The Americanisation of Britain

Currently many nationalists speak of Islamic influences as the main threat to our national and political identity as a Northern European country. This is profoundly wrong, such groups make up just over 3% of the population and despite getting a lot of media attention, their views are simply too incompatible with liberal Britain to succeed. Their threat is overplayed and used as an excuse for racism. No, true nationalists will understand that American influence is a greater danger.

Of course, the USA is the world's leading power so inevitably her culture will largely govern the global agenda. However, I have increasingly noticed, how the current Coalition seems bent on executing ideological policy to make us become increasingly like America as a political entity. Firstly, out attitudes to money and wealth have become very Americanised, as we don’t feel that privilege matters in selecting our leaders. Hence the large portion of privately educated politicians. Compare this to the American presidency whose many incumbents have come from wealthy backgrounds. Bush bought his way into Harvard, Kennedy was a millionaire and current potential leader, Mitt Romney finances his campaign via his personal wealth. This is worrying, as it creates an assumption that the wealthy are the best for the job, despite their innate advantages, and so a need for a wider class background is not needed. Consider Neil Kinnock's speech about his family, which I have always treasured, his argument is simple yet potent, his ancestors were not rich and hence not powerful, they had no education and little influence. Yet did this mean they were less clever or had less drive. No. “It was because their was no platform upon which they could stand.” I am sure David Cameron is very bright and deserving of his high calibre of education. But I am pretty sure that any who had his opportunities at Eton and Oxford, could have done equally well.

Culturally, Sky now bases its major output almost entirely on US shows, schools now have 'proms', and the rioters feared the 'feds' (FFS). We've also got the obsession with material happiness and the classic 'horizon culture' By this I mean that we always see good things/happiness as just over the horizon, for instance, we work hard in the week and relax at weekends, as many of us are not happy at work.

In terms of actual policy there are decent examples of this desire to be more like the US;

- We now have the world's third most expensive university education, just below the US, while we are showing equal disdain for any 'useless' arts subjects.

-The NHS is being privatised by the back door, like the US.

-We are stripping back help for the weakest in our society, akin to America's very basic welfare system.

-The attitude towards the BBC is increasingly in favour of private broadcasting, with many rightist commentators seeing it as somehow 'bias' for not blindly representing their interests.

-Internationally, despite failures in Iraq and Afghanistan we continue to support US hawks in intervening in Libya.

-Though theocratic influences have thankfully be diminished in the UK due to having a state church that can be neutralised, we are beginning to see more evangelical groups getting a say in day to day administration. Hence the religious groups involved in free schooling and the delegation of human trafficking duties from a secular charity to the Salvation Army, a cabal of Christian fundamentalism.

-Finally, as is plane for all to see, the corrupt, economic libertarianism that infests America so, is gaining hold here. Indeed, many Republicans see Britain’s failing austerity plan as the ideal blueprint for their own. Essentially the very American idea prevails that making money is all that matters. Profit above people.

Media commentators are even worse culprits. Calling for the re-introduction of capital punishment, demanding harsh sentences, especially after the riots (6 months for stealing a bottle of water, really Britain, really?), as well as a hatred of the EU and ECHR on behalf of many, preferring the conservative-minded US. Hence the rejection of humane European laws on prisoner voting by many a right wing commentator.

Is this a good aim? After all, the US is a superpower, surely these values could help us? Such an assumption is, in my view, incorrect, as Britain is too historically different from America for these values to work in the same way, and secondly, as I feel there are several problems in the US that should not be replicated in the UK. Though we may envy their increased liberties and codified constitution, this is really just an appearance. Outside the Supreme Court, the US has undermined its reputation for liberty. The PATRIOT act allowed wire tapping of US citizens. In many states LGBT members are continually discriminated against, the poor are forced to accept religious help, people lose their jobs for exercising free speech. In many ways the rich elite still rules, as they have since Independence, which was of course directed by the colonial rich men. For instance the Koch millionaires have largely directed the political movement called the tea party. You only need to look at US conservatism to see that it will be a disaster if British conservatism goes down that route. Just watch Fox News; a parade of ignorance, disinformation, no alternatives are allowed, and politics is reduced to the form of mass market propaganda.

Think Fox is too obvious an example, well then read the British and American versions of “The Spectator”. It is quite easily to infer that the British Spectator is conservative, but this is achieved tacitly and coverage is rather balanced. In contrast the US form is just ridiculously one sided. This leading article on UK politics is not (http://spectator.org/archives/2010/11/23/the-decline-of-british-politic/1) even trying to be balanced. Not only is Cameron seen as 'centre left' but this ideology is merely “The path to power for murderers” because Britain has become “godless”. I mean what the fuck, what the actual fuck. That's what passes for intelligent comment in America. Accusing adherents of any shade of social democracy of being 'murderers' and then claiming that the rise of such murderousness is because of a lack of christianity, it is something to be feared. And this is what will become of our nation, unless we act against it. Small town America here we come.

Such a rabid worship of these American gods- blind consumerism, 'rugged individualism' and a 'greed is good' attitude are not true to Britain's heritage,that has always been more collectivist. Instead we should look to our European neighbours for inspiration and embrace their ideals of social liberalism and mixed economics, whilst retaining features of our own, that are neither European nor American. It is time to distinguish ourselves, and create a nation that we can truly call our own.