The United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland…where is my country heading?

The Union Jack in my own art form…it makes me proud.

It represents all individuals who are citizens; each and every one should be proud too.

Whether born in the UK, brought over as a child from a war-torn country, or an economic migrant who after working and paying taxes in the UK has decided to remain and become a UK citizen, each and every one of us should be proud of being British.

Those who have come here and have no intention in doing so, should be looked at and interviewed. Emergency legislation should be put in place to have a plan to deal with the situation of those individuals.

Anyone who has British citizenship should be able to become a good neighbour of anyone else with British citizenship, no matter where they live.

The governments of years ago made a rod for their own backs when placing new citizens into “communities.” That in my view only encourages these individuals mostly to hold onto where they came from, and not develop into becoming British.

In the past, I’ve been treated with disdain by communities that are hell bent on holding onto their past. I’ve been verbally abused, had my car kicked while driving through on a busy high street, and looked at angrily…all by young males of fighting age, and all in my own country.

If you came from a country of conflict, well you’ve left it now. You’re in Britain, leave that conflict behind and move forward, for your sake, your family’s sake, and for the sake of everyone in your new country that has taken you in from harm.

Why?

Because for 80 years, we have had the chance of freedom, and to live in a peaceful and secure democracy, side by side with our neighbours.

We’re not a White Christian country, and we haven’t been for centuries.

Years of expansion around the globe as a colonialist empire changed all that a very long time ago…long, long before I was born.

People were even brought in to the UK from overseas to work in our factories…we all needed them at that time.

So, here we are today, multicultural UK, with freedom, democracy and security?

No, maybe not!

At present, I’m living in the USA, but one day soon, our intention is to return to the UK…I miss it terribly, and I really miss my kids and grandkids.

Here in the USA, I have a neighbour who is a doctor. An off-the-boat Indian, where he became a USA citizen, which meant for him and his wife that they had to return their Indian passport, as that’s Indian rules.

We talked about it. They have raised children born in the USA, they have become young regular Americans with a good US education, moving ahead with their lives here in the US.

For a long while now I’ve thought about how the UK could be better. How it could integrate all those coming to the UK and receiving a UK passport to citizenship.

Past and present governments have let us all down badly, they have a key role to play in all of this, if it’s to work.

I’ve never been keen on dual or multiple citizenship.

For example, if I became a US citizen while still being British, I would only be doing it for my own convenience, not because I really want to become American…as much as I love the country and its people, mainly.

Back home in the UK, I know people who have 2, 3, 4 and even 5 passports. Each additional passport, purely one of convenience only!

I believe that if you want British citizenship, then you must hand in your other passport/s. That would ensure that you are becoming British for the right reasons.

Conversely, if you wish to become a citizen of another country, then you hand in your UK citizenship, thereby showing your real allegiance to your new country.

It doesn’t matter what religion you are, if indeed you have a religion. It doesn’t matter what colour you are. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, as long as you learn English. I don’t even care how you dress, just so long as your kids who are born in the UK, dress in Western attire, embrace their new culture, appreciate their family’s historical culture…yet become proud Brits.

That would mean that females are EQUAL to males. It’s OK to be gay. And love your neighbour.

Little Britain is my home. And even littler Scotland is my roots. I’m proud to be both, and I love to see other cultures that have become “Brit Scots” embracing the kilt and blending their own musical heritage with ours…as it’s now theirs too.

Yet I’m only too aware that in certain parts of Britain, there are communities that run their life through the local religious leader, as opposed to the local council, there to enforce the British rule of law…as one example.

I’m all for people of any religion seeking life advice from their religious leader. But not when it’s advice to do with adhering to a law that isn’t the British rule of law. However, it’s been allowed to happen, and it happens today, and it will happen tomorrow.

Britain has a long, long road to go down before it gets better. Before every individual who is a British citizen recognises that, as we are all different, as Brits, we are actually all the same. In that we’re British, and we have freedom, democracy and security. When you look at what’s going on in other parts of the world, we should all embrace what we have as British citizens…it’s given Britain 80 odd years of peace and stability mostly.

Yet, until that day comes…combined, we have neither.