At the risk of being misinterpreted immediately for the following statement, I’d first like to state, I am not a racist, and actively distrust anyone who is.
That being said, (whilst I am certainly not a patriot, for reasons I shall detail below), I support our forces in the Middle East. Whilst I am dubious about the true motives for the wars in Iraq/Afganistan, and doubt whether the wars there should have been started, I 100% the brave men and women who go out there to support ideals and cultures they beleive in, regardless of potentially being mislead by the likes of George W and Tony Blair.
The main reason that I am not a patriot is, I was driving to work one day, and heard on the radio, a man (although that rests on the unstable preconception that that person could be classified as “sentient”) stated, quite boldly, that excessive alcohol consumption combine with pub fights, football riots, and general violence is merely “being British”. If thats being British, then I have no interest in being classed as a Briton.
I had rather hoped that joining the EU would bring in other, more unified cultures into the UK, and maybe the nation could have progressed as a community, although, given the fact that hateful bastards that read/publish papers such as the Daily Mail, and absolute wankers like Richard Littlejohn, that seems incredibly unlikely.
I recall the good old days, when “being British” meant being open-minded, thoughtful and receptive, whereas today, “being British” is synonymous with “act like a massive arsehole”.
And so I conclude with a question:
I support our troops in the Middle East, I feel that the meaning of “being British” has changed and not for the better, and I admit that I am not a patriot. Does this make me a racist?
On topic, @OP: Good for you mate. Hope it goes well for you out there.
