I thought this blog would be a view of French life through the eyes of an Englishman. However, more and more of the stuff I want to write about is England viewed through the eyes of an estranged Englishman. I have to admit before continuing that my view is becoming narrower and narrower and is mostly formed through friend and family visits and TV, so I am likely to be more and more out of touch -please forgive me in advance.
That said, I saw an excellent piece on Sky News the other day (there's a phrase you won't often read: a perfect example of an oxymoron). There was a set of meteorological conditions that meant that high winds came down the east coast of the UK and into northern France and excessively high tides were expected. The news reports said that whole towns had been evacuated and the main roads blocked off by police the night before the storm in order to avoid a repeat of a similar incident in the 50's that caused hundreds of deaths. This is all very well, but to an ignorant Englishman abroad, seemed to be an over-reaction given that nothing had been mentioned on any news programs I had seen in France.
In the end, the "perfect storm" never really materialised. However, there was one part of the Sky report that made me realise how there is a heart of Englishness that seems to be unique and that I miss; one that would never be seen in France and is probably dying out in England with the older generations. One small town had been mostly evacuated into a school gym for the night and they interviewed an elderly guy: "How are they treating you?" the journalist asked. His reply was priceless: "Ooh, just great - we want for nothing - they give us all the tea we need."
There have been whole books written on Englishness, but my brief analysis of his reply is that it was a stoicism that came from years of hardship suffered by his generation, when events such as the wartime air-raids meant that people often spent evenings in shelters with only a "nice cup of tea" to keep them warm (note that there is no such thing as a "cup of tea", it must always be prefixed with "nice"). Of course, I must add my "but I might be wrong" cover-your-ass caveat here.
The French suffered in the war too, but I reckon that subjected to an evacuation like this, both French people and post-war English generations would not accept it with such good grace.
I should also add that I don't even know if his was a typical reaction, but what a great old boy - I hope he got a good night's sleep and has many more.
Sunday 11 November 2007
An imperfect storm
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7 comments:
I've lived abroad in Germany and Canada (and Scotland if you count that) and I do find that it makes you quite introspective about, or perhaps more conscious of,your 'Englishness'.
I wouldn't worry about it, it passes.
If you want to get it off your chest you can always write an essay for What England Means to Me
A quick look at your blog tells me that you do indeed count Scotland as a "foreign country" (I'll leave my Scottish friends to reply to that one, as I'm sure they regard England in the same way).
Looking at my own posts, it does seem that I've become more conscious of my Englishness having lived in a "real" foreign country (one with a completely different language and culture) - I embrace it though and hope that it doesn't pass, as you suggested. The danger is that it becomes overpowering and exclusive - I chose to live in France and don't want to keep harping on along the lines of "England is great, France is crap".
I'll have a longer read of "What England Means to Me" and might add my 10 pennyworth.
Thanks for reading!
Many Scots do regard England in the same way, not all, but some. It's a sentiment driven more by hatred of Britain and rule from Westminster than England itself, or English people. Though of course indentity comes into it too, there is a cultural difference.
I never harp on about how 'England is great and Scotland is crap'. I love Scotland and visit often to see friends or just for the sake of visiting. What I do harp on about is democracy and the lack of it under New Labour's asymmetric devolution. I'd rather retain the Union but not at any cost, either we address the inequity inherent in the United Kingdom's constitution or each nation should have its own constitution that affords equal democractic rights to each citizen under that law.
Not knowing you, I would not want to suggest that you harp on about any topic whatsoever - It's just a trap that I personally don't want to fall into.
I will need to read more of your writing to know more about the iniquities you are suggesting, but am interested to know about.
At least you have the right to vote in your chosen country! I will have to become French to partake fully and I don't see that happening.
I thought this post was a little weak - just a little vignette about a disappearing, dare I say, stereotype that annoyed me when I lived in England, but which made me smile and a little nostalgic when viewed from afar. I am glad to see that it has provoked one of the most interesting reactions I have had.
You should read 'Watching the English' by Kate Fox. Highly perceptive, highly amusing, and packed fully of stereotypes about the English.
Oops, I see you actually link to that book. So presumably you've read it then...
In fact, there is already a link to this book in the post. It is an excellent book and I wish I had written it!
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