What does it mean to be British?

What answers do you hear from workmates, friends and neighbours when you ask them, “What does it mean to you to be British?” Responses range through the usual self-deprecating stereotypes: “We avoid grumbling”, “We like to get in a queue”, “We are civil and polite”. The list goes on, but one telling observation resonates, “I have no choice, I live here, work here, my family are here, my roots are here.”

Nationality cannot simply be selected from a range of options like a pair of shoes or a car. It’s a more fundamental thing, to do with where you settle and make your life. You don’t have to be born here to be British. But you do have to accept that you are here for the long haul and embrace the way your fellow Britons live their lives.

This, particularly for those not born here, means recognising the importance of communicating in English. We know the damage that is done when this essential is neglected, or worse still, wilfully discouraged.

Division

Whole communities become divided along ethnic and language of birthplace lines, where even the supremacy of British law is challenged. The further consequence is a divided working class focused on what makes them different rather than on what unites them.

The rise of “multiculturalism” over the last 50 years, promoted by many local authorities and national politicians as a way to integrate non-native speakers, has instead reinforced segregation and brought about “no go areas” in some of our towns and cities for some people whose history there goes back generations.

In some of our schools, the language in the playground, and even the medium of instruction in the classroom, is not English. All in the name of integration!

This is damaging to the British working class, because divided communities have greater difficulty in exercising control in their lives. We all want what’s best for our children, but if we are preoccupied with fighting or perhaps ignoring our neighbours, the prospects for future generations are diminished.

‘Why does the British ruling class hate British workers? Why does it promote the notion that national identity is fluid…’

The informal responses mentioned above are, of course, indecisive, as all vox pops are. But they throw up some familiar questions and concerns. Why is the stability of our community being undermined by mass immigration? Why is our British culture devalued? Why are we made to feel this is not our country? Why does the government put other national interests before ours?

These sentiments can be summed up along these lines. We are British workers, the vast majority of the nation. Why does the British ruling class hate British workers? Why does it actively promote the dilution of our once stable and shared values? Why does it promote the notion that national identity is fluid?

In essence, it is out of fear. Fear of what workers can do when they decide to move as one and make a change. Witness the Brexit vote, a moment when workers chose to assert national identity.

Independence devalued

Since then the assault on Britishness has intensified. Particularly the devaluation of independence and self-reliance. If we look at our industries and vital infrastructure – utilities, power, transport, ports, airports and so on, all are increasingly foreign owned. Why does that matter? Because it can all be taken away.

Look at our reliance on Norwegian power. They have problems of their own now, so it’s not dependable. And if there’s one thing you must have with power, it’s dependability.

One illustration of the mess we’re in when we don’t prioritise self-reliance is the fiasco at the Scunthorpe steel works, which we reported in Workers. The Chinese owner threatened to close down the blast furnace unless Britain agreed to buy Chinese coal. The government was obliged to take over and ship coking coal from Australia.

And all while the mine in Cumbria, a potential source of the coal needed, was mothballed on government orders. In effect taxpayers’ money paid Australian miners to keep Cumbrians out of work.

The particularity of Britishness, its uniqueness, springs from our long history of industrial advance based on scientific thinking, free from the dead hand of religion. In other words, materialist, with an instinct for independence.

In sharp contrast, the ruling class views Britishness superficially, with a focus on ritual. For example, being able to quote the second verse of the national anthem features in the written test when you apply for citizenship.

There is genuine diversity within Britain and the British people, alongside the thousand threads which unite us. And along with the attack on the idea of Britain come threats to the freedom of speech, threats which hamper our ability to communicate and discuss. 

To be British is to live and work here in what is still an advanced industrial country. We should assert what we have uniquely achieved as workers, most significantly the creation of trade unions. Organisation and unity have enabled us to secure vast improvements in working conditions, healthcare and housing, all tenaciously fought for and won, and all continuously threatened.

We are true to our unique Britishness when we determine that we will have a future as a modern industrial nation, at peace with our neighbours, but prepared to defend ourselves if need be, and putting the needs of our own people first.

• This article is based on the opening and discussion at a CPBML online meeting in November.