open Democracy News Analysis - A Beijing Boost for Britishness, Tom Griffin - Comments

Toque on "A Beijing Boost for Britishness"

Toque — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:44:36 +0100

If anything I think it might have further weakened Britishness simply because it's reinvigorated the identity debate and national navel-gazing. As Brits we don't know who we are, and the sight of Boris wearing a Cross of St George lapel badge, Beckham kicking a football, and a warbling Leona Lewis with a double-decker bus pootling about, hasn't exactly filled me with pride. Cringing embarassment maybe, but pride no.

The problem with Britishness is that the more you discuss it the more apparent it becomes that it doesn't actually exist, or if it does it is indefinable and meaningless. It is the sum of England, Scotland, Wales and (Northern) Ireland, and until the Britishness-mongers recognise that inconvenient fact instead of offering up Britishness in opposition to the national identities of the British Isles they are on a hiding to nothing.

Conchúr on "A Beijing Boost for Britishness"

Conchúr — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:01:55 +0100

It's amusing that Martin seems to believe that this outbreak of Hooray Henryism will be a phenomenon that will last beyond the wet week that any sensible person without an agenda would see to be the reality of the situation. British and Britishness are concepts of identity that are in terminal decline. The achievements of the athletes in China has been beyond even optimistic estimations. Kudos to them. But in all seriousness it is delusional to think there is any political significance in these achievements.

britologywatch on "A Beijing Boost for Britishness"

britologywatch — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:45:06 +0100

I think you're right that the government and its successor (presumably, led by David Cameron) will try to use Team GB's Olympic success and the 2012 Olympics to stir up British patriotism / nationalism and thwart the drive towards a Scottish independence referendum. However, I think you're quite wrong in saying Salmond's celebration of Chris Hoy was 'jarring': a great many people in Scotland and much of the media there are keen to follow and celebrate the success of Scotland's Olympians - as are, by the way, many English, Welsh and N. Irish people with respect to their Olympic athletes. (The case of N. Ireland is a particularly double-edged one, as the province isn't even acknowledged in the name of Team GB, which is partly because N. Irish athletes are entitled to compete for the Republic of Ireland instead.)

It's actually also true that Scottish visitors to China for the Games - whether athletes or spectators - weren't allowed to bring in the Saltire; similarly, English visitors had any illicit Flags of St. George they wished to bring in confiscated. All of which was doubtless connected with Chinese internal politics relative to Tibet.

Iain Martin's view, while having some merit in relation to how politicians might wish to portray and manipulate the Olympics, is completely out of kilter with how Scots have been reacting to all these manifestations of so-called 'pride in Great Britain'. They see all of this as an essentially English phenonomen: another example of English people using 'Britain' as a trope for England and wanting to appropriate the achievements of Scotland; in this case, those of its athletes. I don't completely agree with this perception of it; seeing it more as political and media manipulation to whip up pro-British sentiment primarily on the part of the English - a practice of which Iain Martin's piece is itself a prime example. But the reality is that this Establishment view is out of keeping with the way Scots (and, increasingly, the other nations of the UK) perceive what is meant by Great Britain: something aggressive and anglocentric (Scottish perception); something aggressively England-denying (English perception); something that conveniently leaves N. Ireland out of the narrative (leaving many in the Province to draw their own conclusions about their future in whatever Union may survive).

Particularly ironic, then, that it was the National Anthem of Great Britain - played as the anthem of Northern Ireland - that was booed at the Scotland / N. Ireland match. Perhaps, in fact, a reaction against all the nauseating Britain Britain Britain rubbish the Olympics have given the media another occasion to shoot off about.

A Beijing Boost for Britishness, Tom Griffin

Tom Griffin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0100

Tom Griffin (London, OK): 'One World, One Dream' is the official slogan of the Beijing Olympics, reflecting "the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of Mankind. In spite of the differences in colors, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for the ideal of Mankind for peace."

It has long been argued, (classically by George Orwell), that such lofty ideals only serve to conceal the close relationship between nationalism and the sporting spirit.

That relationship has clearly been significant in Britain in recent years, but since at least Euro 96, the sporting nationalism most in evidence has been that of the component nations of the UK, increasingly conscious of their separate identities.

The Telegraph's Iain Martin argues that narrative could now be reversed in the wake of Britain's record Olympic medal haul:

The gold rush has left the First Minister of Scotland with an unanticipated difficulty: this wave of British success was not in the script. So he jarringly claims Hoy's victory as a "Braveheart" moment and complains that the Chinese banned the Scottish Saltire, allowing teams to fly only the national flag.

His parochial form of patriotism runs counter to the prevailing mood of straightforward pride in Great Britain. And Salmond now has to factor 2012 into his calculations about a vote on independence: after Beijing, the London games will be keenly anticipated in all parts of the United Kingdom.

The SNP leader will be asked repeatedly whether he seriously wants to break up Team GB - in 2010 or 2011 - while it is deep in training to try to better its extraordinary performance in Beijing.

A cynical riposte to Martin might note that the prevailing mood wasn't much in evidence at Hampden Park on Wednesday night, where some of the Scottish fans were booing Northern Ireland's anthem - God Save the Queen.

The more serious response, as Martin acknowledges, is that sporting success is not in itself a solution to underlying political problems.