Britishness
From the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/britain/article/0,,1997203,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=11
The British Social Attitudes survey found that the proportion of the British public who say British is the best or only way to describe their national identity has declined from 52% to 44% in just 10 years since 1996
The proportion choosing Englishness as their best or only identity was 40% in 2005, up from 31% in 1992.
In Scotland, just 14% felt their identity was British in 2005, compared with 79% defining themselves as Scottish.
This is all reasonably understandable - there has been the rise in Welsh and Scottish nationalities through more devolved regulation, and that has in turn led to a backlash in England. The West Lothian question all over...
What I found very interesting was that there was no mention in the article over European-ness. Does any significant proportion of British people consider themselves European? For example, I am Welsh first, British second and English third, all of which are important to me. But European?? Doesn't even hit the radar. Thus, adverts that the EU put out such as the one to help stop smoking ("47,000 Europeans die from smoking each year") miss the oint with most people in Britain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/britain/article/0,,1997203,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=11
The British Social Attitudes survey found that the proportion of the British public who say British is the best or only way to describe their national identity has declined from 52% to 44% in just 10 years since 1996
The proportion choosing Englishness as their best or only identity was 40% in 2005, up from 31% in 1992.
In Scotland, just 14% felt their identity was British in 2005, compared with 79% defining themselves as Scottish.
This is all reasonably understandable - there has been the rise in Welsh and Scottish nationalities through more devolved regulation, and that has in turn led to a backlash in England. The West Lothian question all over...
What I found very interesting was that there was no mention in the article over European-ness. Does any significant proportion of British people consider themselves European? For example, I am Welsh first, British second and English third, all of which are important to me. But European?? Doesn't even hit the radar. Thus, adverts that the EU put out such as the one to help stop smoking ("47,000 Europeans die from smoking each year") miss the oint with most people in Britain.
posted by Jonathan | Wednesday, January 24, 2007
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