What is a 'British Identity'? Is there one?

Britain is a place where, if you are white with ancestry going back for centuries, you belong to a nation of mongrels and are therefore not a true Briton.

Proud to be British and proud to be white

Question time has asked this question several times and it infuriates me that the panel where mostly made up of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants like Benjamin Zephania lecturing us on what they think British identity should be defined as

I'm genuinely curious here: why do you feel the need to say that you're proud to be white? When have you ever been persecuted against only because you're white?

'White' is not a thing to be reclaimed, like 'gay', for instance.

It's like me saying that I'm proud to not be transgender. Or my dad going around telling everyone how proud he is to be straight.

There is simply no need.

It's like me saying that I'm proud to not be transgender. Or my dad going around telling everyone how proud he is to be straight.

There is simply no need.

No this Conservative and Libertarian rubbish needs to be put to bed. The Anlgosphere has nothing to do with culture. I has everything to do with geography and the government system, same a Britain. It is the governmental system which stops totalitarianism not culture.

Do you think government systems are plucked out of thin air?

Just lol at the Anglosphere having nothing to do with culture. The culture of the English speaking countries are clearly far closer to each other than they are to anyone else, and the government and legal systems of those countries share a common origin. Common law, trail by jury, et cetera. Outside the Anglosphere these are not widely held principles.

Frankly, you're talking out of your proverbial.

You are not curious, you simply have a problem with me being proud to be white. I read comments like yours all the time. Do not try and pass off your criticism by saying - i am only curious when you are not. Just say you have a problem with my statement and at least be honest.

Pride is a feeling and it is neither rational or irrational. So your statement is baseless.

I am proud of being white and the attributes that are part of being white. Culture is strongly correlated with race and ethnicity and i am proud of that. i am proud of the aesthetic of being white. i am proud of my ethnic group which is a white subset. I am proud of my white identity and ethnic identity, my homeland and common ancestry and so on.

I find it astounding that people think they have the right to criticise me

Never have I ever seen someone use the phrase "white pride" who wasn't also a BNP/EDL sympathiser with a weird thing against Muslims.

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Do you think government systems are plucked out of thin air?

Just lol at the Anglosphere having nothing to do with culture. The culture of the English speaking countries are clearly far closer to each other than they are to anyone else, and the government and legal systems of those countries share a common origin. Common law, trail by jury, the Magna Carta, Habeas Corpus, et cetera. Outside the Anglosphere these are not widely held principles.

Frankly, you're talking out of your proverbial.

Basically yes.

They were all part of the British Empire so had common law already in place. It was the easy thing to do just keeping Common law. Almost every country within the British Empire kept it. Many also kept English as the national language and it is taught in school. Many of are Protestant countries in Africa and Caribbean. This doesn't lead to them be closer or better. The reason Canada, Australia, New Zealand and US are good is geography and demographic, nothing to do with culture. In fact the countries culturally closest to Britain within their governmental system are Norway and Denmark.

Well... it does though doesn't it. Are you seriously telling me that countries with which we share a common linguistic, religious, political, institutional and legal heritage – not to mention the fact that they were founded by British people, have been our most steadfast allies and some of whom still put the Union Jack on their flag – are not closer to us culturally than those countries which do not?

What are you talking about?

As for better, it is well accepted that the reason those countries have been so successful economically is high levels of economic and personal freedom, a fair and consistent legal system, and political institutions which were free of tyranny and corruption. Other countries caught up in the 20th century largely by copying our example. This was obviously tied to the common culture: the legacy of Adam Smith, John Locke, the Magna Carta, the reformation, the civil war, the glorious revolution. Democracy and freedom were hard fought over centuries and it was amongst the English-speakers that they first emerged in the modern era.

I mean, what geographic or demographic advantage do we hold over France, or Spain? It's pretty coincidental that the all the countries which were founded on British culture just happened to end up being amongst the worlds freest, most democratic and richest.

Yes because they are far away from Britain. Norway, Ireland and Denmark are more like Britain then Canada, US, Australia or New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand don't matter as much as Germany or France to Britain.

Yes because they were part of the British Empire, it isn't because they were British people who moved somewhere else and made their own country or people to adopted the English language, Common law or Protestantism. It was through Protestantism with the British governmental system these things emerged, not English speaking or anglo people. Magna Carta wasn't enforced until the English Bill of Rights which created the British state. This doesn't mean every country which is Protestant and has the same language will have the same governmental system and be successful. It happens in specific geographical and demographic cases. Where the population is an immigrant population and geographically broken off from the rest of the world. So the same Protestantism, English language and so on fails in Africa, Caribbean and Asia.

In the case of Spain we have more natural ports, rivers and are closer to the sea. Our weather is better for the growing of crops, we have more raw materials needed for economic development. In terms for France we have more ports and are closer to the sea, we don't border other countries.

Some countries who were part of the British Empire are successful other countries aren't. Culture is part of the reason why some are, but also geography and demographics.

It pretty much is. They were founded by people who saw British liberties and institutions as their birthright. Even when America famously rejected the British Empire, it did so quoting British philosophers, and standing up for their rights as Englishmen (as most saw themselves right up until independence, and the forging of a new identity). These were not rights enjoyed by any other people in the world.

The British empire covered a very great extent. The English speaking lands were far more successful than myriad countries which had the British system imposed upon them, because the culture, including the integration with and acceptance of system are probably more important.

That is because Britain is geographically different from Germany, it has a different history and culture, also the British governmental system had been the same for over 200 years.

I'm genuinely curious here: why do you feel the need to say that you're proud to be white? When have you ever been persecuted against only because you're white?

'White' is not a thing to be reclaimed, like 'gay', for instance.

It's like me saying that I'm proud to not be transgender. Or my dad going around telling everyone how proud he is to be straight.

There is simply no need.