Yesterday the Sun picked up on David Cameron’s response to Tim’s open letter about patriotism. The Sun ran the story as “Cam blasts PMs ‘Britishness’”which I don’t think accurately portrayed Cameron’s tone. He stressed that the Conservatives were “not going to get into a ‘my flag is bigger than yours’ contest with Gordon Brown”. However, Cameron did say that “we should do more to celebrate our national identity” although how to do so “is up for debate.” ConservativeHome is kick starting this debate by running a series on patriotism over the next seven days.
Without wishing to encourage Cameron to enter into a patriotic contest with Brown, I do think that Cameron should give us the Britishness Day that Brown spoke about but didn’t deliver. Britain is one of the very few countries that doesn’t celebrate a national day (America has Independence Day, France has Bastille Day etc). I think a day to celebrate our shared values and appreciate the country we live in is a good idea. It could also help encourage the type of community spirit that Cameron often speaks about.
I started to think about when a Britishness Day could be. I’ve listed a few of my preferences below. Hopefully they are slightly better than Liam Byrne MP’s dreadful suggestion that Britishness Day should be held on the August Bank holiday, failing to notice that it’s not on the same day in Scotland
Magna Carta Day (15 June)
The most popular choice according to a poll conducted by BBC History Magazine is the day that the Magna Carta was imposed on King John. As it symbolises the principles of liberty, constitutionalism and parliamentarianism. The major downside to this suggestion, however, is that it occurred before the Union.
May Day (1 June)
My personal favourite is May Day. Both the day the Act of Union 1707 took effect and already a public holiday (recession friendly).
The Queen’s Official Birthday
This could be a good means for creating the “more emotional connection with the institutions that define Britishness” that Cameron said was needed in his response to Tim’s open letter.
Democracy Day (7 June) marking the Great Reform Act 1832 and the beginnings of the democratic system we know today, or Wilberforce Day (24 August) remembering the end of the slave trade. Both directly embodying shared British values.
Although Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day are popular choices, I agree with John Hawthornthwaite, the national chairman of the Royal British Legion, who said that using those days "would dilute what Remembrance Sunday and November 11 stand for” and “would not be welcome[d]” by veterans. Perhaps VE Day (8 May) or D-Day (6 June) could be used to symbolize the shared value of freedom and appreciation for our history instead.
Trafalgar Day (21 October)
The day that marks Lord Nelson's victory at Trafalgar is another popular choice. It already has an iconic square for a big celebration and would better space out our public holidays.
And finally, I couldn’t resist throwing in my Dad’s suggestion: we wait until we can have our own Independence Day, marking the day we pull out of the political union in Europe.
What do you think?
