Where is England?

Once a proud nation that stood behind its history and traditions, has now hidden them so far beneath a superficial cover of commercial nonsense that it is in real danger of losing the character that made it what it was.

In a time before the Internet, the mobile phone and even before you could fly, England stood proudly at the centre of the developing world. We developed Australia and America, and built an Empire. London was the richest city in the world, Manchester was the centre of the world textiles industry. The centre of the industrial revolution was here in blighty. For centuries we concentrated on making vast amounts of wealth, and selling our brand all across the world.

In a way, the English brand is still sold around the world. 90% of influential popular music from the last 50 years has originated in England. The Royal Family is still as popular today as they have always been, on foreign shores.

But, England is not a country, it is a State Sovereignship. The country is called The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Out of all of those other countries included, England are the only country not to have their own Parliament. It is the only country that doesn’t have a proud National Day. If you asked people what an Englishman stereotype was, most would reply “a football hooligan”.

Most English people abroad are an embarrassment to themselves, and are usually the most noticeable, the most disrespectful and the most ignorant. But this isn’t a surprise considering the state of our country at the moment. If you go out anywhere on a weekend night then you would be witness to binge drinking, fighting, drug taking and general chaos. This isn’t far removed from the Medieval days.

The brand that we now have to sell, is a one that we should be trying to hide.

The character of traditional Englishness is so hard to find. The eccentric chap who harmlessly bumbles through life, the old lady in the Tea Shop, the Village Fete, and the “never say die” attitude. All of this is still there, somewhere, and often turns up in the next Hugh Grant film. But instead of this being a fair portrayal of English life, it is no more than a look through our “The Way it used to be Glasses” and a re-enactment of simpler days.

Society has now replaced this with a short term, high impact, and convenient way of life. Nothing is real anymore. Everything is there to fulfil a temporary desire and when that has been spent we move on to the next want. The American cultural influence has changed the view of England beyond all recognition. Convenience has replaced Character, and with that change in the behaviour of the population we are now faced with a catalogue of issues.

Respect for others has now been lost because it is easier to look after yourself and achieve your personal goals regardless of other people. Obesity is now an issue because it is easier to warm up food that is not nutritional rather than cook fresh food that takes slightly more effort. Children are becoming more and more violent and lawless than ever before, because they have been getting away with it for so long. People aren’t going to cross the road to prevent something happening when it is easier to put your head down and ignore it, “it isn’t part of my world!”

Well the fact is that it is part of our world. By avoiding the reality of everyday life, and being swept along by the people that are making money from us, we are losing all of the attributes that made England proud.

The topical issue in the press at the moment is the out-of-control immigration policy, and how the country is over run by different cultures. Why is this bad? It doesn’t affect my day-to-day life or anyone I know. I have more issues with 50th generation Englishman that can’t be bothered to work, and sponge off the Government, waiting to trade excuses for handouts.

England used to be about self-respect, and respect for the community. This has now declined into a self-centred, apathetic society that will continue to get progressively worse while times are financially better than ever before, and also safer than ever before. No one cares because no one is affected. Ignorance acts as a large rock that you can hide behind, and as long as nothing gets over the top then you can carry on regardless.

So, again I ask, “Where is England?” The answer is that it is floating off over the Atlantic to become the next American State, where all of the issues that I have just described are rife. It won’t be long before we are shooting each other, or getting winched out of windows because we are 80 stone, making excuses that it wasn’t our fault but someone else’s.