What makes you proud to be British?

[AnythingButMagnolia]

A friend and I were talking about coming home from holiday and appreciating the UK 'anew' after being in other cultures. One thing she said was "we are so *tolerant". It gave me a warm fuzzy glow. I think that's really something to be proud of.
*
i recognise some posters may disagree but I am thinking in broad terms and historically etc etc...
Don't mean to start a 'heavy' thread, just a place to share other warm fuzzy things.

Hoards of countries have freedom of speech.

And as for honesty and being up front err no we're not. We're continuously being lied to in politics which we do nothing about and the British crappy stiff upper lip puts paid to any tendency to being upfront.

Bit of fun- 'proud' was the wrong choice of word/ figure of speech. I did clarify up thread that I meant more 'what do you like'.

It's... interesting... to see that many people don't like anything about the place they live.

Ah, but that's different. I love where I live. But where is live doesn't feel like Britain. It's a wee Scottish village. If you asked me if I was proud of my own town I'd have given a very different response.

It's a bit like the Government's initiative to teach children about 'British values'. So, so many of the 'values' in question are shared between many countries, they are not British only, or Only in Britain, or only for the British.

Loads of reasons why people are 'proud to be British' are shared by many countries. And I'm going to state the obvious here, many countries do it better than here. It's easy to say 'we like the NHS and proud of it', when you compare yourself with a country where you have to pay for healthcare. Many other countries have free health services, and many countries do it much better than here with its long waiting lists, shortage of staff, cancellations of hundreds of surgeries, etc.

How tolerant the British are, of other races and religions.

How decent the majority of people are. The best example is when on the road, driving, how drivers give way to others. I have not seen such decency in other cultures.

Before 23 June 2016, I was definitely proud to be British. I thought of my country as modern, tolerant, liberal and forward looking.
How wrong can you be?

Yeah, I feel a bit like this. However, I live in London and continue to feel proud of it. I think it and other metropolitan areas are different from and better than 'little England' (thank God).

I also love the things many have brought up on here: the British sense of humour; the language; the richness of accents and dialects; literature; the arts and cultural heritage generally; the glorious countryside and coasts in their huge variety.

crochet, the Danny Boyle Olympics opening ceremony makes me tearful too, still, even just thinking about it. I truly think that if Danny Boyle had been engaged to run the Remain campaign the ref result might have been different.

Also the closing ceremony which was otherwise shite when Seb Coe started talking about the volunteers and the crowd roared and clapped so much he couldn't carry on for about five minutes.

Those funny little roundabouts painted in the road and when 3 cars all pull up at the same time the very British thing to do is to all be too polite be the first to go so you all sit there!

Micky Flanagan also makes me proud because he is just so so funny! We use his jokes all the time!

The midday miniature just to take away the huwt (hurt)

I definitely feel more Scottish than British. 'British' culture feels a bit of a strange one to me as the culture and traditions of the countries in the Union are so diverse. Obviously there are big similarities but what gives each country its character is unique to that country, I feel.

I did feel pretty proud during Danny Boyle's Olympics show but that's the only time I can recall!

I like some things about our culture but I'm not proud. I like democracy, tolerance, the rule of law, that we don't have coups, revolutions and military take overs. I like the freedom of the press and independence of the judiciary. I like the thriving voluntary and community sector - from the RSPCA, to the Samaritans, to Oxfam and Barnardoes. I like multi-cultural Communities, single sex marriage and respect for multiple communities and identities. I love the green rolling hills, the craggy cliffs, moors and hills. I like our cynicism and irony, humour and kindness. I like that we don't take life too seriously.

What I distinctly dislike is prejudice, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, ageism, inequalities in health and wealth and the tall poppy syndrome where we cut people down rather than celebrating their successes. I dislike the hankering after some illusory great past, deference to royalty and celebration of talentless celebrity.

Odd one, but cash points in the UK are amazing. You can pay in, check balance, transfer, give to charity, top up your mobile phone.

Not needing a good samaritan law.

Humour.

The choral music coming out of the UK in the last century is some og the most beautiful. Or maybe it just 'speaks' to me more than Bach et al.

Period dramas. We do them very well.

No VAT on children's clothes and shoes. Free contraception. The NHS.

Gothic architecture.

Multi culturalism. It is so good to get off the plane and see people with different colour skin!

Signposted pathways through the countryside.

Culture generally - there's a lot going on in the UK. Always a show or a concert or comedy you an go to.

The BBC. I know it gets accused of bias etc but generally it's pretty bloody good, and invests in new talent.

Agree that we have amazing choirs here.
Amateur musical theatre is everywhere, great for children to get involved in music.
Charity shops - amazed other countries don't seem to have them.

Sense of humour
Love of animals
Saying thank you seven times when buying a loaf of bread.
Not taking anything too seriously, and equally not being offended at every little thing.
Saying sorry to the person that walks into you.
The weather- always a great excuse for staying in and having a tea.

Our politeness and sense of humour

Our politeness and sense of humour are the most important to me.