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

Sat watching Question Time (exciting, I know!) and the question has just arose of whether there is such a thing of a British Identity and, if so, what is it? What do you class as a British value?

The North American Proxy which is better know as the US war of Independence was not about reclaiming British freedom or the English Bill of Rights. Those things were co-opted by the Puritans who were supported by the French and Spanish against the Loyalists in North America. The first thing they did was remove the British Monarchy, Anglican Church. Their governmental system after that came from the Union of the States, some of which were Loyalist. What I am saying here is the US Revolution is a lie and opposed to the very governmental system which brought the 13 Colonies freedom. Nothing to do with culture or birthrights, but a geopolitical conflict between France, Spain and Britain. The success of the US comes from the compromise which was reached between the States in forming the US governmental system.

There were puritans in this country who would have quite happily done away with the monarchy and the Anglican church. They had a good go at it, if you remember. Indeed, in that civil war, the majority of students at the newly established Harvard University left to fight for the Parliamentary cause.

Yes the French and Spanish took their advantage to attack the British, but the tinder which set the thing off was taxes, lack of democracy, and the general feeling the Crown was treating its own subjects unfairly. When they declared independence they established the world's most liberal state, under a constitution which lay heavily on the work of British liberal philosophers and a Bill of Rights which was based on that of England. Many in this country were very sympathetic towards the principles of the revolution, and it's not really true to characterise it as a struggle between Britain and France.

And if "The success of the US comes from the compromise which was reached between the States in forming the US governmental system", did their culture not affect any of that?

Identity is a construct. It exists as far as people believe it exists.

It is more than that, Identity is a basic facet of a persons psychology

It's things like this that make people feel the need to say they're proud to be white.

When have white people been prosecuted just for being white again?

I think you may mean 'persecuted', but isn't that a slightly ironic question to ask when you've just told someone it's not okay for him to be proud of being white?

Yeah man, that's totally terrible, being told that "proud to be white" is usually the war cry of the KKK / EDL etc

Definitely the same as actual discrimination and racial abuse

Posted from TSR Mobile

Wrapping a red herring in an appeal to ridicule doesn't give the point credibility. I am hardly comparing your denigration of someone's identity to the horrors of the African slave trade. I am saying that it's counterproductive.

'White pride' is essentially a defence mechanism. If you attack people who say that they are proud to be white, you are fighting fire with petrol.

When have white people been prosecuted just for being white again?

Defence mechanism against what, exactly?

Posted from TSR Mobile

So you're only allowed to be proud of yourself if your ancestors were persecuted? Ok then...