To be so ashamed of my country and being British?

[KenDodd]

For so many reasons recently. I feel so, so sad about what has happened to our country.

YANBU to feel that way
YABU to feel that way

Get over yourself. The one thing - the only thing - I ever dislike about Britain is its vocal minority of self-hating whiners dragging down the rest of us.

I agree with you OP. This government is a shambles.

Hadenough. I did say it’s the government I’m pissed off at and their response to this along with Brexit that make me despair. We are all doing the best we can but it’s the government that are making me feel ashamed. They have let us down and cost many lives with their ineptitude.

YANBU
I think Britain has done wonderful things in the past, and that out of the spotlight there are wonderful people doing wonderful things - as exemplified by all the key workers.
So it makes me sad not only that our press and government lie and manipulate us - but that people believe it and take it on as their own beliefs. I do feel embarrassed. I mean, Boris was so pro remain, and then he switched teams when he realised this could be his golden ticket - and everyone swallowed it up! Embarrassing!!

I don;t take responsibility for the decisions of other people.

I didn't vote Tory.

I didn't vote for Brexit.

Other than taking my car round the block a couple of times, I have complied with lockdown rules. How am I responsible in any way or what has happened in this country since 2016?

As for being "an international laughing stock" what makes you think other countries are remotely interested in us? All that does is show you have a large ego. Other countries don't care about the UK because they care about their own people and how they are dealing with this crisis and climate change and the million and one other problems governments have to deal with.

@Microzilla - I am not at all surprised to hear the story of your brother. Over half of the money raised by the EU to see them through this crisis has been in Germany for Germany. There is no European union the Germans are looking after the Germans. I have spent 3 years working on a project following the German economy and even I am shocked at the way walls have been built to save the German economy at all costs with the rest of Europe being left to their fate. This won't end well.

I am not responsible for the actions of others, so feel no need to adopt feelings of shame.

Neither do I have to give any thought to how other Bureaucracies view the one I live in.

I find this makes things easier

I'm definitely not proud to be British, or English even. I'm ever so slightly embarrassed to be from this narrow-minded island with its over inflated ego. I travel a fair bit, have lived abroad and enjoy learning about new cultures. I always make an effort to be atypically British!

I have several Chinese friends in the UK and they are all really worried about the backlash against the Chinese and whether their DC will be picked on when they go back to school. That's pretty shameful!

YANBU

I think most of it comes down to the terrible ignorance people have of history in this country. So much WWII propaganda about the US and UK being special. It's at the heart of everything.

If we had a more complex understanding of history like most European countries, we would make better choices as a nation.

If you didn't vote for the government then why are you ashamed?

I get it. I don't like the government and I didn't vote for them so I am not responsible for putting them in power.

But I'm it still doesn't make me ashamed of my nationality.

I totally agree OP. Ashamed to be british right now. However I don’t really get the link between being proud to be british and celebrating VE Day- the latter should definitely be celebrated and those who lost their lives will always be remembered. However it wasn’t just down to us that we won the war.

@puffinandkoala As for being "an international laughing stock" what makes you think other countries are remotely interested in us? All that does is show you have a large ego. Other countries don't care about the UK because they care about their own people and how they are dealing with this crisis and climate change and the million and one other problems governments have to deal with.

This is not true - I have friends in other countries and their press is full of stories about how awful it is in the UK and how badly handled C19 is here.

Poll’s closer than I thought it would be, @KenDodd

Yeah, Britain (especially England) is a shitshow, led by a revolving cast of imbeciles.

@BonnesVacances again, very sweeping statements there. not everyone who lives here is narrow minded, egotistical and a bully of Chinese people.

you can be ashamed of people for behaving in a vile manner, but it's not because they are english - idiots exist all over the place.

I hate it when people say this. Why would you feel ashamed/embarrassed? Whatever the decisions made, or actions taken, they’re not done in my name, nor yours I’m guessing. So get a grip fgs.

As for being "an international laughing stock" what makes you think other countries are remotely interested in us? All that does is show you have a large ego. Other countries don't care about the UK because they care about their own people and how they are dealing with this crisis and climate change and the million and one other problems governments have to deal with.

Don't be so sure of that.

In left-wing circles it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution

The OP proves George Orwell's point, which is still valid almost eighty years later. @EdwinaMay, great post. There is a parochial quality to these denunciations. They are indicative of a serious lack of international travel beyond Euro Disney....

OP I'm not remotely ashamed to be British for reasons expressed upthread. I'm fed up with people like you though. What do you contribute?

Yabu

Do the rest of us a favour and take your ♟ elsewhere

this thread is becoming quite grim.

say anything about any other country on here and you're jumped on for being discriminatory but its totally fine to have a free for all let's kick the shit out of the UK.

YANBU
International media agrees with you and continues to look on at Britain (England in particular) in disbelief
amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/06/complacent-uk-draws-global-criticism-for-covid-19-response-boris-johnson?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=15889255457307&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2020%2Fmay%2F06%2Fcomplacent-uk-draws-global-criticism-for-covid-19-response-boris-johnson

You say you’ve been following countries. What is your take on Canada? The Canadian government can’t tell the difference between a man and a woman. They’ve fared well, I understand, because of the natal female advisors. Governments with female leaders seem to be doing particularly well. Have you cross checked your data with the sex of the leader?

OP I feel the same. I used to love our country so much and feel so proud of how fair and open and free it was. Now I feel ashamed of it. Like we've returned to pre-war petty hatreds and bigotry and forelock tugging at the super-rich. For the first time ever, I would seriously consider emigrating.

People need to stop reading and believing half the rubbish in the newspapers or at least read the whole story so many on here quoting headlines but not actually read the whys and what's buried in the stories to make sensational headlines
I am not ashamed to be British in the slightest and we seem to be one of the few nations in the world who feel like this , not everything that happens is in our control
And the whole of Europe doesn't think badly if us because of brexit believe it or not some think we are doing the right thing , not every Europeans thinks the eu is great
But papers won't report this
Today is a day we helped free a lot of countries is that not something to be proud of , we would live in a very different world if we would of lost