ENGLISH IDENTITY

[skymanifest]

A hyper-English presenting person, speaking English in a middle-class English accent denying Englishness? RIP irony....

[waynenash]

Why is it, , only the English have to explain and defend their Identity? If a black, or Asian mentions their identity, do they get roasted?

[WheelieMacBin]

'English' is an ethnicity, so identity is tied up with that. However, this moves into areas we are not allowed to openly discuss, lest we get a 4am knock on the door from the police.

[j.harrison]

The endless pettifogging! All identities have fluid boundaries, intertwining with others. The absence of distinct lines or the inability to encapsulate Englishness in a single phrase doesn't diminish its existance. Englishness may be elusive, yet it remains recognisable.

[pincermovement]

British identity is white Anglo Saxon, Celtic and Briton, there answered the question for you .

[TheSockWomble]

People say there is no ethnic English race well I disagree they were here before the Romans invaded and before Jesus was born ? Ponder that thought and I am of Irish descent but have an English heart 👍

[andybrice]

I don't necessarily think a person should be required to precisely define a culture in words in order for us to acknowledge its value. Most people wouldn't be able to precisely describe why they love someone, or appreciate their favourite art. I couldn't quite pinpoint what constitutes English culture, nor British culture, nor French, nor Korean culture. But I think we can all acknowledge those cultures do have some distinctions, and their own unique value, which some people may be very attached to.

[galinor]

I am English and of Anglo-Saxon descent, (I love history and have checked) I love Cricket and Rugby League. The working class are poor. Demographically the white working class in England have the lowest life expectancy in the UK, achieve the lowest levels of education, have the lowest ethnicity percentage going into university and have the lowest access to health care. The UK population increases by over 300, 000 people every year, despite the native population going down in population. All of these new people need food, a job, electricity, a house and a doctor. That's the equivalent of one new large town every year. It is a strain on the infrastructure. Immigrants are in competition for work, with the unemployed. The working class aren't competitive in the job market and are being shut out. Some are angry and have had enough.If England was a country it would be the 8th most populous country in the world. I'm a country boy. From a pretty agricultural area. The government doesn't have my communities permission to build all over our farms. Just saying they're coming in, get poorer and deal with it isn't fair and isn't working. Therefore something has to be done. Someone isn't rascist because they aren't well educated and need a job to buy food.

[stevenponte]

Ironically when my dad came to visit me in mid 2000s when I lived in the UK. It was the first time he had been back to England since he migrated to Australia in the late 70s. And the first thing he said to me was that he just didnt recognise it as being British anymore. Not because of immigration or because they didnt look like him. But because it seemed so Americanised. Everything was a chain, kids were playing loud hip hop, even the football felt corporate etc.

[FarObserver]

You should debate with Carl Benjamin. It would be a good show.

[danieltalbot]

The English are a people with a shared geographical space and many common ancestors whose culture is too manifold to sum up in a sentence.

[feffermickel]

Just a 50 second reminder of our culture really points out to me how cynically he’s exploiting minorities in a bid for power.

[The_Rick_Shaw]

You're right that it's a silly question. You cannot reduce a people's identity to consumer products like food.

The fact is though, that, yes, while immigrant populations can enjoy fish and chips now and then, they DO change the character of a country. If we'd had very little immigration in the last 80 years, the country would look very to how it does now. You personally may think that the changes are positive. Many people disagree. You can call those people racist if you want to, but you're very unlikely to get the ear of anyone who isn't already a liberal lefty's ear that way.

Furthermore; how many non-European immigrants (first, second or third generation) share your love of old village pubs? Or our unique sense of humour? From my extensive experience, not many at all.

[nathanielthomas]

Zoe is on to something here. There are not enough people making these points. People with platforms need to call this out.

[derekbeddow]

Great summary of English identity.
And not forgetting humorous banter.. the one aspect of UK culture we should be proud of

[peterdollins]

Humour. Strands of Englishness in Shakespeare, Dickens, Durrell. Understatement. Quirckiness. A love of animals. Attachment to antique things. A feeling for the underdog, or was. Tolerance, or was. Ability to hear the other side, or was. The present crew running for the Tory leasdership are examples of knaves who have no ounce of qualities the English character once had..

[TillyOrifice]

Not English and i don't know what an English identity might entail, but I appreciate the elegance of this well constructed one minute and thirty eight second argument.

[AtlasofInfo]

The English are a mixture of Celtic and Germanic people who share a very similar cultural, religious and genetic background. Our society became one of the most free societies in human history (relatively speaking), which, of course, led us to kick of the industrial revolution and lead it. The creation of the modern world is attributed to Britain as the US is also a creation of Britain and the predominant player of our old empire was, of course, England.

Fish and chips and football is not an identity. Ignorance might be.

[tjs]

You make some great points here! Its revealing to see how politicians try to defend talking points when their real message isn't in the words they're saying but in a darker and less politically acceptable undercurrent. Reminds me of Trump and the Republican party in my country. Empty rhetoric (often with some shade of lightly concealed racism) that can't be supported when engaged with at a deeper level.

[savetommyrobinsonfreespeec]

Are you talking MASS legal immigration, or MASS ILLEGAL immigration?
There is a difference!
It doesn’t matter where your politics lay, you should be concerned about both types!
Like you said, it’s not racist to want your own race and culture to stay English, British.
Everyone that comes to our shores all want to keep their cultures, and bond from the country they’ve come from. Some are happy to assimilate, others DEFINITELY aren’t!
The problem with this country is, far too many middle class people, in their ivory towers love to talk up and down the social ladder, as if their opinions mean more than anyone else’s!
They soften the laws and rule of the land to accommodate their woke ideology and agenda, thinking only good will come of it all!
Short sighted at the least.