It's safe to say that anyone deemed "REAL British people" by you aren't those with skin darker than yours, nor hair and facial features that are decidedly non Caucasian too.
Be honest - if it's possibly for you to even be that. Are those that stand in shared compassion and humanity with the people that you view as "the other" race traitors?
Just a simple Yes or No will do, please?
Boxing is my favourite sport and being my favourite sport it makes me think of one of my favourite fighters and most popular English sports stars alive, Frank Bruno.
Frank wasn’t the most talented fighter to ever lace them up but he possessed in abundance all the qualities that the English love to see in one of their own: A never say die attitude, a plucky resilience against the odds and a never surrender spirit that’s saw him finally win a world title on his third try.
I remember the night well, I was stood in the ‘Rat & Parrot’ pub in Covent Garden, shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of Englishmen as we all willed Frank on as he attempted to realise his dream of becoming world champ. As the final seconds counted down in the 12th and last round, as a clearly exhausted Frank held on for dear life, already well ahead in the fight all he needed to do was make it to the end, we hugged and whooped and hollered as the end of the fight came and Frank has his arm raised in triumph.
Since his retirement Frank has battled mental health issues, most notably bi-polar disease and has fought it with his customary good humour and humble demeanour.
In short Frank remains to this day one of Britain’s most beloved public figures, in many ways British people see the qualities in Frank which they feel represent Britain as a nation. His indefatigable spirit in the face of overwhelming odds provides Frank with the type of aura that Churchill was decsribing in many of his most famous wartime speeches.
And for those of you that don’t know the name ‘Frank Bruno’ but have obviously guessed, Frank is black.
Nationalism is NOT about skin colour, it is about the qualities that a nation prides itself on, The qualities that we feel best represent ourselves as a nation. And for that reason, Frank Bruno is as British as they come and I hope my little story about Frank illustrates the point I am trying to make. Nationalism is not racial.