Swing Low or Allez les Bleus?

So Scotland, despite a good performance (particularly in the first half) against England last week, are out of the Rugby World Cup. This weekend, the tournament moves to its knock-out stages with Wales v. Ireland and England against France today. Indeed, by the time this is published, either Wales or Ireland will be through to the semi-finals and awaiting the winner of the England/France clash.

As a Scotland fan, who do I support now? Well, quite naturally, I feel an affinity with the other Celtic countries - the Welsh with whom we share a political and (to a point) an historical heritage and the Irish with whom we share a cultural heritage. I'm hard-pressed to choose between them although I have a feeling the Irish will win (or will have won...).

But what about England and France? Naturally I will support our partners in the Auld Alliance, our Gallic cousins, la France. Oui? 

Non! Je ne soutiendrai pas la France, je soutiendrai l'Angleterre.

Whilst many Scots will be supporting France - or at least not supporting England - I'll be on England's side. Not just because I live here but because it's the grown up thing to do. As our partners in the United Kingdom, it is also the right thing to do.

Nationalism (at least with a small "n") can be good but in this context it too often becomes parochialism. Scotland's identity should be about what it is, not what it isn't. Supporting "anyone but England" is childish, immature and does nothing to improve relations with our Southern neighbours.

It's true that the English do sometimes have a confidence bordering on arrogance and a tendency to belittle the other members of the Union. As with so many other things in life, responding in kind achieves little. Sometimes one party has to be the "bigger person" and take a more mature approach.

Supporting England doesn't come easily though - even, on occasion, to some English people. It can be hard to muster up real emotion and enthusiasm when watching players who are so often the opposition. But support them I shall, along with Wales and Ireland, as long as they are in the competition.

Dewch ar Gymru

Tar ar Éirinn

Come on England

Andrew

You can find previous writings on this subject here.




Update: This is the post as drafted... obviously I now feel foolish to have called the match for Ireland.

Flying the Flag

The flag of St George is flying over Downing Street for the duration of the World Cup. Up and down the streets of England are awash with flags and pendants.

Is this a good thing? Is it appropriate that the flag of England should be above the residence of the British Prime Minister?

As a Scot living in England, I think it's important that the English feel a strong sense of identity and that they are able to express this freely. People should be able to fly the flag without accusations of jingoism and to reclaim it from extreme nationalists.

The re-emergence of an English identity - and the ability to divorce this from a British identity - is a positive thing. An understanding of our differences is as important to the Union as an understanding of the things we have in common.

But this has to work two ways. There are elements in Scotland, and Wales, that need to rediscover Britishness. They have to accept that "Anyone But England" is petty, foolish and ill-judged at best, pernicious and destructive at worst.

We all have multiple identities, whether that be Scottish, English, British, European or Human Beings. Supporting England may not come naturally as a Scot, but wishing another part of the UK well - particularly in a tournament in which the Scots are not involved - should.

All Brits should be willing the best for England and this is what makes it appropriate for the Prime Minister to fly the flag. It's not about English dominance of the UK, it's about respect for one of its constituent parts.

Andrew

St. Andrew's Day

I've chosen to mark St. Andrew's Day with a poem by Scotland's Bard, Robert Burns. As a twist, though, I've not gone for one of the most obvious poems, but rather one which is critical of the main driver in the 1707 union with England - Money!

The Scots' plan for an overseas outpost and colony (the Darien Scheme) in the 1690s had gone disasterously wrong and forced the Parliament to seek political as well as monarchical union. Burns laments that gold had suceeded where steel hadn't.

Of course, whatever the whys and wherefores of the union in the 18th Century, as a 21st Century Scot, I am very much a Unionist. Regardless of its flaws, Scotland has been well served by it and has also served it well. The relationship between the constituent members of the United Kingdom may change, but it would be sad to see it broken.


Anyway, here's the poem:


Fareweel to A' Our Scottish Fame by Robert Burns

Fareweel to a' our Scottish fame,
Fareweel our ancient glory;
Fareweel ev'n to the Scottish name,
Sae famed in martial story!
Now Sark rins over Solway sands,
And Tweed rins to the ocean,
To mark where England's province stands -
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

What force or guile could not subdue
Thro' many warlike ages,
Is wrought now by a coward few,
For hireling traitor's wages
The English steel we could disdain,
Secure in valour's station;
But English gold has been our bane,
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

O, would or I had seen the day
That treason thus would sell us,
My old grey head had lien in clay
Wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace!
But pith and power, till my last hour,
I'll mak this declaration:
We're bought and sold for English gold
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!


Andrew

P.S. It could be argued that the poem has added resonance in the light of the recent loans and other support the Scottish banks have received from HM Treasuary and the Bank of England!

Click here for more poetry posts.

Give them enough rope...

On Thursday, the BNP leader will, controversially, appear on question time. Should he be allowed? Well, on balance, probably yes. The BNP somehow manages to stay the right side of the various laws which govern the line between freedom of speech of inciting racial hatred. In addition, they now have over a hundred councilors and two MEPs so they clearly speak for a section of the populous, however objectionable they may be.

While their views may be, at the very least, distasteful they cannot now be ignored. To do so would risk them continuing to spread their bile at low level, letting it fester and spread like a cancer. It has reached a point where they need to be faced head on. They need to be given some (limited) exposure, a spade to dig themselves a hole and enough rope with which to hang themselves.

With the right counter arguments, their views can be shown to be ludicrous. Appropriate questioning will reveal their true colours. Their love for Britain will be shown to be a veil for their hatred of other races.

The British, whom the BNP claim to defend, are not some homogeneous, pure race that have inhabited this island for centuries. Wave after wave of invasions saw Celts mixed with Norsemen, Vikings and Normans. In more recent centuries, we have incorporated further waves of immigration from Ireland, China, the Caribbean and India and Pakistan, amongst many others.

This diversity, and acceptance, is core to British values. While immigrant communities may not always have had it easy, without them we would not be the nation we are today.

So questions for the BNP to answer: In identifying the “indigenous population” who do the BNP seek to defend? Where do they draw the line - families whose routes trace back prior to 1950 or 1900 or some other arbitrary date? Or do they just mean white people?

Nationhood is a complex subject on which there are many different takes. Many people are nationalistic and keen to celebrate their identity. Many people have fixed ideas about what being British (or English, Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish) means and their place in the world.

Having a sense of identity and belonging shouldn’t be about denying others the opportunity to share this. Being proud of who and what you are shouldn’t be about superiority and exclusion. Expressing national pride shouldn’t be about denigrating others.

You can express Nationalism without being isolationist. You can be patriotic without closing the borders and keeping the country for the “natives”. Above all, Britishness is not about telling Natural Born Britons, or any other residents, they should participate in a voluntary repatriation programme.

Further questions: Where do the BNP draw the line in international co-operation – the EU, the UN? Who would be eligible for voluntary repatriation? Is the Black or Asian soldier less of a patriot than his white counterpart?

While I do not believe the BNP stands for a true definition of Britishness or a correct interpretation of what it means to be a Nationalist, I can’t really question their status as a party – even if clauses in their constitution currently run contrary to anti-discrimination legislation.

I hope that Thursday’s appearance by Nick Griffen on Question Time really shines a light on the true identity of the BNP. They may speak of a love for Britain and it’s people, but at the heart there’s nothing but hate. They may dress themselves up as patriots, but what they stand for is a white isolationist agenda.

Forcing the mask to slip and thereby revealing the truth is the only way to combat the lies, half-truths and innuendo of a party whose core beliefs are contrary to that of the overwhelming majority of true Brits.

Andrew

Guest Blogger No. 1 - Stephen Chapman

Some time ago, I did a guest blog entry for The State of the Nation UK. Now it's the turn of Stephen to return the favour. He's decided to post on the subject of being English:

The Importance of Being English

I am pleased to be able to contribute as a guest blogger and would like to discuss the silent majority in Britain… the English!

If you ask the owner of this blog where he is from, he will undoubtedly say “Scotland” and could easily enlighten us why he has national pride without embarrassment or the need for justification.

The majority of people living in Britain are English – a varied group of people with many originating from across the globe. Although most are white, a good proportion is of black and Asian origin, but if you look closer and go back just a few generations, the mix is remarkable.

Whatever the original roots, my perception is that the English almost have to apologise before showing any national pride and when they do, they must provide explanation that their views are not racist or against minorities. It’s ludicrous political correctness that benefits nobody and is killing traditions that go back centuries.

National pride can be as simple as celebrating religious and local festivals, supporting the village fete, being part of a local group, getting behind sporting heroes, reveling in our history or flying our nation’s flag. In my opinion, the flag of St George should be flying above every single public building alongside the Union flag, yet has racist connotations due to a small number of evil activists. Let’s take back the flag and connect it with the many many great English achievements that we should be truly proud of.

Having visited Scotland on dozens of occasions (mainly through work commitments), you get a real sense of national pride. It is everywhere, from business names to shop window displays and from local and major events to what people actively say. I am a little jealous that it’s so natural and freely promoted without any PC analysis. It’s not done with a view to put another nation or group down, it’s just ingrained in the national psyche.

Another blogger I read is pro-British and will correct those who overuse “England” and “English” and technically he is correct. However, if you visit to Wales or Scotland it shows how national pride can be a positive and inclusive thing – irrespective of race and religion. Take the loony councils who want to ban the word “Christmas” stating that it may offend minority groups… it offends no-one and simply divides communities! Being fully inclusive allows everyone to enjoy English traditions. And for religious festivals, appreciating what they stand for means that over time, other faiths will be naturally included as part of English tradition.

Minority groups, whether based on racial, religious, sexuality or any other type, actively promote and celebrate their individuality and we must not be afraid to campaign for Englishness despite the local councils only looking to support minorities. I would love to keep our ways alive and welcome all kinds of people into this wealth of history and tradition, but is it possible to engineer such a thing?

Scum like the BNP have got it completely wrong in my opinion. Those that want to maintain traditions and observe Englishness don’t have to be English and anyone can make a contribution to society, so let me make it very clear: this rant is all about inclusion and celebration. It’s great to be British and it’s great to be English.

The English have an outstanding history and number of traditions that are being eroded by local councils, politically correct biased media, schools, racists and even embarrassment. And to end, consider the words of Ray Davies in the Kinks song “Village green preservation society”…

“Preserving the old ways from being abused,
Protecting the new ways for me and for you”

Stephen Chapman

It's just not Cricket...

Once upon a time, I'd have engaged in a spot of schadenfreude at the plight that England's Cricketers found themselves in yesterday. Like many young Scots, for reasons I won't go into at present, I'd have enjoyed the spectacle of England being made to suffer in a game they invented and that I didn't understand.

Now I take a more mature attitude with views tempered by age, a greater understanding of the social as well as political importance of the Union and by living in England. I also have a much better understanding of Cricket.

While it is still difficult to get emotionally attached, I now wish England well in every tournament (unless against the Scots). It's just not Cricket to do anything else...

So as the wickets fell yesterday, I felt disappointed for England and their prospects. It looked like they were staring defeat in the face in a first test that has not been a great advert for English Cricket. From the choice of Cardiff as hosts, thorough the apparently irresponsible play of Kevin Pieterson, to the gamesmanship at the close, the whiff of controversy has never been far away.

The timewasting that characterised the late stages, and helped (at least) to force the draw, was particularly disappointing. Test Cricket is a game which, far more than most, trades on its history and heritage and The Ashes are at the centre of that heritage.

There is an expectation that the game be played in a gentlemanly fashion absent in other sports. Overs played in sessions punctuated at civilised intervals by lunch and tea. Wickets are readily acknowledged and the Umpire's decisions are respected.

Perhaps it's inevitable that Cricket will go the way of Football and, more recently, Rugby Union. Perhaps the advent of Twenty20 has brought an attitude that will inevitably spread to the 5 day game. Perhaps I'm being unduly sentimental and old-fashioned in resisting changes to the way the game is played.

Whatever the future, though, come Thursday I'll be hoping for a good match, played with respect and sportsmanship. And I'll be hoping for an England win.

Andrew

As an aside, I'd like to direct you to the One and Other site. In case you're not aware of it, this is the name of artist Antony Gormley's project that sees ordinary people spend an hour doing whatever they want on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square. Last hour there was a man with a barbecue, now there's a man with a Gorilla suit...

The site features streaming pictures and short pieces on each participant. I'm likely to come back to this topic in future as I know someone who is taking part, and still considering applying to do so myself.