Being British

Despite the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and last year’s Royal wedding creating waves of patriotism across the land, the last 50 years have seen Britannia ruling the waves no longer; a land once typified by its self-assurance and enterprise is now weighed down by the history of its decline from greatness – afraid even to celebrate its past glories, achievements seemingly tainted by jingoism and colonialism.

Nor are its peers afraid to exploit such weaknesses. David Cameron’s veto of a European treaty to save the Euro unleashed a torrent of anti-British invective that was more than simply cosmetic; President Obama has seemingly gone out of his way to demonstrate how little weight the so-called 'special relationship' carries with him. Britain even faces challenges from within, with the Scottish Parliament pressing for an end to the Union.