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Surveys show that a high percentage of British citizens "feel British." But what exactly do people have in mind when they say this? People may think differently about this question, and perhaps it is also British to give various meanings to British identity. Still, can we define what it is to "feel" British? Or even what is un-British—be it a pattern of behavior, a belief, or a way of doing things?

The post ‘Us’ and ‘Them': Can we define national identity? appeared first on OUPblog.

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I got to vote in the European and local elections today, which was interesting. It was very different to Australia. For a start, it didn't feel like a voting day - there didn't seem to be much talk about it, it was hard to find information on the candidates (although the two groups for the local council who obviously thought they had a chance did do leaflets), and there were hardly any signs up around the place. Perhaps this is because the European and local elections are not considered as important by most people. And when I went to vote I was the only one there, although maybe that was because it was 8am on weekday? It was weird to vote on a weekday - and it meant they had to shut the school down for the day! But it was still satisfying to vote. Hurrah for the Commonwealth. You are useful for more things than a chance for our athletes to have a jaunt overseas.

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I’ll start by saying, yay, I passed my Life in the UK test last weekend! And then provide more information than most of you will ever want to know about the test.


So, this is a test you have to do if you want to get permanent residency – now called the less welcoming “indefinite leave to remain” - or citizenship in the UK. I think Australia has a similar policy and test now. The idea is people should know about your culture before they can stay (however indefinitely) and a multiple choice test is a dandy way to find out if they do.

So you hand over your 10 quid (save 25% at Amazon!) and get the official Life in the UK book. The Home Secretary explains in the introduction that the first edition of the book was a bestseller. Imagine that, a book you have to buy if you want to stay in the UK selling well! But apparently it’s of interest to everybody. Please let me know if you want to borrow my copy and I will add you to the waiting list.

To be fair, the authors have generally done a pretty good job at succinctly and neutrally presenting information on UK institutions and laws. I mean, it's not meant to be interesting. It starts with a short history that sort of feels like they had a list of key words they had to include (Stonehenge, tick! Boudicca, tick!) and the rest of it had a similar feel. (History - beyond women's rights and the European government stuff - isn’t testable, more’s the pity, I would quite like studying for a UK history test.)

There are definitely times when the neutrality felt weird. For example, major holiday and festivals that got a paragraph explanation included Halloween and Valentine's Day, whilst Easter was relegated to one line at the end of Mother’s Day – “The Sunday three weeks before Easter is a day when children send cards or buy gifts for their mothers [I think it's adults too, but moving on...]. Easter is also an important Christian festival". Um, yes, and even putting aside whole-point-of-the-religion aspects it's a festival of interest to even non-Christians as it comes with two public holidays attached!

Then there was the disconnect between the proper answer and the answer in the real world. Eg: “Know who can give you advice when pregnant”. Correct answer: health visitor or doctor. Real world answer: Anyone can and will give you unsolicited advice about your pregnancy and baby. “Know how to find your local doctor” Correct answer: NHS direct. Real world answer: ask a colleague or google. Indeed, I think google is probably the answer I would give to any of the questions about how to find nearly anything. Good thing it was multiple choice rather than open answer.

Some of it may be useful but perhaps not after a minimum of two years living here. Speed limits, for example, are handy earlier than two years into your stay*. If you really care that British voltage is 240 watts (I’m yet to be convinced one needs to know this) and your appliance is different, you probably would have found out when your American appliance was zapped during your initial weeks here.

Other stuff may be useful, but doesn’t really seem necessary unless one is in the situation. Presumably if I was pregnant, I would have months and months to find out I get 6 weeks to register the baby’s birth (and no, the book doesn’t tell us what happens if you don’t register – does the baby get booted out of the country? Is there a baby gaol somewhere?), and likewise, if I wanted to get divorced but my partner didn’t I would have plenty of time to find out that I had to wait five years after being separated for the divorce to occur.

The test would have been hardish without studying - it was easy after studying. Although we can’t say what the questions we were asked said, the practice tests all over the internet were very useful. If you want to see if you’re a good British citizen, you can take one yourself (examples are here, here and this one with dodgy English but some funny alternate options)!

I am actually writing a letter (once I have my residency under my belt) to suggest some changes, in particular the lack of information over accessing the countryside** and the environment in general. Basically I think there should be some joy and happiness about becoming a resident/citizen as well as preparation for being arrested or unemployed. However, I will not include all of the questions I keep thinking up like:

Q. How many bottles of wine, spirits and liquor are there in the Whitehall cellars?

a) none. They can’t buy alcohol with public funds
b) 3,950 bottles
c 39,500 bottles

The answer is c! So now you now where to head if the zombie apocalypse breaks out when you’re in London.

* They are particularly useful as the UK just has these random white circles with a black dash through them once you leave towns, so knowing the speed limit when you arrive can be hard. Especially if you have no internet connection and the people you are staying with don’t drive and counsel that you should probably just go 50 mph.

**eg there is one random sentence saying there are public footpaths in England. They should say “most land is privately owned in England and Wales but you can walk over lots and lots of it on things called public footpaths. You can find out about these footpaths on OS maps at your local library. And in Scotland you have the right to roam, with some restrictions”. This stuff is AMAZING for people from countries without this type of tradition!

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1. It’s like Spring has arrived after all of that snow. Birds are madly singing and flowers are blooming, including the first crocuses in my backyard pots

2. A visit to a hospital dermatologist was enlivened by many crazy antics including a mad Russian doctor who obviously thought I was a lazy wimp for opting to buy a water filter rather than wash my skin and hair with a glass of water with a teaspoon of vinegar in it, receptionists that wandered in and out of consultations and a nurse hollering through the toilet door at a poor girl trying to give a urine sample (YOU CAN’T GO?! TRY RUNNING THE WATER!) while the waiting room unsuccessfully tried to pretend they were laughing at something else.

3. We finally sat down and picked out and printed photos of the local area and travels for people back home

4. I’ve got some great books to read on the planes and to leave here for when I get back (in case the cold depresses me!)

5. Have started packing for Australia. Am getting excited at thought of wearing summer clothes (I even have a couple of tops I brought with me but I haven’t worn over here!).

6. Togs (swim suit to non-Queenslanders) still fit. Phew.

7. Getting to say “see you soon” in a casual manner to my sister on the phone this morning!

Other lists up at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast!

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I don't know why I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon. I seem to only be managing one book entry a week! I suspect it's the working full time thing - although I worked about the same amount of hours before it was in a lot more flexible format, which meant I could take a break from working by blogging.

However, I'm still reading lots of books, often for comfort because I've been feeling sulky over the weather. I think my subconscious has been waiting for a hot summer, which theoretically I knew wouldn't happen (the temperatures here in summer are generally the same as Brisbane in winter) but still dislike. And the odd lovely warm day just makes the cold days seem more of a surprise - temperature swings are one of the things I always disapproved of most when visiting places like Melbourne.

I recently joined Goodreads, but think I will not be keeping up with it (I've already read 6 more books that aren't on there), which is what I suspected based on the fact I was amazed that I am keeping a list of the books I've read this year. But it is a fun site and I like watching what other people are reading. Is anyone from LJ land on it?

I'll go and try to add some of those books (one good thing is that I feel OK writing a short summary of what I thought on goodreads for books I might not bother with here) and will endeavour to at least keep up my poor record and get one book post up this weekend!

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Recent comments have reminded me that I haven't been putting up many photos of my time over here, even though I talk about what I've been doing every Sunday in my happiness lists. Truth be told, I haven't actually been taking enough photos, and lots of them are of things for rellies back home like photos of the house, the general area and my work (often taken with my mobile phone). But here are a few photos that you might like.


Ah, Bodiam Castle. I think this is a proper looking castle, ie: it has a moat and towers and little arrow slots.

From Medieval to Georgian. Wimpole Hall is a grand old building in Cambridgeshire. There were lots of interesting stories about this building, including the fact that there used to be a two mile long drive from the house lined with elms (lost in the 70s to disease, unfortunately) and during the war pilots would use the path as a guide to get back to their base. Amazingly, no German bomber ever followed the path to the house!



The reading room inside the Hall (this was in addition to the library!). We only just got this photo before being told photos were not allowed in the house.



Even though Cambridge isn't far away, we haven't taken many photos there. Here's part of King's College, with the Chapel on the left.



The poshest place I've ever voted, Australia House in London. The white tents out the front are for security checks, another change from the local preschool.



Here's another London scene, the Tate with a cute red phone box out the front.



And after all those buildings, here is what I think of as classic English countryside: very green, lots of water, cute fence and human modified river.



ETA How could I forget Stowe Gardens! An 18th parkland in Buckinghamshire filled with follies and meaningful statues. This is the Temple of British Worthies, with 8 men of thought (eg Shakespeare and Newton) and 7 men/1 woman of action (eg Queen Elizabeth and King Alfred) honoured.

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Yippee Yi Yea! 

I saw Die Hard for the first time as a private-detective-obsessed middle schooler. The film blew me away, but it also managed to revolutionize the action movie--better heroes, better stunts, and better characterization. 

According to Wikipedia, the whole film is based on a novel called Nothing Lasts Forever. In honor of the upcoming release of Live Free or Die Hard*, here is a link to all the facts about the book that created a cinematic revolution, a bit of Die Hard Literary Theory, if you will:

"Nothing Lasts Forever is a sequel to Thorp's 1966 novel The Detective. It follows Detective Joe Leland, who is visiting the Klaxon Oil Corporation's headquarters in Los Angeles, where his daughter works. While he is visiting, a German terrorist team led by Anton "Tony" Gruber takes over the building. Leland remains undetected and fights off the terrorists one by one."

*This is a woe-begotten title that translates to Die Hard, Part IV and totally corrupts the legacy of the franchise name.

You see, "Die Hard" is supposed to refer to the fact that it is very difficult for terrorists and bank robbers and whatnot to kill Bruce Willis in each movie. So, to say "Live Free or Die Hard" implies that Bruce Willis must choose between "dying hard" or "living free" and that the two activities are mutually exclusive--creating a false duality.

I would argue that the whole point of the franchise is to prove that a guy who "dies hard" can indeed protect us from terrorists and bank robbers and whatnot, therefore enabling us to "live free." In reality, these two activities are both essential components of Bruce Willis' complex character.

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