Adam Sampson
What does it mean to be British? It is impossible to think of an answer without echoing others, from John Major’s appropriation of George Orwell’s sepia toned picture of old ladies cycling to communion to Shakespeare’s paeon to sceptred isles. Which itself is interesting: my sense of my own identity is rooted in the past as much as the present.
But it is a past which may only be mine by adoption, rather than by ancestry. Is my family British? My parents were born here but, beyond that, I don’t know and, bluntly, don’t care.
I was born here, grew up here, am accepted and have my life here. My children are at home here and would be, even if they had a different coloured skin or different beliefs.
This is a mongrel nation where no-one is a native Briton and everyone is from immigrant stock. It is the fact that none of us has a greater claim to Britishness than any other that makes us who we are as a nation.
Adam Sampson is the chief executive of Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity.
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“This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle…
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England”
You’ve chosen a wonderful paeon to England, written by England’s bard back in 1595 just eight short years before the Union of the Crowns.
Who is a mongrel nation? It cant be Britain can it because Britian is not a country but a political and economic entity, so I wonder which nation Adam Sampson is talking about? Possibly England? if so come out and say it
As we are aware, your description is applicable to the whole world, which makes it totally irrelevant. And boring - rather like constantly repeating that everyone has skin and bones, so it makes us all British and as though only the few “chosen ones” recognise this. How arrogant can you get?
I’d be more respectful of your opinon if you could point us towards a nation of “thoroughbreds,” which of course you can’t.
The only difference between myself, whose ancestors have lived and died in England for centuries, and an immigrant neighbour, who wishes to be English, is that people like you keep on pointing out that they are immigrants. Leave them alone.
In response to Helen’s comment, we asked people to give their views on their experience of Britain.
In our statement of values work we are looking at how values play out in Britain, we have not talked of a statement of British values, but a British statement of values. We would agree that the values held in this country are not particular to being British.
Elspeth Rainbow - moderator - Ministry of Justice
It’s meaningless to say that in Britain “everyone is from immigrant stock”. Since the earliest humans migrated from their origins somewhere in Africa, they have been of ‘immigrant stock’, so why is this silly phrase reserved for Britain? And it is untrue to say that “This is a mongrel nation where no-one is a native Briton”, because the majority of its inhabitants are aboriginal, their ancestors – the first inhabitants - having arrived here thousands of years ago, as pointed out only a couple of days ago on the BBC by Oppenheimer. Do keep up, and don’t spoil your main point by regurgitating myths.
I have never heard so much rubbish as “we are a mongrel nation”. Scientific research into the indigenous peoples’ DNA shows that it is more homogenous than most countries. The influx of small numbers of elite groups and refugees in the past has not changed the aboriginal footprint.
This is just one more person trying to submerge the aboriginal people and culture of this country. The draft UN Charter on indigenous peoples’ rights calls this cultural genocide
british values as promoted by this government and fellow travellers have wiped England and English culture off the map. England is not even represented on the british council. If the establishment is determined to
ethnically cleanse britain of the English, I am happy for the uk to implode rather than be treated as a third class british citizen.
“held in this country”, what country is that then? Elspeth
What a prize chump is Adam Sampson, mongrel nation indeed, he should learn a little history of this land before making such insulting remarks, perhaps a few English lessons would not go amiss either, the use of the word mongrel to describe human beings is deemed derogatory. If he sees himself as British I’m glad I’m English.
Barry - I’ll rephrase that then, to the values held in Britain. Thanks for that.
Elspeth - Moderator - Ministry of Justice
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