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

@weepingwillow22 if it says it in the guardian it must be true 🙄♟

Thick people making stupid comparison like us with New Zealand there vast country with 5 million we have over 9 million squashed into London alone .

I get your point - but VAST country??????

I should have added, the Brits, the English really unfortunately needed to be taken down a peg or two. Too many are still riding on colonial superiority. We have been brought up to believe we were superior for generations. Winning both wars (and thank goodness the allies did) also fed into this. Not enough is made in this country that we won through a concerted effort and I feel hugely conflicted having a dh from another European country. All this to say the we have been an echo chamber for generations. So no, I’m not particularly ashamed atm.

As for being "an international laughing stock" what makes you think other countries are remotely interested in us?
I don't think other countries are mainly laughing at the UK now; more shocked at the high number of deaths. But yes, other countries are interested - especially as the UK has been in the news due to Brexit, perhaps. And simply because many people speak English and/or have visited the UK.

Article in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung this morning. Describes the current situation in the UK for people unable to work, etc. and describes how Cameron and May's austerity policy leaving the NHS chronically underfunded, meaning that testing is low and making it harder for people to return to work. Goes on to focus on the fact that better-off people can pay for private tests, saying that the UK is like the USA in that minorities and the poor are suffering the most.

@Roxanne why keep spouting about highest death rate in Europe as per 1 million capita we don't
We have one of the highest populations in a small country and bigger density plus we are now reporting all deaths which not everyone is , please look this up rather than just putting it up because you read a newspaper
Figures will not be truly comparable for some time
Yes we have high figures and one is too many but
If you have a country with 5 million and a country with 20 million and the same amount of population get it who do you think will have the higher numbers

I'm neither proud nor ashamed. It just is my country and heritage. I don't have to feel ashamed by the negative actions or proud of the positive actions. There are parts of our society and government which I think work well, and there are parts which I think work badly. I am aware of the privileges and advantages I have because of it, but also know the battle is not won and there is still a lot of disadvantage and inequality within that.

Just like being human, I have no choice in the matter. My county and my species do some wonderful things and some shitty things. I am not responsible for all of them, I am only responsible for myself, my children, and the things I have the power to change.

Predictably shite government reaction. That's what happens when you get a bunch of mediocre alsorans in government. Who were still better than the Corbyn opposition.
Don't love my country any less.

I second what Abreadsandwich said.

I’m neither proud nor ashamed. It’s irrelevant because it simply means I was born here, my parents were born here or I’ve acquired citizenship.

I’m saddened that our political leaders at the moment are self-serving, self-publicising, slogan sharing, lying blusterers. I’m sad that rest of the world sees us as increasingly irrelevant. I’m sad we’ve grown a society that sets the agenda based on jingoistic strap lines and very right wing nationalism wrapped as patriotism.

Im delighted people now begin to understand the value of the NHS. I’m pleased our air and waters are cleaner. I’m glad we hate think about what we buy a little more.

cakeisalwaystheanswer. That’s so interesting what you say about the project you were working on and the German economy. It sounds to explain the amazing response too. Though I can’t help feeling that even with a huge budget to play with, our government still wouldn’t have been able to respond so efficiently. Our testing request website went tits up on the first morning. The self employed and freelancers financial
Aid not made available for 3 months, testing still under target, no temp controls at airports, confused messages re lockdown restrictions.

I don't think other countries are mainly laughing at the UK now; more shocked at the high number of deaths. But yes, other countries are interested - especially as the UK has been in the news due to Brexit, perhaps. And simply because many people speak English and/or have visited the UK.

If there is any truth in this they need to keep their focus closer to home. No one knows what position any of us will be in in 12 months time.

I wouldn’t say the word “ashamed”

However, Look at the advertising for this whole virus, it’s all focused around protecting the NHS and theirIt’s appalling, how can anyone call the NHS the “envy of the world”

The British public need to snap out of it and question this.

If it's so awful presumably you will be emigrating as soon as you are able?

Also how can Italian newspapers criticise us they aren't too far behind us and per capita slightly worse
They also don't have one of the busiest airports in the world , which incidentally if the whole world thinks so badly of us I wonder why it's so busy?
These are posts are every other day why start another one
And remember the grass isn't always greener

If there is any truth in this they need to keep their focus closer to home. No one knows what position any of us will be in in 12 months time.
I think it's useful to all of us to look at other countries for comparison, if we actually learn from it. But I agree that we will only know which countries have managed this well (or been lucky) in maybe five or ten years' time.

I did type a loooooong post here, but binned it. Instead I’m just going to say no, I’m not ashamed to be British. A government doesn’t define a country or its people. Oh, and what are YOU doing to make things better op? Getting involved, or just shit stirring on here?

‘We get the politicans we deserve. Unless you are prepared to be one, you can't really criticise them.‘ this is absolute rubbish. Of course we have the right to criticise politicians and governments. They need to be criticised and scrub finished and held accountable for their actions and if they didn’t want that to happen they shouldn’t be in the job.

*scrutinised!

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

You do realise the UK didn't do this alone?

Posters who say how awful the UK is or who believe are police force is dreadful usually haven't lived abroad I've noticed. Things here aren't perfect but they're a lot worse elsewhere in the world.
Also the government is not this country, the citizens are this country. I'm no more ashamed of my fellow citizens now than at any point in the past. In fact I've been very impressed by many recently.
I frequently feel frustrated that things aren't done the way I would do them, but I haven't put myself forward to be in a position make any policy changes.

Your thread makes me ashamed to be British.

So everything you read in the papers is gospel, it’s not highly exaggerated to put the shits up people and sell papers? And the likes of Piers Morgan winding everyone up.

We are a small, densely populated country of course are figures are going to be high. Are other countries counting care homes/private homes?

YABU

I wouldn't say ashamed, but we do feel very disoriented by a lot of what's happened in UK over the last 4/5 years, and we are saddened by where our politics are and the societal imbalance.

I have worked in international teams for years. They all question their government’s. German doctors protested naked over PPE shortages, the National Front does well in French elections, I wouldn’t want to be governed by Putin, Trump or Orban.
Your post does highlight problems with Britain 1) the belief that the rest of the world is watching - our Empire is long gone and 2) a level of insularity that shows little awareness of what other countries are like.