Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

What it is to be British

What is it about the British and flag waving? I ask after watching last night’s superlative BBC Proms, a brilliant end to the best season for years. On HD and wired to the hifi, it was all the better. As the end approached, my Czech mother-in-law asked: if this is Britain’s flagship musical event, why are there so many foreign flags?

It’s hard to explain. Britain has a mutating relationship with flags and nationality. Twenty years ago, the Union flag was used in England matches, then devolution came and the St George’s cross made an emphatic comeback. I’m sure I saw a Cornish flag last night, and at least one Saltire, so part of it is regionalisation.

But then we must consider what I call the Wimbledon phenomenon – a very English tournament where we supply the venue and the trophy but seldom the winners. In many ways, we have a Wimbledon economy: the City, for example, has soaked up talent worldwide and foreigners have many of the top jobs. Compare this to Wall St. where the heads of the firms are invariably American.

It’s a cultural thing, and we Brits do better by being less hung up about it. When Bob Diamond was named the new head of Barclays last week, the Wall St Journal couldn’t get over the fact that an American was about to run a major British bank; the British press was fixated with the size of his bonus and hardly mentioned his nationality. Different countries, different sensitivities. But British are, and always have been, more at ease with foreigners. We’re the only country in Europe to manage mass immigration without a far-right party in parliament or with any sizeable share of the vote.

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