Guest Post: “Being British Is Something That Fills Me With Pride”

Are you proud to be British? Philip-Anthony Gardner is. In the second part of my series on patriotism, Philip lays out what he believes ‘Britishness’ means…

When the chance came to write for Sam about what it means to me to be British, I jumped at the opportunity. Now I know what you’re thinking. You are imagining I’m going to start a speech about the British Empire and about ‘small c conservatism’, the Queen and afternoon tea. Well, not quite.

I’m not a Conservative. I’m not a royalist. I am British, however, because the UK today is what my grandparents and yours made it.

I am the grandson of a war-refugee, and of an immigrant who came to Britain to be educated. I am the grandson of a man who served as a soldier in the fight against Fascism, and of a woman who went to Oxford to study even though people around her did not think she belonged because of pervasive sexist attitudes.

This country is a product of their generation, and it is because of them that I am so proud to be British.

It is my grandfather who served with his school friends in the army, who brought home with him a young wife who had been made homeless by that same conflict. Who served his community as a local council member while his wife went to do the most important of all things; teach others.

It is my grandmother who went to Oxford to learn and better herself, despite the ridicule and anger it provoked. It was her husband, who taught law in universities and helped emerging new states write constitutions.

Two mixed marriages in terms of nationality, a set of values of tolerance, the rule of law and equality that is typically British.

Of course, being British is not all there is, certainly not in my life. Being British is also about being European. It is about believing in the values that abolished war on a continent, about celebrating the wonderful history, the languages and the cultures that make up this place. Not everything about the great European project works, but that’s the best thing about it. We are still in the process of building and strengthening our society and the way it operates. If everything was perfect, what would be the point, after all?

My parents taught me the value of Europe. From my father working in human rights law to my mother interpreting and studying languages, they both taught me the importance of different perspectives informing your beliefs and morality.

Like all great identities, I believe my British and European attitudes have much to learn from another. I treasure the sense of fair play that is inherent to this country, and indignant reaction we all have to people cheating the system. That said, I believe the European attitude towards intellectualism is so much more rewarding, none of this ‘too clever by half’ business. The two personalities belong together, warts and all. What political will, peace and shared values has brought together, let no man tear asunder.

The Britain that has been built is one we should all be proud of. Not because it is perfect, but because it tries to be. It honours the fallen in the most moving of ways on Armistice Day. It is polite and bloody-minded all at the same time. It is knowledgeable and arrogant concurrently. It gave the world the welfare state and William Shakespeare. It gave you free healthcare and a belief that society should value people regardless of background. Those who shirk faith in what Britain stands for just because it is fashionable are anything but. Their dissidence is as bland as flag-waving is; we have simply seen it all before.

Being British is something that fills me with pride. I am proud of the opportunities this country gives me and others. I am proud of the service our nurses, police officers and armed forces do. I am proud of the way we honour tradition, and the way we are so intolerant of intolerance.

It means something to me when I hear the national anthem, and when I see Adele go global being so different. It meant everything to me when Jess Ennis conquered the world, and when Ellie Simmonds did it as well. To see us triumph in the Paralympics (that we came up with) and punch so above our weight in the Olympics brought me to tears again and again. Did it not you?

Honest hard work, and a belief that we can be stronger tomorrow than we are today. That’s what it means to be British. It is absolutely something to be proud of.

For more from Phillip check out his blogs www.partyhardpolitics.com, israelvoice.blog.com and truelondon.blog.com