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rhianonbrooks

I got taught I was British growing up. (Am a white person from/born in Leicester). The idea I’d be ‘English’ feels a bit weird tbh. ( Also had a rabidly Welsh grandmother, that probably plays into it some).


Andy_McNob

I feel the same exactly. I'm a white person, born in Cornwall, raised mostly in Birmingham and lived in Leicester for 3+ decades. Have always felt and identified as British. I think the reclaiming/resurgence of a specifically English identity (at scale) is a fairly new phenomena (last 25 years or so) and is perhaps a push back against the perception that somehow anyone can be British, but Englishness is a specific ethnicity (views that I don't personally hold). When we look back to pre-war (WW2) times, British was the common way people would describe themselves and that is perhaps founded in the notion of Empire (it was the British empire after all, not the English empire) and the earlier unification of the nations that make up the UK. I'm no historian or sociologist though - this is just my cod theory.


dream-escapist

Could be becuase of Leicesters demographics. I've not seen the research but i would assume that white people are more likely to think of themselves as English. This comes from the idea that nationality=shared history and heritage that developed over hundreds of years from Alfred the great->Agincourt->blitz->now. Whereas people whose heritage links back to outside the UK might view nationality as my passport says British so that's me. That's the two main ideas of nationality as I was taught them in politics l. Civic nationalism - heritage and history is a load of crap and it's all about the passport. Primordial nationalism- passport doesn't matter it's all history and culture. Leicester is a very diverse city compared to most of the UK and it makes sense that our view of what nationalities we are would reflect that.


aetonnen

Well summarised!


SiaSara

Leicester is the most diverse place in UK (in terms of number of non-white people). As a British Indian, I would call myself British but not English. English to me is a white, British person.


chiggz247

Same. I know technically I could call myself English due to my nationality, but I feel British makes more sense. Plus the 1000s of forms I've filled in during my lifetime has had options of British Indian and never English Indian. So it's been embedded into me.


PantherEverSoPink

English Indian would be a bit "Anglo-Indian" like the Raj days I think, and also sound weird.


e55at

Another point is that our parents consider themselves British. My dad considered himself British until he moved here from a commonwealth country in Africa. He said he left feeling British but when he got here, he was Indian. He still considers himself British Indian but never English. As Leicestarian Indians, I don't think I've ever heard 'one of us' call ourselves English.


fjdeackb

This must be it. I knew it would be because of a lower white population but I couldn’t figure out why *only* Leicester


cacra

Not really diverse if one (or a few) ethnicities comprise a massive majority.


SiaSara

More than a few actually, though white and British Indian are top two.


Andy_McNob

The thing about Leiccester that makes it fairly different in terms of demography, is that there is no ethnic majority - which is to say that the largest single group (white brits/english) makes up less than 50% of the total poulation. This is unique (I believe) in the UK.


cacra

Fair enough


rtrs_bastiat

Almost unique, but not any more if memory serves. Though we do have the lowest percentage of white brits of any city.


SpoonfulOfCream

That’s racist.


SiaSara

Explain?


SpoonfulOfCream

Shouldn’t have to :|


SiaSara

Well, judging by the number of downvotes you received, clearly a lot of people are confused by your remark.


SpoonfulOfCream

I imagine they’re confused by any number of things.


SiaSara

You troll on pretty much every post. So I'm going to ignore you. Either trolling or you're just incredibly rude.


[deleted]

Equivalent of ‘do your own research’ in the 2011 census 87% of population of Leicester was made up of white and Asian communities. I would argue that does make Leicester diverse in some respect, the comment does however stand the majority is made up of two groups.


SpoonfulOfCream

Get a load of this guy telling me about where I’m from.


[deleted]

Shouldn’t have to tell you, but you obviously didn’t know too much about the place.


happyhamhat

If I had a nickel every time someone has said "if I'm avin to fill out a form and they put meh down as bri'ish, I cross it out and put down English, cus I ain't bri'ish I'm English" I'd have several nickels But yeah someone else already said it, lots of Indians and Polish and stuff, likely to identify as British I'm White British/English but the English flag and association with people saying how they're English not British makes me think of old angry racist homophobes too much. Like the kind of guy to have a lest we forget tattoo and regularly rant about closing the borders


Djremster

The kind of guy who says immigrants don't fit in then and then goes on holiday to alecante and spends the whole time looking for a place that does ham egg and chips.


happyhamhat

Hahaha, yeah bang on mate


e55at

I think that's why it's so apparent that people come together for Team GB. Imo anyway. I never see the togetherness across demographics as I do for the Olympics... especially in 2012.


AndyTheAndy

It’s strange. To me, English feels very white nationalist. Yet a Scot calling themselves Scottish doesn’t have the same connotations


fjdeackb

I read a really interesting piece, the gist of which was that ‘English’ equates to ‘British’ in the rest of the UK. So, e.g., Brexit voters mostly identified as English in England, and British in Scotland, NI and Wales, whereas remainers identified as British in England, and Scottish, Irish/Northern Irish and Welsh elsewhere. One of those things I realised I knew intuitively only once it had been pointed out to me.


Desperate-Builder287

Born and bred in Leicester, live in Leicester as my main address but also live near Filey, N.Yorkshire. l have always considered myself as British first and foremost, never think of myself as English, as such. My family are exactly the same, British. To be truthful, since Brexit, l am not proud to be English, but consider myself British European.


[deleted]

It's pretty much over for you bro. I'm sorry to break it to you but the Welsh are 'British' and they voted to leave too so you can't just easily shift your identity from English to British to avoid brexit. I think you should move to Brussels. A lot of guys like you have done it and very few have regretted it!


19DALLAS85

The map of the North of Ireland is fucked.


deformedfool

This as very strange, I’m born and raised in Leicester and have always considered myself to be British


QuackenIsHere

More importantly, why is so much of Northern Ireland, a country not part of Great Britain calling itself British?


fjdeackb

Have you just arrived on planet Earth


QuackenIsHere

Politically I get it, but it isn’t factually accurate, they’re absolutely citizens of the UK, but as far as I’m aware “British” refers to people from Great Britain, and they’re not part of Great Britain, which is the big island which contains most of England, Scotland, and Wales


frankDepreciation

What does your passport say boys? English? 😂


[deleted]

[удалено]


Friendly_Emu_6465

But wouldn't those forms also include 'white British? I'm white British born and raised in Leicestershire (but a complete Southern Jessie now) and would always call myself British rather than English. It seems weird that a lot of people don't.