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What does being British actually mean today? Depending on your age, it can conjure up imagery of the Battle of Waterloo, Queen Victoria's Empire, the British Lions rugby team or that famous Union Jack dress Geri Halliwell wore at the Brit Awards. In the twenty-first century, Britain - like many Western countries - enjoys a diverse racial mix. Therefore, as with the USA, we need to explore the values and cultural reference points around us to fully understand what it now means to be a British citizen.
Twenty contributions written by well-known individuals representing a cross section of Britain's cultural landscape attempt to offer an insight into, or snapshot of, how Britons today see themselves and their place in the world. Their thoughts will highlight just how divergent our society is and where its strengths and weaknesses lie.
All these views are championed by two unlikely collaborators - Spectator editor Matthew d'Ancona and Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Often politically opposed, they share a passionate interest in exploring what is meant by being British. This unique book will enlighten, inspire and stir up many debates but ultimately it will provide a path for any reader wanting to understand just what it is to be British in the new millennium.
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The essays range from the very short, to the fairly substantial. Of the 35 there were 12 I thought really worthwhile - inevitably with a volume like this there is a certain amount of repetition between authors, and a patchiness in quality. The political/cultural division represented in the book is summed up by George Carey - on the one hand, those who locate Britishness in such things as, "a common standing army, economic success and necessity, religious tradition and heritage - alongside British institutions." And on the other, "those elusive `values' of `fair play', tolerance, rights and responsibilities, respect for the law, and so on, which are hardly the unique properties of Britain."
As someone who leans towards the former definition, I found the most irritating contribution in this volume to be that of Trevor Phillips, which seemed to be just one cliché piled on top of another, in an attempt to puff the Equality and Human Rights Commission which he heads.
As this is a varied collection of essays it is hard to summarize, but I'll try to do so... The British are the result of a long pattern of immigration and `unsuccessful' conquest. We gave the world the industrial revolution, but are characterized by muddling along. Tony Blair's Cool Britannia ground zero of claiming us to be `a young country' was a grave mistake, as we are at our best when we have an awareness of our history. History - and English Literature - should be more taught, and better taught, in our schools. Vague concepts of `tolerance' are not enough to sustain us, and it is the breakdown of the family that is central to our other social dislocations. We are a unique island, with unique demographics - densely populated, highly urban, dominated by one super-city, which is as big as the next 17 largest British cities put together. We are not good when we are too earnest, which is just one reason why I'll take Alex James over Trevor Phillips any day...
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