NORMAL LIFE: Can 'Britishness' Be Taught?

One thing that I love about Brits is their willingness to engage in small talk, which is something Finnish avoid at all costs; whenever I am in England, I don't have to lead conversations. Every now and then, you come across a traveller who wants to talk about something topical, something that's really getting on their nerves. During a train journey in the UK recently, while discussing the race divisions sweeping England, one remark from a sixty-something was that she wouldn’t be surprised if the UK became a Muslim-state within 50 years.

I pondered on this not-all-too-unrealistic view for a while, and the late Princess Diana came into my mind. Anybody who cared about Diana had a theory as to why she died, mine being that the Establishment had killed her to prevent the future King of England from having a Muslim stepfather (e.g. through marriage between Dodi Fayed and Diana). Given the race divisions sweeping the UK at the moment, I couldn't help but wonder are we heading towards some kind of Statehood unknown to us throughout history?

I was reading a Readers column in an English newspaper recently, and was saddened by the extent to which readers felt a need to engage in the subject of Britishness. The absence of a celebratory day in aid of our own Monarch, as well as the absence of national days for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales has, without doubt, contributed to the watering down of our very culture. Isn't it saddening that I, at 29, don't know who Saint George (apparently the patron saint on England) is?

I'm very interested in history - it was one of the few subjects I excelled in while I was at school. That's why I was very shocked that one of my own siblings was unable to tell me who killed two of his six wives. I was amazed at this total ignorance to what I regard as one of the most illustrious histories in the world. I think it was Prince Charles who said a while back that "to know your history is to known yourself". I totally agree with him. How can we even set a unified front if, as Brits, we have no idea of what has been sacrificed for us? It angered me when one reader wrote that she felt that compulsory Britishness lessons 'will ostracise an already alienated youth?'. How, exactly? The only way they will feel alienated is by having some guidance for a change, but this is a temporary alienation which I am sure will fade.

I can't help but feel that the teachers have taken on too much responsibility. It is not their job alone to preach of the dangers of drugs and guns, or to explain globalisation and function of the European Union. Why do mothers think they can give birth to children, raise them during the maternity period so they can rush back to work and trust their children grow up to be responsible adults? It doesn't work that way - it never has done. To think it would work in this way shows staggering naivety.

One reader goes on to tell how remarkable it is that, for a thousand years, these Islands haven't been invaded and bloody revolution has been avoided for a few hundred years. This is in contrast to life in France and Germany during the same period. The reader proposes that simply learning about those nations will tell children alot about their 'distinctive British identity'. The reader, from Cambridge no less, might have a good point there.

Another reader interestingly dismisses the importance of history, simply believing that "Britishness comes from the heart... it is about a love of Britain and a feeling of belonging". If that were true and we were to enforce this belief, let's deport the 2-3 million people who have shown no love for - nor a sense of belonging to - Britain.

Another simplistic, but equally valid point is that the "criteria of Britishness are, first, laugh at yourself and, secondly, do so in English!" This came from a former immigrant, now a citizen, who I only have the highest respect for.