Full English or just scrambled?

Land of hope and glory. Rule Britannia. God Save the Queen. Am I missing something? Should my emotions be tingling with patriotism to these hi-jacked jingoistic tabloid dictums? My generation are continually informed that there is little hope of employment after education, the glory of our transport and health systems are deemed fourth world, residents of Britannia are embarrassed to say their nationality out loud and the Queen attracts little attention, unless her image is on a bank note. Disillusioned, confused and uncomfortable with the identity that my country has to offer me, why has it come to this?

Identity, whether international, national or local, has become increasingly blurred with the advent of technologies that make global contact an elementary task. The aim of the European Union to integrate this continent into one super state is slowly rolling towards one inevitable conclusion now that 12 countries have adopted the same currency, the Euro, and are advancing into a new era of co-operation. The identities of the people of France, Germany, Italy and Ireland are as different as those of England, Scotland and Wales, yet these European states are so clearly bound by geography and, as a consequence, history that economic and political integration has become a reality.

Confusion arises when faced by the paradox of devolution within the United Kingdom. All around us is unity, while we are fragmenting despite the existence of shared cultural and historical bonds, whereas in Europe integration is happening because of them. Consideration of a personal identity never became an issue until the devolution process began and the British Isles were carved up. The Scots, Welsh and Irish have always enjoyed a tenacious and independent identity, although this did not exclude them from feeling British while the UK was enjoying her Pax Britannica. However, without the binding force of the Empire, the World Wars and the nuclear threat of the Cold War, the Celtic constituents have reverted to their own identities.

Once our neighbours had disconnected themselves from the London power source, England was left on its own and culturally naked. From the inception of the British Empire England became subsumed and neglected to develop its own ethnic diversity, creating an English - British symbiosis, that has left many of us wanting and struggling to find a foundation. During the absence of an obvious identity the creation of a 'negative' one has begun to emerge, whose purpose merely acts to counter the more distinct and assertive ethnic identities that are prevalent in major cities.

Racist and xenophobic white males, who have warped national identity into nationalism, have hijacked English patriotism. Nostalgia for the quintessential image of England has vanished beneath the idea that it has been replaced by a nation of drunken yobs. Beer-swilling hooligans, racism and unprovoked violence are closely associated with the British National Party and football supporters who see themselves as patriots and expressing a misplaced identity, such as the social unrest in Bradford and Oldham.

England is in desperate search for a positive alternative that would exist to mirror those traits and help us underpin our perception for the future. Unfortunately, those idiosyncrasies that have been traditionally linked with England in the past, such as honour, sportsmanship, reserve, duty and service are now universally derided. America has provided arrogant replacements with emphasis on the individual at the expense of the whole, drive to win at any cost, competitiveness and where the game exists only to be won, although they are completely comfortable when exhibiting displays of patriotism that can cause an onlooker to cringe with embarrassment.

Ideals from across the pond began infiltrating our belief systems after the end of World War II, as the U.S. began bestowing their culture through globalisation and cultural imperialism. Britain and wars are synonymous, throughout history the prospect of a good conflict has enabled us to flex the muscles of our Empire and teach Johnny Foreigner a lesson. Britain is a nation who sent its navy half way round the world to fight for a rock full of penguins and Margaret Thatcher won an election off the back of it. Whether it is the Argentineans, the French or the Germans, England is a nation who can still make foreigners feel small with their endless 'we won the war' rhetoric that means nothing to those of us who have never been harmed by those respective nations.

Patriotism has sadly become a crude jingoism of the tabloid press, which is over-emotional and arrogant like the American press and was a major component of the British Empire, which viewed the globe with an air of superiority. Despite being thoroughly snobbish, rude, self-deluding and raping countries of their national wealth and resources, Britain has now returned power to India, Australia, Hong Kong and others, but some Brits still retain the old notions of what we used to be. Bill Bryson describes the situation perfectly in his book 'Notes From A Small Island': "Here is a country that fought a noble war, dismantled a mighty empire in a generally benign and enlightened way, created a far-seeing welfare state - in short, did everything right - and then spent the rest of the century looking at itself as a chronic failure."

Throughout my lifetime there has never been a national celebration for our patron saint and yet the English are all to eager to rush to their nearest Irish pub for St Patrick, buy a daffodil for St David, a thistle for St Andrew or participate in a Yankee July 4th parade. Members of the public who do buy a red rose for St George are seen as either BNP supporters or extreme nationalists, though most regard St Georges's Day as important as Trinity Sunday, it is greeted with apathy and casually dismissed out of hand, no programmes commemorating the dragon slayer or special Governmental plans to mark the occasion, then again would many tune in or attend?

During the past two decades there have been very few events that have brought the English together in euphoria and allowed them to bask in collective glory. One would be the royal wedding of Charles and Diana that sent the nation into a frenzy, though the fairytale ended in an ugly divorce with revelations concerning the events following July 29th 1981 and the nations princess. The 1996 European Championships were a catalyst for non-violent nationalism when the English football team exceeded expectations and began renewing interest in the sport. Scenes of Wembley Stadium filled with men, women and children singing 'football's coming home', waving St George's flags, faces painted red and white, the nation had bonded in elation, then it was snatched away and disappointment reigned once again.

Almost is a word that hounds England like flies round faeces. The English take the loser to their hearts because we have grown accustomed to almost qualifying and almost getting to the final, so-close yet so bloody far. An influence of superiority over others does infiltrate us all occasionally and there is no reason why we should be victorious over the 'Krauts' and win the World Cup. Take a hard look at English sport to see that we are not bereft of success on the international scene and there are many opportunities to see athletes competing on behalf of your country.

Olympian Steve Redgrave is one of the greatest living sportsmen and has shown that football is not the only sport in England. In the last decade alone, there have been countless accolades won by the likes of Nigel Mansell, Ellen MacArthur, Ian Botham, Daley Thompson, Steve Davis, Carl Foggarty, Jonathan Edwards and Nick Faldo, between them they keep silver polish companies in profit. Football and tennis may have their spiritual homes here, but those who remember watching the 1966 World Cup final or Fred Perry hold aloft the Wimbledon Men's trophy are now in the minority, while the majority of us have endured countless frustrations that erode both your hope and respect for your country. Expect failure that way you will not be disappointed.

Time has come for a climate where people can rise above the self-degradation that England excels in and be able to shout about its rich cultural environment, architecture spanning thousands of years, some of the greatest athletes, literary figures, explorers and inventors in history, a varied and stunning natural landscape, ancient and modern traditions that are still significant, produce the greatest thespians and advertisements in the world. It comes as a shock to discover that when you begin to look there is an English identity, one that is seen outside of England but seldom perceived by us. Ask any German or Italian and they see the English as distinctly as they do the Welsh and Scottish.

Perhaps the need to carve out a dominant identity for ourselves has come from the threat of Europe swallowing us up and extinguishing the last of the ideals. Political parties fighting against being run by Brussels, such as the UK Independence Party, believe that it is not only our currency under threat, but our entire legal system, our British nationality, our right to free speech, our police, our armed forces, our own agricultural policy, our right to trade freely and the parliamentary system that underpins British liberty - restoration of our independence, national self-respect and prosperity are unlikely to give a 20-something sleepless nights.

England does, however, owe its existence to huge sacrifices made by its citizens in both war and peace, which have safeguarded this advanced democratic state against foreign invaders and threats. Today we can enjoy a country that tries to provide public services, looks after our interests on the world stage, a country that will educate, care for, protect and even feed and clothe people regardless of race, religion or gender. We live in a bastion of freethinking liberal ideals that have traditionally offered refuge to those who share those ideals but whose own country does not. Is this part of identity or just a political philosophy?

Being English is all about contradictions, then again maybe not, but one problem that undermines our progression is the stereotypical Oxbridge, we rule the waves, weather obsessed, bowler-hatted gentlemen, watching a game of cricket, with a cup of tea that is so commonly associated with this green isle. A feature that struck a chord and highlighted a few successful elements within the our shores was a MTV short advertising feature entitled 'What's so cool about the UK?' the answers were not far off the mark: our history, sportsmanship, sense of fun, our attitude, the glorious countryside, the food, the weather, the eccentricity, our anarchic streak, the diversity or is it just our music?

We are one of the most tolerant nations on Earth; millions of immigrants have been absorbed without serious social unrest; by 1998 over one third of inner London children did not have English as their first language; many of our cities have been colonised by foreign cultures, their fashions, cuisines and religions have, primarily, integrated with few problems; huge sums of money are spent on equal opportunities for minorities and this has been part of both the solution and problem of the United Kingdom as a political and psychological entity.

Analysing all the available research and comments leads us to ask the paramount question, not 'do we have an English identity?' but 'do we want one?' The English are such a cultural melting pot of varying ethnic backgrounds that describing what constructs our collective English identity is like looking at a map of England and saying "what do you see?" and replying "Sussex, Cornwall, Somerset, Yorkshire and so on."

There is no clear answer to either question; the English identity of somebody born and raised on the south coast to that of a Yorkshire man is as different today as it was during the Empire. Post-colonial England has paid for its past crimes, my generation enjoy a multi-cultural world where boundaries are blurred through new technologies, it is time to set our sights on an England that is confidant and the whole country can celebrate St George's Day; April 23rd by the way.