I am glad to be British because

Also, following on from rosequarz, can we please not mention Terry Wogan on this thread.

I can't tell you how strange the OP appears to me. It's a bit like the Queen saying she is glad to be the queen; it is an accident of birth and nothing more. I like living in this country (mostly) and I feel lucky to have been born British (mostly) but do realise there are many other nationalities I could be comfortable if I had been born to them. I have to say it is not, in any way, something I would think - but obviously others do. It takes all sorts as they say.

I loved that pome when I was a child and I love it now. Sod patronising and un-PC. Yes, from A Child's Garden of Verses by RLS. (I've still got my book)

A nice, positive thread, stb
Please could posters who want to introduce a sour note about politics go and start another thread on the political threads with their lemons. Please. This is 'Chat'.

Ps and Qs and queues

Anyone who has travelled a lot will be used to people in other countries barging their way through or pushing you aside, generally speaking the British are much more polite.

Unless you have lived in a country without a National Health Service and expense health care insurance, don't knock the NHS. It has it's faults but when I was a young divorced mother with two children, one of whom was a sickly child, it was a boon . I like being British as we live in a democratic country that looks after it's citizens.

I have travelled a great deal but have never wanted to live any where else for hundreds of reasons.

I am proud to be British because I was not born here But became so after 4 years in the WAAF (Air Force) during the war and now have British children , Grandchildren and one great grand child so we are quite a Clan!!

Absolutely and I fell for it head over heels. Anyone else here glad and proud to have dual nationality

beautiful countryside which is so varied
beautiful vernacular architecture
multicultural tolerance
huge variety of foods
NHS and so much more

I think the irreverent British sense of humour has to be one of our greatest traits!

The clue is in the "I am glad to be British because"
If anyone is not glad to be British because, they are more than welcome to start a new thread about it.

How can you discuss your country without mentioning politics..? The people praising the NHS are all, I presume, about to get a terrible shock when it vanishes..! Please don't come on here doing what Terry Wogan used to call 'You never miss your Mother 'til she's buried 'neath the clay '...
I would agree with many things mentioned by pp, but they are going to really miss the 'safety net' created in 1948...

Freedom of worship
Freedom of speech
Freedom to vote
Freedom to get an education
Free healthcare
Justice system free from corruption
Freedom for women to be equal citizens

As my 9 year old grand daughter 'I'm proud to British. It's a good place to live'

Yes. Grannyknot can we please have a thread without politics? I am British, never thought much about that, I am what I am, I love the country, and find the people on the whole a friendly helpful bunch, willing to live and let live. Freedom above all, I think.

Dj pulleese, not on this thread.

I have dual nationality. So the British part of me is glad to be British because:

It is safe here (well, where I live it is) and people are friendly.
I am continually amazed and impressed by the green spaces in the cities, especially the parks in London. They are almost held sacred.
I am wild about Scotland.
There are opportunities to do almost anything you want to do.
I love autumn in England.
I love it when I see the first flowers in Spring.

I was going to come on and post about the greenery, countryside and coast but others have already done so.

Our soil is relatively good, our politeness as a nation is relatively good.

The NHS is going to creak a bit more soon if this happens.

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/609725/NHS-crisis-family-doctors-walk-out-biggest-for-fifty-years-over-surgery-closures

I am glad to be British because we live in an exceptionally beautiful country. It is only small but our variety of landscape, vegetation and climate is outstanding. All this is a small space.

I think many Brits don't appreciate just how lucky we are here.

You can go to your Lanzarote and Fuerto Ventura for the sunshine but the scenery there is not really attractive. Old lava flows and parched earth.

Whenever I come back from Mediteranean climate countries I realise how lovely and green our country is..

Crun @ Sat 03-Oct-15 21:54:17 Made a good point as well about how in general we do not suffer from natural disasters on the scale other countries do.

Politically incorrect now, I presume it is banned from schools
It does sound smug

Yes, I know, but I actually found it quite shocking. I'm sure I wouldn't have done when I was a child.

I must have read it at some point, we have RLS's 'Child's Garden of Verses'

I suppose it was of its time.

I googled that poem and it is so smug and patronising, jingl - never come across it before!

A temperate climate
Rain - yes, I know we can have too much but living with years of drought must be terrible
A green and lovely countryside with such variation - there is still plenty left
The coast
Heritage and history - thank you National Trust
The NHS
Free schooling
Democracy

Nope alea.

Little Indian, Sioux or crow
Little frosty Eskimo.
Little Turk or Japanee
Oh don't you wish that you were me.

Can't remember the rest of it.

Our NHS may be creaking a bit but it's better value for money than what you'd get in most other countries. The same goes for our transport network and education system.

I'm glad to be British because we've learned from the mistakes of our past (mostly) and it's made us (for the most part) more tolerant and empathic than most other countries. A bit like a our weather and scenery, comfortable to be around.