To be a nationalist nowadays is an anathema to a lot of people. Believing as they do that the term has been hijacked by far-right zealots whose only aim is to repatriate those not born in this country, or that it is just not fashionable, and therefore, to be shunned.
In my mind, nothing could be further from the truth. Britain has always been a multicultural country dating back to the Romans. I can remember in the seventies when Idi Armin literally kicked out 120,000 Ugandan Asians. We took many of them in and settled them to become part of our society. How well that integration worked is another topic of conversation.
We had, of course, people who gathered together under the banner of the National Front and then the BNP and EDL. I believe in any open libertarian society you will always get these groups with what can only be described as a warped ideology.
Conversely, now you have the far left Antifa and Socialist workers groups with equally disturbing thoughts and wishes as to how we should live.
Terminology and labelling are the modern equivalents of marching against groups that you do not agree with. `Far Right`, `snowflakes`, and a more recent one to me `the great unwashed`, are easily attached to groupings via the internet and social media. Even the news channels and newspapers have entered into the fray. They do not hesitate to trip out these labels daily when discussing anything controversial.
Being nationalistic to me envelopes and keeps safe everything that is dear to me, my city, county, country, and of the course then the United Kingdom. I was asked at a recent debate about how I would feel when I cease to be a citizen of the EU. My response was to tell the audience that the EU was an entity and not a country or a nation. I accepted, that at a stretch, as I love Paris and Spain for holidays that I am a citizen of Europe, also as it is the nearest continent to where I live, but I am unashamedly British.
My flag is important to me. Traditionally, in battle, the rallying point is the flag, and regimental colours had to be saved under any circumstances. The flag of any nation is symbolic to the rest of the world. Ours is a standout flag due to our history, and it symbolizes everything we stand for as a nation.
Sad though it is, to record that it is in many quarters seen as an emblem of racism. I do not subscribe to this, neither do I agree that the cross of St. George is in the same genre.
Being proud of the country you live in should be a way of life, as natural as walking. It should be re-enforced in schools and churches and colleges and on the news media and mainstream media. Look at America, travelling there it is common everywhere to see the stars and stripes outside every house and adorned on windows of most vehicles. They swear their allegiance to the flag every morning in schools and colleges. I visited Sea World in Florida years ago; we were not let in the gates until the national anthem had been sung. Visitors old and young sang with gusto with their right hands on their hearts.
We have lost all semblance of this; we have no patriotism instilled or re-enforced. It is almost embarrassing to declare or express your nationalistic patriotism … especially on an individual basis. Look though what happens when the nation has something to celebrate. Last year in the World Cup, England got to the semi-finals, unheard of, but we did. Wow, what an impact. Those who would normally raise their voices in derision at such an outpouring of being “English and proud” were very silent. The happiness and good feeling throughout the country were palpable. People said good morning, smiled and more importantly talked to each other and everyone. The spirit of this nation was truly lifted.
Economic nationalism has been taken over by Globalism. The surrender of our independence of trade to the global outlook will come back to bite us. Brexit may, if truly enacted, be the catalyst of this and could steer the way back to the England we once knew. No, not colonialism nor the days of the old empire way of thinking.
A free modern outward looking country is proud of its heritage and history. If you want a great example of what I am trying to put over, watch the film Love Actually and the speech made therein by Hugh Grant playing the Prime Minister, he is standing up to the rank bullying of the POTUS played by Billy Bob Thornton.
I defy any true patriot not to have the goosebumps and a very big smile when watching that scene. Shame therefore that we do not have strong patriotic leaders or any government that would support this kind of British greatness.
It would need to start with education with a determination to outdo those who would argue black is white for the sake of argument. It will not be an easy sell by any means, but it could be done. Keep the message simple and keep it inclusive … and that message has to be truthful.
Multiculturalism is a great thing; it has a time-proven positivity for the country. Integration is the failure. For full integration, it needs two sides with a will and a want to succeed.
There is nothing wrong with being a nationalist, culturally, economically, and socially. Be proud, be understanding and be British. When did we give up on the Great before Britain? When did we stop giving children an understanding of what it is to celebrate our history and heritage? It has happened within my lifetime!
Could not a change with this go towards solving some of the malaise within our community? The malaise of the lack of respect, truth, and neighbourly and brotherly love. The longer we go down this pathway and allow the culture of nationalism to be watered down and therefore disappear it will be replaced, as it is already being replaced with division, mistrust, and confusion.
An excellent article for those wishing to ‘Be safe stay PC’. Perhaps a T shirt?
The nub of the nationalism debate is this. There are two kinds of nationalism – integral nationalism and risorgimento nationalism. The former is marching into other countries – see British Empire among others. The latter is demanding the right to self-determination. Everyone in the various nationalist strands of any significance at all in Britain is in the latter camp these days. But the media for obvious reasons likes to make out the former.
Multiculturalism is fine if people integrate?? No prizes for pointing out the contradiction. Oh and who integrates with who pray?
If multiculturalism is a term which simply means that as there happens to be many people of various cultural backgrounds in a particular society as is the case in Britain, then it would be a good idea if everyone learnt to get along and look for what they have in common rather than looking how they different then I’d have no quarrel with that. However, how this word has been imposed in our schools for example, is to point out how each culture is different from each other, stressing that each religion is equal and as good as the others. Our own national religion and traditions only get a look in at Christmas. – At primary school at any rate. For what ever reason, I’m convinced that we are far less tolerant of each others cultures now than we ever used to be. Fifty years ago, when I was at school, those I knew who were from India or Jamaican background fitted in seamlessly into my Church of England school. i.e. Nobody dwelt or noticed their cultural background unless they themselves brought it up naturally in conversation. The lively and popular Jamaican girl, became head girl. My Indian friend, for example, complained to us how her parents expected that she helped out at home with the cooking and this interfered with her homework, which was unfair, she felt, as her brothers didn’t have that problem. However, she was quite happy to know that one day her parents would choose her husband and thought our view about ‘romantic love’ very chancy and unreliable!!
My point is that I believe there has been over time, a heavy handed approach to the whole subject. By shouting ‘racist’ everytime someone so much as implies that the country is getting a bit overcrowded and shouldn’t we think of limiting immigration, for example has caused so much resentment and bad feeling and misunderstanding that it has created a problem where there wasn’t before. In fact by having uncontrolled immigration and not being allowed to complain has been the whole problem. Being expected not to fly the union jack, because that is nationalist/racist/ nazi , has certainly not helped either. Neither has the media, hunting for drama and entertainment rather than truth in its presentation of the news.
“you will always get these groups with what can only be described as a warped ideology.”
What a disgustingly condescending and bigoted attitude towards fellow nationalists.
Now is the time for all English nationalists to unite under the wise and effective leadership of Gerard Batten to make a brighter future for England once liberated from the shackles of the EUSSR. Gerard has shown the way forward by extending the hand of friendship and solidarity to Tommy Robinson in working together.
Stephen Place has fallen into the trap himself by referring to “Goose bumps” when any true Brit would have had “goose pimples”.
Sorry Allan,, I`ve never heard of “goose pimples” indeed if there were such things, surely they would be called “goose plukes” in Scotland and I`ve never heard of those also.
I believe you have manufactured a trap, hopefully in error!
Freedictionary.com defines “goose pimples” as the “reflex erection of hairs of the skin in response to cold or emotional stress or skin irritation” and Collins’s American English avers that they are the same as “bumps”, but rarely used these days in preferenc to “bumps”. I fear that I am too old, having been raised in the days before we were bombarded with American fims and TV etc and when British English was the only language to which we were exposed.
Last week I shambling around my local supermarket buying groceries. At the butter section I noticed one brand that was emblazoned with a large Union Jack. I bought it simply because I love the British flag. Later back home I spread it on some toast – It tasted scrumptious!
Perfect, just a casual observation! The Union Jack of Great Britain!
Thank also for the article Stephen. The scene, for me, was set in the first sentence because it begs the question, why? As has already been noticed there are obvious ways that a pride of one’s country can be re-instated. It does not have to be a stubborn ‘Bulldog’ pride which could step over the line into bigotry, but an ‘ownership’ pride.
The next question I ask myself is when did that ownership go? In a thousand little cuts brought about by perverted losers who could not see the difference between belonging and dominance if was laid out on their dining room table.
Who? The so called intelligentsia! Those we think should know better. Much the same as Nazi Germany when the Jews were being so disgracefully persecuted under the noses of the German intelligentsia (sic).
What happened? They become greedy for power, status and grandeur. Just the usual things.
How it happened was through corruption on their part and apathy on everyone else’s. We had such a lovely country, not perfect, but comfortable and ours. We trusted.
The where was our Jerusalem in ‘England’s green and pleasant Land.’
“I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How And Where and Who.” Rudyard Kipling
Bows and arrows did the job once.
“Multiculturalism is a great thing” For who? The indigenous people or the immigrant?
In fact the multiculturalist project inflicted on Britain has been an utter disaster for the indigenous poor but certainly it has been a great tool for internationalists and the progressive left to divide and rule.
This is so full of holes . . but where to start?
”Multiculturalism is a great thing”
Multiculturalism *could* be a great thing. Overwhelming a country with a silent invasion of millions is not.
”it has a time-proven positivity for the country”.
Reference (comparable influx situation please – such as Australia and Maioris; united States and Red Indians maybe)?
”For full integration”, it needs the incomer to integrate, not to impose his alien values on Great Britain. Part of this is to realise he is in a Christian country and his religion is not the dominant one. Promoting Ali’s Snackbar does not endear him to the locals – the British. See also above.
”I am a citizen of Europe,”
You may think you are. I am not a citizen of Europe. I’ll happily argue this in a youro’peein’ language if you want.
”When did we give up on the Great before Britain?”
A better question is when did we give up both and become the united kingdom?
When a child, Great Britain came after Germany in the stamp album. Now it comes after united States.
But what of a clean break with our self imposed masters? This is after all Independence Daily, not Integration Daily.
You have outlined my thoughts on this!
Great comment Biscotte, echos my own views.
The full title of our country is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Prior to the partitioning of Ireland in the 1920s, our country was just Great Britain. In recent times politicos have spelt out our country as the UK so as to not exclude Northern Ireland.
My view is that Ireland should be reunified. There will be all sorts of dreadful violence for a while, but then – peace for ever. If we don’t, the IRA and other republicans can never be silenced and Good Friday Agreements will be a necessity in perpetuity.
Call me racist, yeah.
A good essay Stephen and I agree with the tenor of most of it, in fact I might claim to smile if I am labelled xenophobic, in that I tend to believe in my country “right or wrong” and while I may dislike many of the actions and attitudes towards events that have happened in the past I am not prepared to beat myself or my country up about it and by the way I support the Commonwealth in that I regard many of them as kith and kin and that they gave freely and unhesitatingly of their blood when what was then their “mother” country needed them .As an aside I regard leaving the EU as a duty towards righting the wrong done to those people when we arbitrarily abandoned them when we illegally entered the common market in the first place.
Come on Stephen I think getting to the semi finals of the world cup is over egging the cake, but I do consider the spirit of the whole nation was lifted when we retained the Falkland Islands. I know it upset many people, particularly the Labour party (IMHO we would not have retaken those islands if they had been in power), but there was a flood of relief when the British people as a whole realised we still counted on the international scene and that we could still do it. That is still the spirit of 17.4 million (plus) British patriotic voters. I think last night`s vote suddenly made parliament realise that there was no way out of bringing about the reversal of Brexit. WE CAN STILL DO IT. In the end it`s a matter of parliamentary pride that they are actually now considering what the people want (NATIONALISM and complete NATIONHOOD)
POTUS Hocus – potus, I haven`t a clue what it means (I did look it up once but have forgotten again) I believe use of initials without a translation is a form of PC arrogance; Oh sorry I`ve fallen into my own trap PC = Politically Correct, as well as Police Constable and Pretty Crappy.
POTUS – President Of The US – easy when you know how.
from PMB I agree that defending the Falklands from invasion was far more uplifting than any World Cup victory. Also, It was very wrong for us to abandon our Commonwealth as we did on entering the eec or whatever it was called. There is nothing wrong with Britain. We are a Nation. We do need to go back to telling our young people that patriotism is a GOOD thing.
Excellent.
We also need an immediate removal of the EU flag… enforced by law if needs be… from all public buildings by 23.00 hrs on the 29th of March.
Bast**ds like Sadiq Khan will resist that, so we have to be ready to remove them ourselves.
A small gas blowlamp with auto ignition is for lighting things…
I have just renewed my driver’s licence and DVLA have sent the new one with two copies of the EU flag on it. Luckily, I still have a few adhesive Union Jacks to cover them – similar to the covers I have on my car licence plates. I would have thought that DVLA would have dropped the EU flag now that we are leaving on 29 March, or do they know something that we don’t know?
They are not issuing blue passports either. And have no plans to do so.