0Image: Flags over Lower Regent Street by Colin Smith via Wikimedia Commons
When people say that Britain has no culture, that’s “utter woke nonsense”. They have most definitely not enjoyed the Great Britain that I know we can all be proud of, nor appreciated the many ways it has contributed globally. Starting with our arts and media, Britain has created some of the world’s favourite characters: Sherlock Holmes, Paddington Bear, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, Mr Bean, Shaun the Sheep and Peppa Pig. Spending my teenage years watching The Great British Bake Off and The Apprentice was, and continues to be, pivotal to my friendships and cultural touchpoints.
Our literary contributions have done more than shape language; they have shaped culture, philosophy, storytelling, satire, and political commentary, influencing our daily lives. From Shakespeare’s plays and idioms, whose phrases like “All that glitters isn’t gold” and “Green-eyed jealousy” are still part of everyday speech, to novelists like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, the Brontës, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Lord Byron, T.S. Eliot, and James Joyce, Britain has produced writers who explore class, women’s interior lives, industrialisation, and human experience in ways that endure.
Moving from our words to style, British designer labels like Burberry, Barbour, McCartney, Galliano, McQueen and Westwood, have left their mark on global fashion and ingratiated themselves as a fabric of British culture. From Savile Row tailoring to modern-day suiting and black tie, Britain’s dominance in both literary and artistic circles shouldn’t be diminished in the conversation of British culture.
From Savile Row tailoring to modern-day suiting and black tie, Britain’s dominance in both literary and artistic circles shouldn’t be diminished in the conversation of British culture.
Who can forget our cuisine and pub scene, from a full English breakfast at Spoons during the week to having a cheeky pitcher and pints in the evening, or the Saturday fry-up and the Sunday roast after Sunday service? A meal like that feels like a warm hug to your stomach and soul. There’s something comforting about the same ugly carpet and floral plates in every Spoons across the four nations and the five Prets or Greggs on one street. It’s the post-supper sticky toffee pudding, or the Christmas Day walks that unite our four nations. Nothing says Britain more like a post-work Thursday pint: drinking Thatcher’s Gold or a Guinness, contemplating life’s meaning, and feeling that, in these pubs, the spirit of the Iron Lady quietly presides over our national pastime. All in the same pubs that have welcomed generations. The stiff upper lip attitude embodied through Churchill’s “never give in, never, never, never” embodies this resilient, quintessentially British spirit to crises and to life.
Nothing says Britain more like a post-work Thursday pint: drinking Thatcher’s Gold or a Guinness, contemplating life’s meaning, and feeling that, in these pubs, the spirit of the Iron Lady quietly presides over our national pastime.
Being British is about sharing a laugh over our cheeky nicknames for the lettuce Prime Minister, recalling our stint in the EU, or debating the merits of VeeeGan sausage rolls, inside jokes that unite us all. Being British is more than just a label or a monolithic race; it’s a lifestyle. To be British is to enjoy tea breaks and a cuppa with a biscuit when life gets in the way. It’s complaining when it’s too hot or when it’s too cold, it’s understanding that trains and buses will probably be late, and we’ll still moan about it and queue up anyway. It’s about being cordial to your peers, family, friends and to yourself, sending xx after text messages, sending Christmas cards and roast dinners. A lifestyle grounded in tolerance, liberalism, and mutual respect.
Our high streets and institutions further define British life. Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Waterstones, Boots, Tesco, Argos, Next, Primark and holiday shopping at Hamleys and Liberty. These establishments are all part of the British lifestyle; they have outlasted empires, revolutions, and global crises, economic collapses and pandemics. From John Lewis’ “Never knowingly undersold” turning into a moral motto and a cultural symbol of trust, and its famous Christmas advert marking the start of the season. To the childhood nostalgia of Hamleys, cementing it in our quintessential childhood memories for many Britons. To the backbone of UK everyday life with the Clubcard and Tesco meal deal, and the little blue pens, with the Argos catalogue or Colin the Caterpillar from M&S being the only consistent thing in your life. These are all experiences that Brits across the nation feel warmly towards and can relate to constantly. These are more than just a store on the high street, they are shared cultural touchpoints, markers of class, taste and British identity in places almost every Brit has interacted with daily in our childhoods, holidays, home life, school life, adult routines and national traditions.
Music and sport also unite us. Singing along to Mr Brightside or Sweet Caroline. Celebrating Britpop, Elton John, Amy Winehouse, The Beatles, Adele, or One Direction, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Charlie XCX and Lily Allen, to name a few. Our musical landscape is diverse and globally recognised. The merger of London’s grunge, R&B, pop, and dance mix. Of course, who can forget sport, it’s integral to British culture when numerous sports organisations were formed in the country, including tennis, ruggers, cricket and football are all woven into our social fabric.
Finally, our traditions and institutions, the royal family, legal and political systems affirm us as one of the big players in the world. Our legal and political institutions inspire parliamentary systems around the world. Our unique and sometimes chaotic Prime Minister’s Questions are “central to our democracy” as Amber Rudd notes, that’s what makes us the great nation that we are. It’s our heritage that forms our culture, the royal weddings and even a quiet afternoon tea are anchors of our national identity. Reminding us that tradition is a cornerstone of British culture. For many, the royal family is less about politics and more about identity: a symbol of continuity, history, and the uniquely British blend of ceremony and humour.
Britishness has never been about the colour of your skin, it’s about the values we live by. Democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and that very British instinct to say, ‘each to their own.’ We forget how instinctively tolerant we are as a nation. In the end, it’s not race that binds us, but a quiet, everyday liberalism that feels uniquely ours.
I’m proud to be British, to call Britain home, and to celebrate a culture that is rich, enduring, and, above all, alive. Rule Britannia!
Yasmine is the Print Lifestyle Editor, she covers a broad range from fashion, culture, food commentary to trends. She blends thoughtful cultural commentary with a fun political edge. Beyond Lifestyle, she contributes to Screen, Satire, Music, Comment, and Arts & Lit.
Why Britain has Culture: Art, Tradition, and Everyday life
When people say that Britain has no culture, that’s “utter woke nonsense”. They have most definitely not enjoyed the Great Britain that I know we can all be proud of, nor appreciated the many ways it has contributed globally. Starting with our arts and media, Britain has created some of the world’s favourite characters: Sherlock Holmes, Paddington Bear, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, Mr Bean, Shaun the Sheep and Peppa Pig. Spending my teenage years watching The Great British Bake Off and The Apprentice was, and continues to be, pivotal to my friendships and cultural touchpoints.
Our literary contributions have done more than shape language; they have shaped culture, philosophy, storytelling, satire, and political commentary, influencing our daily lives. From Shakespeare’s plays and idioms, whose phrases like “All that glitters isn’t gold” and “Green-eyed jealousy” are still part of everyday speech, to novelists like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, the Brontës, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Lord Byron, T.S. Eliot, and James Joyce, Britain has produced writers who explore class, women’s interior lives, industrialisation, and human experience in ways that endure.
Moving from our words to style, British designer labels like Burberry, Barbour, McCartney, Galliano, McQueen and Westwood, have left their mark on global fashion and ingratiated themselves as a fabric of British culture. From Savile Row tailoring to modern-day suiting and black tie, Britain’s dominance in both literary and artistic circles shouldn’t be diminished in the conversation of British culture.
Who can forget our cuisine and pub scene, from a full English breakfast at Spoons during the week to having a cheeky pitcher and pints in the evening, or the Saturday fry-up and the Sunday roast after Sunday service? A meal like that feels like a warm hug to your stomach and soul. There’s something comforting about the same ugly carpet and floral plates in every Spoons across the four nations and the five Prets or Greggs on one street. It’s the post-supper sticky toffee pudding, or the Christmas Day walks that unite our four nations. Nothing says Britain more like a post-work Thursday pint: drinking Thatcher’s Gold or a Guinness, contemplating life’s meaning, and feeling that, in these pubs, the spirit of the Iron Lady quietly presides over our national pastime. All in the same pubs that have welcomed generations. The stiff upper lip attitude embodied through Churchill’s “never give in, never, never, never” embodies this resilient, quintessentially British spirit to crises and to life.
Being British is about sharing a laugh over our cheeky nicknames for the lettuce Prime Minister, recalling our stint in the EU, or debating the merits of VeeeGan sausage rolls, inside jokes that unite us all. Being British is more than just a label or a monolithic race; it’s a lifestyle. To be British is to enjoy tea breaks and a cuppa with a biscuit when life gets in the way. It’s complaining when it’s too hot or when it’s too cold, it’s understanding that trains and buses will probably be late, and we’ll still moan about it and queue up anyway. It’s about being cordial to your peers, family, friends and to yourself, sending xx after text messages, sending Christmas cards and roast dinners. A lifestyle grounded in tolerance, liberalism, and mutual respect.
Our high streets and institutions further define British life. Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Waterstones, Boots, Tesco, Argos, Next, Primark and holiday shopping at Hamleys and Liberty. These establishments are all part of the British lifestyle; they have outlasted empires, revolutions, and global crises, economic collapses and pandemics. From John Lewis’ “Never knowingly undersold” turning into a moral motto and a cultural symbol of trust, and its famous Christmas advert marking the start of the season. To the childhood nostalgia of Hamleys, cementing it in our quintessential childhood memories for many Britons. To the backbone of UK everyday life with the Clubcard and Tesco meal deal, and the little blue pens, with the Argos catalogue or Colin the Caterpillar from M&S being the only consistent thing in your life. These are all experiences that Brits across the nation feel warmly towards and can relate to constantly. These are more than just a store on the high street, they are shared cultural touchpoints, markers of class, taste and British identity in places almost every Brit has interacted with daily in our childhoods, holidays, home life, school life, adult routines and national traditions.
Music and sport also unite us. Singing along to Mr Brightside or Sweet Caroline. Celebrating Britpop, Elton John, Amy Winehouse, The Beatles, Adele, or One Direction, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Charlie XCX and Lily Allen, to name a few. Our musical landscape is diverse and globally recognised. The merger of London’s grunge, R&B, pop, and dance mix. Of course, who can forget sport, it’s integral to British culture when numerous sports organisations were formed in the country, including tennis, ruggers, cricket and football are all woven into our social fabric.
Finally, our traditions and institutions, the royal family, legal and political systems affirm us as one of the big players in the world. Our legal and political institutions inspire parliamentary systems around the world. Our unique and sometimes chaotic Prime Minister’s Questions are “central to our democracy” as Amber Rudd notes, that’s what makes us the great nation that we are. It’s our heritage that forms our culture, the royal weddings and even a quiet afternoon tea are anchors of our national identity. Reminding us that tradition is a cornerstone of British culture. For many, the royal family is less about politics and more about identity: a symbol of continuity, history, and the uniquely British blend of ceremony and humour.
Britishness has never been about the colour of your skin, it’s about the values we live by. Democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and that very British instinct to say, ‘each to their own.’ We forget how instinctively tolerant we are as a nation. In the end, it’s not race that binds us, but a quiet, everyday liberalism that feels uniquely ours.
I’m proud to be British, to call Britain home, and to celebrate a culture that is rich, enduring, and, above all, alive. Rule Britannia!
Yasmine Al-Saket
Yasmine is the Print Lifestyle Editor, she covers a broad range from fashion, culture, food commentary to trends. She blends thoughtful cultural commentary with a fun political edge. Beyond Lifestyle, she contributes to Screen, Satire, Music, Comment, and Arts & Lit.
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