Thought for the Day: July 13th 2021

 Thought for the Day broadcast on BBC Radio Four on July 13th 2021.

There'll always be an England, and England shall be free, if England means as much to you as England means to me. These words famously sung by Vera Lynn have been playing on my mind today, as I have been pondering what it means to be English and what it means to be free. 

I don’t always feel patriotic; I am a Christian and so my identity is anchored first and foremost in Christ, as a citizen of God’s kingdom. Unless there is a football tournament and then I become so fervently patriotic that if I had an England flag, I would proudly wave it. I have supported the England football team my entire life, and the European Championships have provided a welcome diversion during this difficult time where the freedoms that we take for granted in England have been curtailed for the national good.

Englishness and freedom are nebulous concepts; reports of racist abuse of English football players reminds me once again that for some people, to be English is defined not by what it is, but by what it most definitely isn’t. The hateful language used on social media towards black English players makes it clear that they are not free to be English at all. The lack of grace extended to them makes it plain that for some people their Englishness is conditional: score a goal and you are one of us but miss a penalty and we will use the colour of your skin to exclude you.

I believe that all the things I love best about England are enhanced by difference rather than diluted; I’ve married into an Italian family and this has not diminished my Englishness at all, but is a source of huge pride for me and my children. Immigration over the decades has added to our national character as a people of welcome and inclusion. Historically, this is a land where people have been invited to come and be safe, and not just because migrant workers are a useful contribution to our NHS or hospitality industry, but because they are fellow human beings, who have inherent value and worth and deserve to belong here. My Christian faith assures me that we all one in Jesus Christ; all blessed children of God.

Our English identity is not constrained by fear of difference or limited by narrow definitions based upon skin colour. To people of integrity and hope, this is our England, and racism shall not define it. There will always be an England, but while black English people still suffer such hideous abuse, then England will never be free.