British and proud of it

In most ways I am more proud to have been brought up in Coventry than I am in being British. Can I call myself a Coventrian when I left at 18 and after 9 years in the army I returned for just a couple of years prior to a job in London. I've now lived in Accrington for more than 25 years - but I still regard Coventry as my 'home' town, even though my last visit to the city was 9 years ago. I've seen quite a bit of the world; Germany, Malta, Cyprus, Canada (well at least Cold Lake, Alberta), Australia (Woomera, Adelaide, and then coastal coach journey to Cairns over a 3 month stay). If I had been one to emigrate it would have been either Canada or Germany - but before leaving the army I'd acquired a Maltese wife. (How do you make a Maltese Cross? You marry them. I've now been divorced for more than 30 years.) I used to know central Coventry reasonably well but on my visit in 2005 actually got lost trying to negotiate the journey from Cook Street Gate to the Canal Basin on foot. Having worked in a School of Architecture for almost 15 years I could even appreciate some of the modern buildings - though perhaps not their placement. I still liked the view of the city as you come over the brow of the hill on Warwick Road, though slicing Greyfriars Green in two was not appreciated - nor the lack of toilets at the city end of it. I did try to return to the city when I took voluntary redundancy in the last year of the 80s decade. But, I got caught out be the rapid rise in property prices and had to settle for one of the Lancashire cotton towns instead. That's life I suppose.

I have to say, I'm British and proud of it and I'm even prouder to be English.

And me, Tricia!

Hi Ladies, I am still a true Brit, haven't had the operation yet and never will.

Philip may be interested in having a look! This was one of the first locos that changed the steam train as we know if for for ever. It was built about a mile from where I live - my brother and brother-in-law both worked on it, even on its restoration in 1958. For more look up Haydock foundry, Richard Evans, or his son Josiah Evans, they were also responsible for digging the first man-made canal for narrowboats in this country, plus other things (not talking about a navigational canal here), it was built seven years before the Bridgewater Canal that people think was the first.

I'm proud to be English. Also proud to be a Coventry kid.

I'm proud of the things I've achieved through hard work - getting published, academic papers, projects I've realised at work and other stuff. I didn't achieve being 'British', as it was an accident of birth. Nationhood is an arbitrary and meaningless concept. Edited by member, 20th Dec 2019 7:52 pm

In some ways I agree flapdoodle as my membership is down to birth, not achievement, but I am proud of this country. For all its flaws, it's a good country. Mostly I like its people. Nationhood is real and is made up of more than lands and borders. I think its inhabitants have as much right to be proud as any person of their heritage and culture. There are few places I would like as much. I feel loyalty to it and should I have to, I'd fight for it. Some here have.

I personally do not have a issue with having pride of the history and achievements of where a person is born, national pride can be seen as an connection to a common identity that we share with others. Where I do have an issue is jingoism, feeling superior and narcissism due to where a person is born. I will admit that while living in the U.K I only had the views and knowledge limited to my experiences which of course were of a white guy living where he was born and grew up. I totally disagree with national pride as arbitrary and a meaningless concept. Now living in a country with a people that have been systematically oppressed by the government, forced to change their religious beliefs, languages and whole social networks I now have a better insight and understand that at times that's all that's left for a people to hold onto. This is apparent across the world with Canada, America,New Zealand and many South American countries having the same history. Aboriginals in Australia had no vote up until 1967, they held onto their traditional views of nations and still do. I do think as an English guy who has never had their position in a nation challenged or oppressed I can be guilty of rationalising and analysing concepts due to not having lived the on the other side. It is never that simple.

Some very interesting views on this subject.

Recent research suggests that on average we all retain around 2% of Neanderthal DNA.

Another thing I can add to this conversation. As a person who is living and integrated in a place of a different social mindset and history no matter if the majority is also white, when you are called a f***ing Pom in a non joking way this does bring a question of where a person sits in their social setting. This can undermine any personal achievements, self appreciation or heritage. it really does challenge any personal perspectives a person has. As it should.

It's a tribal thing. You fight for your land, your existence, in peace you just carry the feeling. It goes back further - when kids you fight your brother but if anyone else attacks him, you fight them. All through life it's the same, schools fought for shields, medals - when the best were chosen and represented the country, then you were with them all the way. Remember the World Cup 1966, you won't get such as strong a feeling today. We belong to the land that we were raised in - we can never forget, we don't want to forget, even the hard times. It’s who we are, what we are - tribal.