The right kind of patriotism

Building a sense of patriotism in England isn’t the easiest thing to do. It’s even harder if you try to do it without sowing the seeds of nationalism. But, if it is going to happen, the Olympics are as good a chance as any to start it.

The trouble is, as difficult as England may find feeling unified; Great Britain struggles even more as political parties build entire manifestos around the idea of the demise of the union.

Today, both Great British football teams found out who they’ll be facing in the early stages of their Olympic competitions. This may not be the biggest stepping stone towards the start of the games, but it’s one that could get people thinking.

How often does England actually feel proud of its football team?

Maybe this is a misreading of most people’s feelings, but it seems we’re more often embarrassed than inspired by those representing our country in the sport (the last time I was proud while watching England play football involved Alan Shearer scoring).

With failed foreign managers kept in place for years solely due to the expense incurred to fire them and a selection of players more noted for their personal disputes than their teamwork, there isn’t a lot to look up to.

Therefore, this could be a chance to build a new allegiance and find pride in a more deserving team. After all, there’s a bigger issue at stake here.

Never before has it looked more likely that Scotland will take further steps in distancing themselves from the United Kingdom and positioning themselves as a relatively independent country.

And why not, right?

On the face of it, the arguments for separation are plentiful. If the Scottish people want to live in an independent country, they should be allowed to, and England will save a lot of money from no longer funding their higher education and other services.

I used to make these arguments a lot but the situation changed after a few things become clear.

Scotland currently has a system which is unsustainable without central government funds. While it’s all well and good to say they should be allowed independence if it’s voted for, thousands of individuals will suffer if vast changes to health and education are forced in due to a lack of money.

Secondly, from the English side of the argument, when everything is taken into consideration, we really don’t stand to significantly benefit financially from the departure. The main point behind this is, of course, oil.

However, the biggest issue has nothing to do with money. The most important advantage England gain from a diverse United Kingdom is simple. It’s democracy.

Political map of the 2010 General Election

We may not realise it, but England is an overwhelmingly Conservative country. Without Scotland and Wales, the party would have won almost every election in the UK’s recent history.

Other than densely populated areas within cities, opposing parties to the Conservatives rely heavily on the other nations of the United Kingdom to gain seats in parliament.

While Scotland may need us to sustain their current education and health systems, we need them for something much more. Without them, we’re in danger of becoming a one party country for the foreseeable future.

Assuming there aren’t too many people reading this who want to give the Tories free reign over English politics for decades to come, we’re going to need a little bit of unity and Great British patriotism to keep things together.

Therefore, it’s probably a good time to get behind the Team GB footballers and take some pride in them. Unfortunately, the other option is the embarrassment of our national team and a single party political system.