Reply To: Ann Widdecombe

[Siderite]

It’s good to see remarks that acknowledge that the UK has things to be proud of. It’s a common belief among the right that liberals and the left don’t like the country and that stereotype comes from mocking ‘flag shaggers’ for expressions of patriotic pride. Like when Emily Thornberry mocked a white van man for adorning his house with England flags a decade ago. I don’t like the unite the Kingdom activists and think many have bad motives, but to many, criticism will fall on deaf ears when much of it seemed to damn the flag itself. To me, the UK is great because we are a country that has progressed so much with gay rights, women’s rights, rights for black people and so on. We have shown great values where there has been assimilation and people can be seen as welcome no matter their sexuality or ethnicity. Not everyone is so welcoming, but we’ve done a better job than many nations.

None of this means the country has had a spotless past or present; there are creeping issues today with a growing intolerance and we made many historical mistakes that harmed others. However, no country has a record with few blemishes and we have done something to acknowledge our past (more than what can be said for Japan, Turkey or Russia, who have had worse records at times).

I think some liberals cringe at patriotic pride because it seems burlish and putting oneself above others, but I think it is healthy to have a pride in where you’re from. Why bother improving the country if you think it has no merit? It doesn’t mean you need to tip into jingoism – every country has positives and negatives, but looking at the good points and having pride shouldn’t be taboo. The French seem to manage it from all sides of their politics, so we can too, surely.