Stephen Fry
What does it mean to be British??
Well, I can say what it does NOT mean. It does not mean gibbering about the flag, boasting about British achievements or gloating at the misfortunes of what John of Gaunt called less happy lands. In fact, that oft misquoted speech from Shakespeare’s Richard II, a speech so often brandished by “patriots” who clearly haven’t read to the end, is worth looking at again.
“This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
…
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
…
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,
…
Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it.
England, bound in with the triumphant sea
… is now bound in with shame …
That England, that was wont to conquer others,
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
Now that is patriotism. If you love a country, you see its faults and you care about its shame. Was it Clemenceau who said “a patriot loves his country, a nationalist hates everyone else’s”. Maybe it was Mark Twain.
If you love your country you constantly want it to be better … it is never a case of “my country right or wrong”. Britain’s legacy as top-dog for two hundred years has given the British character a high distaste for boasting and self aggrandisement.
Within the British Isles, this has happened to England. The Scots and the Welsh may go on about how much they hate England but the English cannot respond in kind. So it is with Britain in the wider world. We receive a lot of contempt and historically unfair criticism (and plenty of fair criticism too) and we have to take it.
That’s the price we now pay for our former prosperity at the expense of others. That we do not get some of the credit due must be borne.
Other qualities. Miserabilism. Pessimism. Scepticism. Distrust. Anti-intellectualism. Lack of imagination. Joy in ignorance. Dislike of strangers. Lack of curiosity. Fear of display. Lack of colour. Quick contempt for difference.
Against these: Politeness to strangers. Modesty. Self-deprecation. Scepticism. Lack of ostentation. Love of banter. Slow toleration of difference. Forgiveness. Humour. Lack of machismo. Lack of panic.
Are only positive comments allowed on this website?
I’ve always thought our truest legacy was an innate love of fairness and a willingness to stand against injustice. The British are not very good at being told what to do individualist and anarchic. This has led to a society that historically has challenged established authority and is willing to stand by the underdog if it thinks it the “fair” thing to do. Long live the spirits of the Levellers the Chartists the Tolpudle Martyrs and the Barons who forced the signature of the Magna Carta.
No. Our aim, as set out in our site rules, is to encourage active discussion and participation.
We accept that people want to offer a wide range of views. As long as these are consistent with the site policies, then they will be added to the discussion forum.
If you look at the “What others are saying” section of this website you will see that this reflects a wide range of views.
We would be grateful if all those taking part in moderated discussions could read the site rules before taking part. Thank you.
Eddie – Moderator – Ministry of Justice
Very good, I agree with Stephen and Bob Marshall.
My passion for seeing Constitutional reform certainly comes about from my love of being English and British. In South Korea (I took a year out) the majority of the Korean people people I have met have treated me with nothing short of complete respect…they ask if I am from the USA and when I explain I am British they always smile which is odd as the Americans have and still do make a great contribution to the economy and security here overall. I guess manners and politeness are definitely a powerful attribute in our favour alongside our “banter” as Stephen names it and our wonderful open sense of humour. Also, on occasion but not always, we can be thoroughly generous to those who are less fortunate to than ourselves through no fault of thier own.
Best and most objective view out of all of these.
I espeically like his British personality traits. Having travelled a lot - I would say, well observed.
I used to want to get out of Britain due to our “miserabilism. pessimism. anti-intellectualism” as Steven puts it - but since travelling I have discovered our “politeness to strangers” and “self-depreciation” and “lack of machismo” are incredibly refreshing and I feel prouder to be British.
In response to Bob Marshall
I Disagree somewhat with what you have said. The British Empire was never about Fairness or a willingness to find justice. The Empire’s key notes include imperialism, slavery and all types of injustice. Need i mention British involvement in Northen Ireland or perhaps the ‘Birmingham Six’ or ‘Guilford Four’.
On the otherhand modern Britain is changing for the better. a more multicultural and tolerant society has emerged from the shame of british imperial conquest. I believe that the good old British public hold the contemporary view tolerance and fairness and equality no the Old Bailey the Monarchy or even the ‘Oxbridge Houses of Parliament’. Although divided we are one
Being British is a political construct of convenience. And as such, people become confused about what being British actually means. Mr Fry’s contribution (and many others) proves my point - forever conflating England into a sort of Britain-Lite. I’ll never forget Mr Fry’s performance on BBC’s Breakfast programme when talking about how great it was to be British - and then misquoting Cecil Rhodes famous edict to fit that political model of convenience…. “Afterall”, he told Bill Turnbull, “It was Cecil Rhodes who famously said ‘to be born British is to have won the lottery of life”….
Well it actually wasn’t, was it? Rhodes proclaimed that being born ENGLISH would ensure you the 6 correct winning numbered jackpot…
I myself am a passionate Englishman. I look forward to the day when this great country of 50 million souls is given back its national parliament - and then England will stop being the only country in Europe without a national parliamentary legislature. Which is a bit ironic really, especially as you consider that England was the first nation state in Europe, was the originator of the Magna Carta, the world’s first written document detailing the rights of the individual and was the creator of the modern two tier parliamentary system. All English achievements - not British…. and especially not British-Lite.
If Britain is to survive then the biggest component of it, England simply must get some NATIONAL political recognition in the form of its own national parliament.
It’s called democracy.