(Sorry to all non-British Forum members)...

Are you proud to be British?

Why?

I love being a British citizen, and I love our country very much.

I'm so proud of being a contributer to the BBC. What an export!!!

Also... The Queen. (enough said).

I could list a lot more but that would be boring. What does everybody else rate as great examples of Britain and Britishness?

(I wonder if we could talk about being British and what that means without the influence of extreme political views. Is that OK?)

A few things spring to mind :--

Our ability , in general to laugh at ourselves , as individuals , and as a nation ; our ability to be able to laugh at , satirise or make a joke about almost anything ; our knowing , however , when to be serious.
Our inventiveness . We have invented countless useful things and I believe we are the highest [per capita] winners of the Nobel Prize for the Sciences.
Our great literary history. Almost no-one , internationally , reaches the status of Shakespeare or Dickens and then there are the many other well-known poets , dramatists and writers.
Our language , rich , massive , versatile and poetic.
Our behaviour as a nation: ----despite our occasional cruelties and blunders , compared to other SuperPowers , past and present , our conduct has been more civilised than theirs.
Our institutions -----although , of late getting rather shaky , have been models for other countries to copy.Our , "checks and balances " society , albeit under a threat nowadays , which has kept out the Left and Right extremes of government.

I know, I'm not British. But I feel compelled to let you all know what I like best about you Brits, and what I think you do better than anyone else.

British comedy. God almighty. There is something about english humor that is funnier to me than just about anything. Other nations can be funny as well, but only you Brits could come up with some of my very favorite shows. Monty Python, Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, The Young Ones, The Office etc.

British movies are also wonderful. We Americans can outdo anyone when it comes to special effects, but when it comes to a real plot that draws you in and makes you loathe to leave your seat for fear of missing something, you Brits win hands down every time.

You also do mysteries better than anyone else. I tell you, I have spent hours reading the books of P.D. James and Agatha Christie. Hours.

Fish and Chips. At the California State Fair, almost every year there is a replica of a real English pub. Or so they say. Having never been in a real English pub, I can't say how authentic it is. But the fish and chips they serve are wonderful, and the lines are longer there than for any other restaurant.

The Monarchy. I realize there are British people who loathe the Monarchy, and I suppose you have your reasons, but believe me. We have nothing like this in America. It is something you are known for the world over, and the next time you want to complain about the Queen or any of her clan? How'd you like to have the Bush family living in Buckingham Palace?

Your flag. I have been mesmerized by the Union Jack ever since I was a child. When we visited family in San Francisco, my uncle had a British neighbor who flew the Union Jack, American Flag, and California state flag in front of his house every single day. Yes. He had a FLAGPOLE installed in his front yard. He was a little peculiar, but a nice man. And very patriotic.

I'm sure there's more, but this is all for now.

:) Sierra

Our ability to move with the times and look to the future without constantly go on about how wonderfull things were 100 years ago when we "owned" a third of the globe, blah, blah, blah

absolutley everything. !!
true brit thru n thru.plus i have the added benefit of being from sheffield as well.

It's been the world's most politically stable country since 1605 (the gunpowder plot)

Originally posted by Sierra
I know, I'm not British. But I feel compelled to let you all know what I like best about you Brits, and what I think you do better than anyone else.

British comedy. God almighty. There is something about english humor that is funnier to me than just about anything. Other nations can be funny as well, but only you Brits could come up with some of my very favorite shows. Monty Python, Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, The Young Ones, The Office etc.

British movies are also wonderful. We Americans can outdo anyone when it comes to special effects, but when it comes to a real plot that draws you in and makes you loathe to leave your seat for fear of missing something, you Brits win hands down every time.

You also do mysteries better than anyone else. I tell you, I have spent hours reading the books of P.D. James and Agatha Christie. Hours.

Fish and Chips. At the California State Fair, almost every year there is a replica of a real English pub. Or so they say. Having never been in a real English pub, I can't say how authentic it is. But the fish and chips they serve are wonderful, and the lines are longer there than for any other restaurant.

The Monarchy. I realize there are British people who loathe the Monarchy, and I suppose you have your reasons, but believe me. We have nothing like this in America. It is something you are known for the world over, and the next time you want to complain about the Queen or any of her clan? How'd you like to have the Bush family living in Buckingham Palace?

Your flag. I have been mesmerized by the Union Jack ever since I was a child. When we visited family in San Francisco, my uncle had a British neighbor who flew the Union Jack, American Flag, and California state flag in front of his house every single day. Yes. He had a FLAGPOLE installed in his front yard. He was a little peculiar, but a nice man. And very patriotic.

I'm sure there's more, but this is all for now.

:) Sierra more tea anyone?:D

not being american ;)