Imogen Watson discusses what it means to be patriotic in Britain today and shares her predictions for 2013.
After one or two false starts, 2012 was very much a year of flag-waving, national self-confidence and, dare it be said, patriotism here in the United Kingdom. Permit me if you will to put the state of the economy temporarily to one side. If you missed the coverage of the Thirtieth Olympiad and the Diamond Jubilee, you can only have been hiding under a rock; even being on the other side of the world does not constitute an excuse in this day and age with the global interest in these events being quite as it was. So with just under twelve months ahead of us, how can this year match the last? Should it? As a country viewed as somewhat self-deprecating and reserved, does this kind of national recognition even have a place in our everyday society or does it in fact turn us into something we are not?
The Brits are a cool, guarded, polite people; stoicism is our middle name. Everyone personally knows the Queen, perfect tea comes out of the taps, and we spend whole afternoons and evenings down in the pub drinking pints or out on the green playing cricket. This is all true of course only if you were to pay any attention to the rest of the world and, let us be honest here, that is not exactly a key British trait.
Our true eccentricities abounded during the summer months as we floated boats galore down the Thames and scared small children in hospital beds with giant versions of Lord Voldemort and the Child Catcher in the middle of a sports stadium. Someone even let Mr Bean play the piano. The humour and happiness of the London 2012 Games Makers have gone viral, and it seems that even if no one quite understands us, the vast majority of the international community enjoyed the spectacles, at least enough to broadcast them in all types of news coverage.
Moreover, the Union Flag is popular again. In Britain, the British National Party has used it as their logo for years now, yet abroad it is fashionable to wear it on every item of clothing: bags, shoes, earrings, scarves, t-shirts. You name it, and it is out there. It may come as a surprise to know that it is even popular in France, that country which supposedly hates us. So if the rest of the world can love it, it is surely time to continue the trend of 2012 and take it back completely from the hands of the likes of the BNP. It has been a statement of being a racist, but no more. It must become again a statement of tolerance. The flag is ours if we want to use it and certainly not the property of a tiny minority that the majority cannot stand.
It is not that we ought to join the ranks of the countries which demonstrate their patriotic tendencies for everyone to see – after all there is only just about room for one United States of America on this planet – as flags around all our public buildings, for example, has simply never been, and never will be, our style. However we ought to lose our fear and embarrassment of proclaiming our national pride when appropriate, now we know our abilities in overcoming last-minute difficulties to put on a show.
2013 lacks the major national festivities of last year, and therefore opportunities for us to all unite and complain outwardly about everything that we secretly rather enjoy. But perhaps our patriotism is in fact best as it is: subtle and infrequent. It exists in everyday actions and helps make us what we are but big displays are just unnecessary (except the obligatory Last Night of the Proms). When the British come together in our own slightly bizarre way on an international scale, the surprise and puzzlement of the rest of the world is frankly one of the best bits. Now we are thoroughly aware of our successes in 2012 and will be able to repeat them when the time comes, without blowing our own trumpets. Instead we just accept it, and move on. So on reflection, then, maybe this article was badly thought-out. Maybe none of this should have ever been said. I apologise – I temporarily forgot how to be British. Please, forget that you ever read this.
exeposedev 