Are you British?

[villa4europe]

I'm bored...so I thought I'd ask this out of interest, maybe should have asked around the time of Brexit

the answer for me is no I'm English

sorry for those who are none of these boxes but I'd still be interested in your general thoughts on how you consider us, living in Germany I can say ze germans will refer to me as British from Britain and whilst im not offended by it or correct them its not something I would ever refer to myself as

[Seat68]

Rarely outside of forms do I say I'm English. Abroad I say from the UK. Not through any lack of patriotism, just sounds odd saying I am from England. 

[Pembers]

I'm from the Channel Islands, so my passport says i'm British, but not English. We are a British Crown Dependency so when asked I'd more often than not say i'm British as technically i'm not English but I'd have no issue identifying as English as I'm an English speaker with an English accent. 

[tonyh29]

looking forward to people saying No , I only ever refer to myself as European ....

I was born in England , so I’m English ... I can’t think of any reason where I’d refer to myself as British other than on immigration forms where they sometimes insist on it (or U.K)

 

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by tonyh29

[StefanAVFC]

I never refer to myself as English, in English. Only British.

But when speaking Polish, I say I'm English because you don't really say 'British'.

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

Everyone in The Netherlands refers to the sub group.  Ie There are loads of English / Scottish / etc causing trouble,  If it is known. 

They report it as English in the news also,  never British afaik

 

[chrisp65]

Never really thought about it.

 

 

[ender4]

The country is United Kingdom and the people from that country are British.  Therefore I am British.

The 4 states and various islands are just part of the whole country.

Though you could call yourself Brummie, Scouse, Geordie and also English, Welsh, Scottish and also British. 

And then obviously we are all Europeans.

 

[Chindie]

British. That's the state I'm part of, so it is what it is. When I was younger I had an old fashioned notion of 'Britain' being a laudable thing, a group of peoples different but united in the world as a whole. That's faded significantly.

Below that English. Pretty much meaningless mind. I don't like a lot of 'English' identity stuff.

Below that a Brummie. As an identity I find that more important than being English, perhaps especially because the first thing I get asked when people say where are you from and I say Birmingham they say 'no I mean originally', as I've never had much of the accent.

Overarching it all I'm happy to view myself as European, even if that is also useless and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

...

Ultimately I've been drawn to the idea that 'Britishness' has become a couple of things. Britishness has pretty much come to mean an elevated form of Englishness. British qualities, that that there are usually considered to be (setting aside stereotypes as daft), are basically English qualities. Britishness subsumed Englishness and put some bells on. It's part of why the English nationalist thing grew - England promoted itself to Britain, which got other identities backs up, while Englishness lost itself in something else, and the backlash to that became a more grim form of thing.

The other version became this laudable identity that shrouded itself in the mongrel nation spirit, of a type of melting pot nation that 'just worked'. But that again has fed back into the system and pushed some of the nationalist bollocks.

[LondonLax]

Needs a ‘none of the above’ option 

[snowychap]

Citizen of the world.

Yeah: **** you, Mrs May.

 

To the question, I don't reallly consider myself anything. I am, at times, English, British, a Malvernian, someone from Worcestershire, a European, &c. but it's all pretty meaningless out of context.

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by snowychap

[Rodders]

Depends on context of being asked or thinking about it. Sometimes if I read a wodehouse I feel more peculiarly English, but generally I'd use British. I don't deny the English specificity but aside from the odd cultural connection, most things that emphasise Englishness are complete shit. 

English sports fans are generally utter rocket polishers. Even cricket has more than it's fair share of tedious clearings in the woods. 

[mjmooney]

Count me in with the "depends who's asking" mob. 

Born-and-bred Brummie, adopted Yorkshireman, English, British, European, CotW. All of the above. 

I think the last time "British" truly had any real meaning was during WWII. Your mates in the platoon, squadron, ship, etc. were almost certain to be a mix of English, Scots, Welsh and Irish, and I'll bet that shared adversity (and drinking) was a unifying bond. I do think it's a shame that that has been eroded to the point that the breakup of the union could well follow on from Brexit (itself a tragedy). I hate balkanisation. I believe that - despite scandalous political and economic imbalances, that urgently need to be corrected - the things that culturally unify us are massively, overwhemingly, more important than the superficial differences. (EDIT: I'd include the RoI in that, btw). 

So yeah, on balance I'm a Brit (not 'proud' of it, I don't buy into the whole national pride bullshit), but I wonder whether my grandchildren will be. 

Edited April 3, 2020 by mjmooney

[Spoony]

Think it depends. A lot of my friends are Welsh and they’d refer to me as English so I’d do the same if I’m that kind of setting (not as an English pride point just because if I say British it’ll start a conversation I can’t be arsed with).

In the Cayman Islands (where I’m based) they’d say Camanian even though I think technically they’re British subjects or something random but obviously they don’t identify with that.

I just can’t be arsed with the whole English/Scottish/Welsh/NI thing and the more things like IndyRef2 drag on the more I’d be happy to split up everyone who wants independence just so I don’t have to hear it anymore. It’s more divisive than it’s worth. Call yourself whatever you want but I just get tired when people become passionate about being one or the other. 

[Mic09]

4 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

I never refer to myself as English, in English. Only British.

But when speaking Polish, I say I'm English because you don't really say 'British'.

"Jestem Brytyjczykiem"?

[Xela]

If i'm asked what nationality i am, then i'm British. If i'm asked where I am from, then its England. 

I do like the sound of being quintessentially English though. Thatched cottages in a small Cotswold or Chiltern village. Cricket on the village green, lazy afternoons in the pub garden, cream tea and everything being jolly spiffing! Sign me up for that!

 

[Stevo985]

I'm both British and English. I was born in England so I'm English, just like I was born in Birmingham so I'm a brummy.

But my nationality is British. Because that's our country (well, UK)

[StefanAVFC]

1 hour ago, Mic09 said:

"Jestem Brytyjczykiem"?

Yeah but I have never ever heard anybody 1) ask it or 2) say that they are 

[AVFC_Hitz]

Аз съм от Англия.

[kurtsimonw]

British/English. Makes no difference, I'm both.