The EU referendum is coming up; I’m feeling a little down because I’m truly undecided: I see pros and cons for in and out. I’ve been going back and forth on this. The top and bottom of it is, however, that I feel British, not European.
That got me thinking about what makes me British:
- The Queen (obviously)
- Rain
- Queues
- Peculiar Spellings (previous answer refers)
- Earl Grey Tea
- Big Ben
- Cadbury’s Chocolate
- The NHS
- Polite Silences
- Football (NOT ‘soccer’) (What kind of word is ‘soccer’ anyway? It’s just weird)
- Carry On Films
- Stamps
- Snow Panic (Three flakes? Shut down the country!)
- Shakespeare
- Fair Play
- Humour
- Austen
- Pragmatism
- Coronation Street (even if you don’t watch it, there’s nothing more British than busybody small business owners clustered together down the pub, gossiping)
- Stiff Upper Lips
None of these things help my decision, sadly – unless Europe wants to make this a republic, in which case I’m throwing the towel in and voting out. I’m a royalist through and through and I have the stamp collection to prove it.
Tell me, what do you immediately think of when you think of Britain and the British? Stereotypes welcome here.
The Laughing Housewife 
well I am British. I come from England and I do not like being called European…..UK managed perfectly before EU..there maybe a few bumps or hills to climb but we are BRitish so we can do it…OUT OUT OUT
LikeLike
Yes, but what makes you British?
LikeLike
I want Britian to stay in the EU… partially for personal reasons! I feel British, BUT living abroad I get so many advantages from being in the EU. I don’t need a work permit to work in Germany, I got my residence permit for Switzerland based on being an EU citizen, I can travel freely wherever I want in the EU . Lots of people have told me I shouldn’t have a say in what Britain does because I left voluntarily and that I should give up my passport and become a Swiss citizen (which I’m not even ALLOWED to do until I’ve been here for 10 years, so the point is moot anyway!), but I might come back to the UK so I think my vote is just as valid as anyone’s 😀
I also don’t trust the current government AT ALL – even less than I trust politicians in general – and find the idea of Cameron having absolute power to do whatever he wants terrifying!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
When you put it that way…!
I really can see arguments for both sides but I still haven’t made up my mind. It probably helps, though, that I don’t trust a word out of DC’s mouth either.
LikeLike
Do you think all those (or similar quirks) are not available more or less anywhere? I am English, British, European and a human being.
Nationalism is at the root of all wars, with nations fighting for their own interests above others’
I believe in tolerance, co-operation and mutual acceptance of differences and similarities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If only you had the vote!
LikeLike
Most of my favorites travels have been to England. I love the history. I love that you embrace your history and don’t tear it down. (We’re always tearing down perfectly good buildings just because they are “old”. 50 years???!!!! ) And now, with this ridiculous Trump thing going on here, I’m feeling the urge to abandon ship! My ancestors left England a few hundred years ago. Do you think they’ll take me back?
But …… you do spell things funny. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
Actually, that’s you republicans (with a small ‘r’). Your spellings used to annoy me until I learned whilst doing an English degree that the American penchant to change perfectly decent spellings was caused by the American Revolution and your desire to have a separate identity and language.
Look Daddy, our baby grew up and became his own person 🙂
I also learned that many of you speak with accents more like William Shakespeare’s would have been than we do, thanks to the Mayflower et al.
LikeLike
PS, next time you’re in the UK, drop me a line beforehand so we can meet up/you can stay with us.
LikeLike
Probably in September or October of 2017 …..
in the meantime, you know that you, your Hub, and/or your actor boy are always welcome, here. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do! Thank you!
LikeLike
And I do hope you make it this far north; or I will come to you.
LikeLike
I do! Believe me, I’ll get there one day!
LikeLike
For me Britishness is dry humour, stiff upper lip, pots of tea (with rich tea biscuits to dip), fish and chips at the seaside (whilst being wrapped up warmly), and eating scones with clotted cream.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Suddenly I’m starving… 🙂
LikeLike
When I think British I think of tea, fascinating accents, tea, the royal Queen, tea, the literary Queens (Austen and Rowling of course), did I mention tea?, the Ministry of Silly Walks, and of course, the largest horde of Maltesers in existence squirreled away in Tilly Bud’s secret underground Malteser bunker for post-apocalypse noshing. Whoops! Sorry, I guess it’s not a secret anymore…
LikeLike
I’d echo bevchen’s comments; for selfish reasons maybe, Britain staying in the EU would make life a lot easier for those of us that work in other EU countries. Being in Europe shouldn’t make anyone feel less British, or French or German or Italian or whatever for that matter. In face the french seem to be fascinated with the British way of live and have no desire to change that! Many people I speak to hear don’t want to see Britain go, mainly because they see the British as pragmatic and practical and value the contribution Britain has made to getting the EU reformed. They are impressed by the British approach to supporting entreprise. One of the reasons there are so many French people working in the UK. Ironically I believe that if the UK votes to leave Europe, this will eventually lead to the break up of the UK; Scotland will almost certainly insist on a new referendum, and the problems of having the EU frontier in Ireland could re-ignie old battles there. Economically, socially, practically, politically, I can’t see any good arguments for leaving.
Incidentally a lot of Brits living in other European countries (those who have been resident for 15 years or more) have no say in whether Britain stays in or not, despite the fact that this decision will directly affect them. Of course if the decision is taken to leave, a lot of the 3m Brits abroad may have to return: let’s see what strain that puts on housing, social and health services!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, no one said it was going to be an easy decision 😉
Funny you mention the French: I know a Frenchwoman who has lived here for over thirty years and she is adamant that we should leave the EU.
One thing I can tell you, I’ll be glad when it’s all over, whichever way it goes, because there’s no such thing as a sensible debate going on, just horror stories from both sides about all of the dreadful things that will happen if we stay/go.
LikeLike
Well said Barry. But like Tillybud, I shall be very glad when it’s all over.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think of: the very British sense of humour, tea for every calamity, 50 words for every thing, an absolute need to talk about the weather, rain, umbrellas that always turn inside out, never, ever being too far from a beach, fish and chips, multi-culturism, the Queen, Adrian Mole, politeness, always having to say ‘I’m sorry’ even if someone else did something, friendliness, scones, football hooligans (sorry that’s a negative one), it raining all the time but there’s still a hosepipe ban, NHS, driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road – I always get really, really confused whenever I come back 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think of Queen, football, and Monty Python.
LikeLiked by 1 person
except for the Queen thing, (I’m half canadian, so…) almost all of those apply to us in New England as well. –Many of us originally were British subjects, and we never quite let go of the habit, apparently. Our language has changed (Im still a bit unsure about what a marrow is, or what marmite might be) but our outlook is pretty similar.
What I think of is the Tardis, Terry Pratchett, and tea. not necessarily in that order.
and for us, soccer is soccer and football is football ( the kind with that funny pointy ball and the concussion factor). yes, yes, I know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stubborn independence, dry humor, fish and chips, royalty, larger than its island.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If ever there was a ready-made advert for visiting Britain…! Love it!
LikeLike
Riding make-believe horses while tapping coconuts together.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, a fan of the panto, I see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think of the Royal family and then Shakespeare. Tilly dearest vote your heart, it will guide you true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Laurie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLike
This American thinks of: the Queen, tea, Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Big Ben, traditions and drizzling rain. I’ve always wanted to visit your lovely country, but doubt that will ever come to fruition. That said, I’m quite proud to be an American; however, I’m not wild about the distortion of our political process right about now, so I can and do commiserate, Tilly. In fairness, all any of us can do is study a situation to the best of our abilities and, as laurieanichols said above, follow our hearts, not letting others decide for us. Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you ever find yourself on this side of the pond, I have a spare bedroom…and if I don’t, I have a kid I can kick out of his room to make a spare bedroom… 🙂
LikeLike
Weird that I feel British although I’ve only been on brief visits – but I, too, want Britain to be unique and not bundled into Europe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I immediately think of rain, spelling things correctly ( 🙂 ), pomp and ceremony.
When I was growing up, I probably thought differently about what it meant to be British, and that would have involved inventions, the Royal family, the fact that we travelled to work in other countries (and often settled in them), the Empire and Commonwealth, education.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If we stay in the EU, we may be forced to change the name of Coronation Street to Coronation Straat, or Straße, or Rue. Just saying…
I’m British, Tilly, and not European. I don’t feel remotely European. We’re just off Europe anyway… and I h8 the way they treat us in the Eurovision Song Contest! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Beatles, tea and scones, pub quizzes, pubs period, the NHS, mystery writers like Agatha Christie of course…please stay in the EU. Your trade agreements will be stressed if you don’t and that could wreck your economy and damage others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello, Tilly!
I immediately think of BBC and their amazing ability to make films I want to watch over and over. I just love the excellence, there. Then I think of the Disraeli/Dickens connection and just shake my head in amazement. Y’all surely have the corner on the British market!
A word about “soccer”… It springs from some what you call football “association”, from which some nut (Probably American, right?…No one is claiming it.) drew out the third, fourth, and fifth letters to make a root word for “soccer”. Probably this happened during the days of wearing long fur coats, cramming selves into telephone booths, and swallowing goldfish whole?
Anyway, I like you British and I don’t really care much for the EU. In fact, we have a slang term, here, “eeyew” that indicates disgust in the thinking of the person who uses it…. Heh heh.
Regarding the “stiff upper lip” how do you do that while laughing? :-\
LikeLiked by 1 person
*grrr. It springs from what some of you call football…
I call myself a writer. Yeah, yeah, yeah…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a secret known only to the English; if I told you, I’d have to revoke your American citizenship.
Loved the etymology of ‘soccer’. Thank you!
LikeLike
Hmm…don’t tempt me! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve just discovered your blog. You made me laugh – that’s a plus.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I definitely think of tea and good humour, and above all, a hard core work ethic. Grandmas biscuits a close fourth! At least, that’s what my grandparents demonstrated, even though we are more Irish/Scottish – but they both had spent time in England during the war, so I guess some things just stuck. But I grew up see Coronation Street and Blackadder and Alas Smith and Jones; as they only got two TV channels in their farmhouse: our PBS and the BBC. Then I was thoroughly addicted to Absolutely Fabulous. I can remember waking up with my grandma to watch Prince Charles marry Lady Diana Spencer, and I remember crying with her when the news of her death reached us. My grandmas still watched the Queens Christmas morning address every year, until my grandma passed away. So I guess we are raised Royalist too, since I cannot get enough of those cute little babies of Prince Willliam and Catherine!!
Not likely to turn off the TV if that dashing royal ginger appears either! 😉
LikeLike
You Canadians! More British than us, that’s for sure 🙂
LikeLike