Come on England!

It is sometimes said that, unlike the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish, the English do not have a strong sense of identity. But when the Football World Cup comes along, English identity shows itself, and English people get behind their team.
But how do you qualify to be English? One political commentator recently suggested that the former PM, Rishi Sunak, was not English as he was a Hindu of Asian heritage. He should be classed as a British Asian. Mr Sunak was born in England of parents who were UK citizens. He was educated at Winchester College, one of the best English schools, and then at Oxford University. I think he is definitely English and could represent England at sport or any other activity if he were so selected.
That commentator has a narrow view of Englishness. It seems that for him to qualify you must be white, Christian and have both parents of English heritage. There is even talk of Englishness going back for thousands of years. England did not, however, come into being until the seventh or eighth centuries, following the Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain. It also evolved in time with other newcomers, such as the Vikings, the Normans, the Plantagenets and the Huguenots, as well as the Jews. Citizens of the Commonwealth were encouraged to come here after the War to fill gaps in the workforce. With the EU, many Europeans came here to work and some became UK citizens.
If one were to accept the restricted view of Englishness, there would be a problem for the current England World Cup squad, the majority of whom are black or of mixed race. This demonstrates the invalidity of the restricted view of Englishness.
Recently, Channel 4 showed a recording of the final of the 1966 World Cup, in which England defeated West Germany by 4 goals to 2. The style of football was very different then and also the kit: just large numbers on the shirts, with no names or adverts. The players seemed to be slimmer than their modern counterparts, perhaps because changes in training and diet. They had to be fit as there were no substitutes, even with extra time. The other noticeable feature was that all the players in both teams were white.
At that time there were no black players at international level, because they were rarely if ever selected for professional teams. Change came gradually and now players of all backgrounds can aspire to represent their country. This is surely a good thing in all ways. Equal opportunities for all.
Let’s hope that the team can “bring football home”. No disrespect to the Scots, whose excellent team should do very well and good luck to them. Wales just missed out in a penalty shoot-out.

Post Views : 39