So often I think that as a nation we suffer from a lack of national identity. It's a fluid concept as national interests and tastes change, but most nations are known for something very specific, either in the character of the people or the character of the geography: Germany is famous for engineering and efficiency, Italy is known for flamboyancy, France is known for being insular (sometimes even xenophobic) but also for gourmet cooking, America is the nation of excess, etc., so what makes us British?
I think our lack of identity sometimes stems from the fact that we aren't one single nation. Scotland, Ireland and Wales have their own sense of identity and it's something which can drive a wedge between the people of those nations and their identity as a British National. (Scottish Independence, anyone?) In addition, I think that we are also sometimes guilty of holding on to our historical identity so steadfastly that we forget to embrace our present. Then again, our present isn't always something we would want to embrace when there's rioting in the streets, petty crime is rife and the media is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. However there are somethings that are completely unique to Britain and this is what Danny Boyle so successfully exploited.
We are an old nation with a history spanning millenia, not centuries. Britain was the seat of the industrial revolution and continues to be a breeding ground for some great technological wonders, celebrated in the opening ceremony by the inclusion of Tim Berners-Lee. We are recognised around the world for our British humour (so many of my overseas friends love the likes of Monty Python and Mr Bean), the British music scene is one of the most diverse and vibrant in the world and British literature is celebrated around the globe. And of course, we should celebrate the great British institutions, like the BBC and the NHS, which are both completely unique. Politically, we are both liberal and socialist, defending the rights of the individual and fiercely protecting the welfare state and institutions like the NHS, but also celebrating our monarchy. We are diverse and we are inclusive.
Danny Boyle reminded us of these facts by doing nothing more than putting on a terribly British show. For that alone, at least in my eyes, he is both a genius and a national hero.
