What is "Britishness"? Part 2: Pride

The British are, on the whole, a proud nation. There are plenty of people from these shores who have ventured far and wide and achieved great things that have been recognised the world over. Brits also take pride in the Union Flag as a symbol of belonging, our monarchy, our democracy, our legal system, the NHS, our armed forces, and national sports teams. Feeling good about our country can also make us feel good about ourselves. Hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was one of Britain’s proudest moments, showcasing to the World everything that makes Britain great. Tony Blair, Prime Minister at the time of London’s successful bid for the Games, said that the Games portrayed a modern, multicultural Britain, proud of both its heritage and traditions and its diverse culture. The Games were a celebration of the country’s creativity, organisational prowess, generous hospitality, good humour, volunteering spirit, enthusiastic crowds and exceptional performances from Team GB, all of which contributed to them being one of the most successful Games ever.

Photo by Simon Connellan on Unsplash

National pride or patriotism can inspire us to do our best and not want to let anyone down. We have seen in the past that in moments of supreme crisis, there has been a kind of emotional unity that transcends all differences and binds the British together. This still seems true today. At the start of lockdown, there was a “we’re all in this together” spirit that united the country in observing the rules. That was until Dominic Cummings, the PM’s chief adviser, had driven to Durham at the end of March in flagrant breach of a number of the lockdown rules of which he had been the architect. His subsequent statement showed a total lack of remorse and that, combined with the PM’s inaction against him, broke the bond of trust between people and government. From that moment, the sense of betrayal turned national pride to anger and public solidarity was shattered.

For all the good that taking pride in our country can bring, there are potential pitfalls that need to be borne in mind and avoided at all costs. It is a fine line between the healthy pride that is self-respect and self-esteem and the unhealthy pride that can lead to complacency, arrogance and hubris. The question we face today is: are we living too much on past glories (some of which might be considered morally dubious against today’s standards) with an overly inflated view of our own self-importance in the modern world? Basking in the reflected glory of past heroes and achievements is no way to build an international reputation today. Overbearing pride lies at the heart of our Government’s inexplicable decision to ignore what was happening everywhere else and go their own way on Coronavirus. Such arrogance also explains why they ignored the EU’s ventilator and PPE procurement scheme to go it alone and why our Prime Minister is proud of the country’s response to this virus even though we have one of the highest death rates in the world.