Great Britain and the toxic myth of virtuous origin

Great Britain and the toxic myth of virtuous origin
We need new stories — In her new book, We Need New Stories, journalist Nesrine Malik challenges the most damaging myths behind our age of discontent. In this condensed extract, she confronts the way the UK has ‘airbrushed’ its problematic past.

Putting the ‘Great’ back into Great Britain. This was the rallying cry of the Brexit vote. But what had diminished Britain’s greatness? What did ‘greatness’ imply?

Fundamental to the objection to EU membership is this particularly British problem, a fixation on triumphs of the past, an overestimation of status today and a refusal to acknowledge all the ways that the world has changed. Unlike its European counterparts, the nation had never been occupied, never succumbed to the trauma of fascism nor the expansive ambitions of Soviet communism. What are mostly the good fortunes of geography were taken to be the superiorities of military cunning and political resolution. Britain’s self-perception, informed by its selective and contradictory recollections of history, feeds political adventurism.

In the case of Brexit, three inventions dominate – the idea that Britain ‘stood alone’ in the war (conveniently forgetting the allies and US intervention – they were called ‘the allies’ for a reason), the view that the EU is a continuum of attempts (beginning with Hitler) to subordinate the country and the perception that Britain was sort of doing the EU a favour by joining in the first place, after saving the continent from the Nazis singlehanded.

One moment at the beginning of the Brexit negotiations demonstrated the madness that these collective delusions culminate in. The German chancellor Angela Merkel told a bizarre story about early talks. She claimed Theresa May repeatedly asked her to ‘make me an offer’. Ms Merkel replied: ‘But you’re leaving – we don’t have to make you an offer. Come on, what do you want?’, Prime Minister May replied again, ‘Make me an offer.’ This went on and the two women found themselves trapped in a recurring loop of ‘what do you want?’ and ‘make me an offer’. May came to the negotiations thinking that she somehow had the upper hand because Britain was such a loss to Europe, one which the EU would try to mitigate.

In choosing to ‘leave’ Europe, Britain’s myth of exceptional strength and historical achievement has disconnected it from reality. It is departing a union on the basis that the nation’s success is down to some sort of uniquely magical and virtuous British quality that will subordinate the elements to its will, just as in the past the small island through pluck, bravery and guile took over and ‘civilised’ the world. It is a near-perfect example of how, when taken too far, myths lead to self-harm.

We Need New Stories is out now via Orion Publishing.

Follow Nesrine Malik on Twitter

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. 

 

Latest on Huck

Nxdia: “Poems became an escape for me”
Music

Nxdia: “Poems became an escape for me”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Egyptian-British alt-pop shapeshifter Nxdia.

Written by: Nxdia

Kathy Shorr’s splashy portraits inside limousines
Culture

Kathy Shorr’s splashy portraits inside limousines

The Ride of a Lifetime — Wanting to marry a love of cars and photography, Kathy Shorr worked as a limousine driver in the ’80s to use as a studio on wheels. Her new photobook explores her archive.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Lewd tales of live sex shows in ’80s Times Square
Culture

Lewd tales of live sex shows in ’80s Times Square

Peep Man — Before its LED-beaming modern refresh, the Manhattan plaza was a hotbed for seedy transgression. A new memoir revisits its red light district heyday.

Written by: Miss Rosen

In a world of noise, IC3PEAK are finding radicality in the quiet
Music

In a world of noise, IC3PEAK are finding radicality in the quiet

Coming Home — Having once been held up as a symbol of Russian youth activism and rebellion, the experimental duo are now living in exile. Their latest album explores their new reality.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Are we steamrolling towards the apocalypse?
Culture

Are we steamrolling towards the apocalypse?

One second closer to midnight — While the rolling news cycle, intensifying climate crisis and rapidly advancing technology can make it feel as if the end days are upon us, newsletter columnist Emma Garland remembers that things have always been terrible, and that is a natural part of human life.

Written by: Emma Garland

In a city of rapid gentrification, one south London estate stands firm
Culture

In a city of rapid gentrification, one south London estate stands firm

A Portrait of Central Hill — Social housing is under threat across the British capital. But residents of the Central Hill estate in Crystal Palace are determined to save their homes, and their community.

Written by: Alex King

Sign up to our newsletter

Issue 81: The more than a game issue

Buy it now