leaning middle classes since at least the mid-20th c, and part of a longer trend that probably goes back to the Normans: Europe is "cosmopolitan, sophisticated and enlightened", England is "insular, primitive and backwards".

It is is a virtue signal that they too are cosmopolitan, sophisticated and enlightened and not part of the hoi polloi. It's basically an exercise in branding, an oven ready identity to adopt.

So they will go on about how "embarrassing" it is to have politicians like Farage, while looking dewy eyed at France where the National Front get 40% of the vote. Or going on about how "Vlad" is controlling the Tories, while dreaming of being like Germany where former PMs actively work for the Russian government and significant parts of the political establishment are genuinely in hock to Russia leading to the empowerment of Russia and war followed by German reticence to help Ukraine.

Performative self-flagellation over history is just another way to demonstrate status and superiority. As the more overt and exaggerated the performance, the greater the perceived status gain.

As always, Orwell wrote about it too:
In intention, at any rate, the English intelligentsia are Europeanized. They take their cookery from Paris and their opinions from Moscow. In the general patriotism of the country they form a sort of island of dissident thought. England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality. In left-wing circles it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to s****** at every English institution, from horse racing to suet puddings. It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably 
true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during ‘God save the King’ than of stealing from a poor box. All through the critical years many left-wingers were chipping away at English morale, trying to spread an outlook that was sometimes 
squashily pacifist, sometimes violently pro-Russian, but always anti-British.

Edit: the oversensitive profanity filter has edited a word synonymous with laugh that inadvertently contains a racial slur.

 

[Augustus]

except Ireland - they'll always be coo

Their capital was founded as a slave trading hub, by rights they're getting cancelled back to the stone age

 

[Stevicus]

I've seen a few people (here and elsewhere) state their embarrassment at their Englishness in the past few weeks. Take more pride in your country.

We've all done horrible things in the past or will in the future (except Ireland - they'll always be cool). Nations are made of people and they are mad creatures.

You have one of the most fascinating histories of any country. You've got long and robust traditions of egalitarianism, tolerance, solidarity. Your Church preaches love and kindness. Your culture produced some of the greatest works of art in history. Built beautiful cities and shires. Made great scientific, mathematical and scientific discoveries. You gave the world The Beatles. Nobody is ever topping that.

Don't leave your national identity to the loonballs and racists.

I don't think anyone should have to feel embarrassed (or prideful, for that matter) over an accident of birth.

When I was a kid, I sort of idolized England, mainly because of all the cool rock bands. Not just The Beatles, but also The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Kinks, and so many, many, many more. I was almost envious, in a way, since they could get to all the cool concerts just a short train ride away, whereas I was in the middle of BF Arizona, far away from everything.

After a few years, I began to realize there was more to life than rock and roll.

I guess one way to think about a country's greatness is to ask whether anyone will remember in 1000 or 2000 years from now. We still remember Rome, and even the Latin language still persists to some degree - it's never been completely dead. Could the English language survive in a similar way? Possibly.

 

[Truth in love]

I've seen a few people (here and elsewhere) state their embarrassment at their Englishness in the past few weeks. Take more pride in your country.

We've all done horrible things in the past or will in the future (except Ireland - they'll always be cool). Nations are made of people and they are mad creatures.

You have one of the most fascinating histories of any country. You've got long and robust traditions of egalitarianism, tolerance, solidarity. Your Church preaches love and kindness. Your culture produced some of the greatest works of art in history. Built beautiful cities and shires. Made great scientific, mathematical and scientific discoveries. You gave the world The Beatles. Nobody is ever topping that.

Don't leave your national identity to the loonballs and racists.

So I’m not a Beatles fan (except yesterday).

England like all nations is a mixed bag. There is a lot of good and not good. It would be a shame to throw out all the good.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I think of Triumph, Norton, Royal Enfield and Mini Cooper. Stone Hinge and Loch Ness. And Monty Python and football. Sorry, I'm an American.

At least you called it football. That’s good going for a ‘Mer Can