Sam, go into a pub in the middle of Wales and say that, and see what sort of reception you get! I think you’ll find that the Welsh have pretty strong views on whether they’re a nation or not.
]]>I beg to disagree. It is probably the Stars and Stripes which raises ire. Most non-Brits treat the Union Jack with indifference.
There’s more than one flag that can rise ire.
From Wales to Zimbabwe you can find people who see it as an emblem of the repression of their ancestors.
]]>Back from a holiday in Edinburgh. I saw Union Jacks everywhere. Most building would fly the Saltire and the Union Jack, and possibly the EU flag.
In Stirling, it was different. The only Union Jack was atop the Castle. Well, this is the place with the Wallace Monument.
Also, the statement:
“The Union Jack was invented at the time of our first forays of empire. It is the flag that flew over our worst excesses of imperialism. It is the symbol of that which brutalised and repressed millions, of all that was fought against by dozens of movements wanting self-determination. All around the world, it is a hackle-raiser.”
As a non-UK citizen, I beg to disagree. It is probably the Stars and Stripes which raises ire. Most non-Brits treat the Union Jack with indifference.
]]>I have noticed that many Asians use the term ‘English’ to mean white people.
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just thought i’d say, hadfield may well be pariochal, but steve pemberton (league of gentlemen blokey) puts it like this: “Royston Vasey is an amalgam of all horrible little northern towns that we knew from growing up in that region. It is actually a place called Hadfield in Derbyshire.”
also included for your delight, a couple of little known facts about Hadfield…
“Glossop people, being sophisticated, tell ‘Irish’ jokes about people from Hadfield. (As Irish people tell jokes about people from Cork. And Cork people tell jokes about Kerrymen.) Hadfilters tell jokes about people from Padfield. People from Padfield don’t tell jokes, they just pick plums.
Hadfield is said to have more pubs to the square mile (or is it per head of population?) even than Norwich.
Not to be confused with Hatfield, scene of rail disasters. Or Hayfield, a charming Derbyshire village near Glossop. Or Padfield, a village near Hadfield.”
Oddly enough, a while back I found myself at a party in Brussels where I was the only English guy in the room. The two friends I travelled over from London with – neither of whom were from WASP-ish families – described themselves as “British”; but one, whose parents are Sri Lankan, actually took offence at the suggestion that he might be “English.”
So – which identity has the racist overtones, and why?
]]>I’d also add – although this is a much bigger argument – that any attempt to find an inclusive identity for a distinct group will ultimately fail. Even if you found such an identity (North West European Archipelago – oh, and St George’s cross should go, as it’s a cross and so biased towards Christian culture), and could then establish it (highly doubtful), over the generations it would simply become a new point of distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them’. Less rich and meaningful than the traditional symbols, but just as exclusive in the end. National identity is, as such, exclusive.
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