What Is Britain?

(Richard Jay, 'Political Ideologies: an Introduction')

The orthodox image of Britain is that of a long-established political identity, focused upon the supremacy of the Westminster Parliament as the foaim of the nation, and recognising the diversity of nationalities and cultures represented within die unity of the Kingdom. Different party ideologies may view tliis differently: Liberals emphasise diversity and decentralisation; .Conserv atives the elements of continuity, authority and unity; Labour those of working-class solidarity and die capacity of the central state to deliver uniform economic and social benefits throughout the Union.

These images, however, are not exhaustive, nor without their complications. Those on die (significantly termed) 'Celtic fringe' would argue that much of the traditional sense of Britishness derived from images of Englishness - standard pronunciation, a literary canon, sights of the white cliffs of Dover, honey for tea, and the crack of leather on willow on an English summer's afternoon. A succession of Romantic and neo-Romantic movements have imbued the national culture with rural nostalgia, feudal longings and reverence for tradition. England's green and pleasant land, however, was built on the economic foundations of commerce, financial speculation, and industrial muscle. And modernising movements, like the National Efficiency movement early in the twentieth century, which have sought to update Britain's scientific and entrepreneurial skills, to replace the aristocratic culture of leisure and amateurishness with one of professionalism and drive, have faced an uphill battle.

The Union, too, was always, in a sense, a Protestant union forged against external Catholic powers, and the subversive potential of Catholicism within. Not only, in the end, did this mean that Catholic Ireland fled the British family of nations, but secularisation has left traditional national institutions like the Church of England in an increasingly anomalous role. Finally, the Union went hand in hand widi empire, images of British martial spirit and military success, and a faith in the British as a governing race, dispensing die benefits of political liberty, civilisation, and culture. Most of these traditional conceptions are under threat. The end of empire has undermined much of the instrumental rationale for maintaining the Union. As in France and Germany, immigration has established black minorities which challenge traditional identities. Is Britishness tested by possession of British citizenship, or, as Lord Tebbitt once suggested, by which side you cheer for in the test match?

These trials indicate two different directions for the future. One, which has had the higher profile over the last two decades, and has been driven by the Conservative right represented by Enoch Powell, Lady Thatcher, and John Major, is towards a tighter and narrower definition of Britishness. This involves reinvigorating an idea of conservative nationhood - one built around the revival of 'Victorian values' of traditional family morality, economic freedom, pre-war educational standards, law and order, defence of the Union, and patriotic resistance to foreign bullies, not least to Brussels and the idea of a federal Europe. The other view challenges the antiquated nature of British institutions, its emphasis on centralisation, unity and orthodoxy rather than equality and diversity, which looks to partnership not national solidarity, and outwards towards participation in a wider Europe rather dian backwards to the relics of a dead imperial culture. Which will prevail remains to be seen.

Notes

1. The Romantic Movement - a group of writers, artists, etc who followed their feelings and emotions rather than logical thought or reason, and who preferred wild, natural beauty to things made by- man. It first became popular in the late 18tli century;

2. Lord Tebbitt - a British politician in The Conservative Party. He had several important positions in M. Thatcher's government and was known for his strong criticism of left-wing politicians and their ideas;

3. test match - a cricket or rugby match played between teams of different countries:

4. Enoch Powell - a British politician in the Conservative Party, who was a government minister in the early 1960s, and later left the party and became an MP in Northern Ireland. Although some people admired him for his intelligence, his patriotism, and his opposition to the EU, he was greatly criticized for the speech he made in 1968 in which he said that if the UK allowed too many black people to come, there would be fighting and 'rivers of blood¹ in the streets

Comprehension questions

1. Who are those on the 'Celtic fringe"?

2. Which nations within the British family made up a Protestant union?

3. What are the main parties of Great Britain?

4. Who/What are or were the following people: Lady Thatcher, John Major?

5. What is implied by 'Victorian values'?

6. What do Brussels and federal Europe stand for?

7. What is the Westminster Parliament?

Discussion questions and tasks

1. What is the orthodox, image of Britain? What do different political parties emphasize in the image and why?

2. Do those on the Celtic fringe embrace the British identity? How do they substantiate tiieir position?

3. Expand on the images of Englishness the author lists. What complications do they contain?

4. What changes has the Union undergone in terms of religious, military and social developments?

5. What challenges traditional conceptions and identities?

6. 305

   What did Lord Tebbitt suggest? Is his idea worthwhile?

20 Зак, 91

7. What are the two directions towards the definition of Britishness? Prove diat the two approaches are completely opposite.

Exercise 29

Explain the following in English.

1. standard pronunciation

2. literary canon

3. rural nostalgia

4. financial speculation

5. industrial muscle

6. instrumental rationale

Exercise 30

a) Add nouns to the participles given and translate the phrases into Russian.

long-established

long-standing

long-awaited

long-anticipated

long-lasting

short-lived

short-handed

short-staffed

short-tempered

short-sighted

b) Translate the phrases and make up sentences with them.

to go hand in hand with to see eye to eye on to run neck and neck widi to stand shoulder to shoulder on to stand back to back to live from hand to moudi to bind hand and foot from head to foot hand-to-hand combat foot-and-mouth cheek by jowl with hand in glove with

Exercise 31

Match the following nouns with their definitions.

1. uninterrupted connection

2. the state of being joined, or in agreement together

3. making guesses, talking about a matter without having the necessary facts

4. removal from the control or influence of die church

5. the highest position with regard to power, importance, or influence

6. the act of following one after die odier

7. generally or officially accepted ideas or opinions

8. the condition of being different, variety

9. great respect and admiration mixed with love

j) the ability, power, or right to control and command

k) bringing back into use or

existence, renewal

1) lack of experience or skill in a particular activity

1. supremacy

2. diversity

3. continuity

4. authority

5. unity

6. succession

7. reverence

8. speculation

9. amateurishness

10. secularisation

11. revival

12 .orthodoxy

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Exercise 32

Translate the following phrases into Russian and recall how they are used in the text.

to deliver, dispense benefits

to imbue the culture with

to seek to update skills

to face an uphill battle

to forge a union t

o have a high profile

to reinvigorate an idea

Now use some of the words above in the following sentences.

1. 1. These liberal and republican ideas soon within

the Catholic political classes, and shaped the formation of popular national politics over the following century.

2. 2. Protestant leaders increasingly argued that, irrespective of

nationalist claims, this would , equipped with

symbols alien to British Protestant culture.

3. 3. In the inter-war period, die post-revolutionary leadership of the

new Irish Republic a political culture for the state

and it with new national symbols.

4. 4. The new political culture the Irish scientific

professional skills to replace the cultural and economic dependence of the colonial past by creating an economically self- sufficient state.

5. 5. The attempts in recent years to reconstruct images of Irish

nationhood : instead, complex patterns of conflict

and collaboration emerge.

6. 6. Women's rights and individual freedoms rather than traditional moral values were to have in die reformed culture.

7. 7. In 1990, the election of the liberal barrister as President appeared to mark the advent of a new Ireland and was expected to throughout the country.

Exercise 33

Translate the sentences into English using the studied words and

phrases.

1. Многообразие языков, на которых говорят в этой стране, показывает весь спектр национальностей, проживающих здесь.

2. Культура этой страны пропитана колоритом целого ряда отдельных национальных культур.

3. Авторитет и влияние старой культуры основывается на уважении к ее традициям, которые прошли испытание временем.

4. В последнее время средства массовой информации уделяли

большое внимание проблемам Европейского Союза и, в част­ности, проблеме единой валюты.

5. Идея господства одной нации в стране оказалась недол­говечной.

6. Давно укоренившаяся ортодоксальность идей на офици­альном уровне не мешает молодому поколению эксперимен­тировать как в моде, так и в музыке.

7. Несмотря на разные подходы к проблеме войны и мира, в целом оба государства одинаково смотрят на ситуацию в этой арабской стране.

8. Президент страны заявил, что появившиеся в прессе сообщения о возможности его переизбрания на второй срок явились не более чем пустым домыслом.

9. Сторонники единой Европы подчеркивают, что союз принесет несомненную выгода' европейским народам как в политической, так и в экономической областях.

The next text examines whether Britishness exists any longer, either in its arguable former state or in changed form. It emphasizes the tensions inherent in such a concept.