The World Cup. Does anything need to be said?
Yes. England did amazingly well. Top 4. Ahead in the semi-final. And now there appears to be a national crisis about our failure to win.
Why mention that? Because this is English exceptionalism writ large. That is the absurd belief, based on the legacy of empire and colonialism, that England is best in the world, with a right to win. How dare anyone deny us the right to do so?
Because that belief is unfounded, of course. But so much of the English narrative, and too much of our neoliberal politics, is based on this assumption, as is the arrogance of the English attitude to Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
That is why the World Cup matters, in political-economic terms. We should learn from it. We might overcome the fear that so obviously burdens the national football team if we did.
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I’ve had to explain this to English colleagues many times over the years. The scenario I use is this: Imagine the Germans win the World Cup. Now imagine that every broadcaster and newspaper in Britain bangs on about the glorious German victory to the point where it sets your teeth on edge. Congratulations; now you understand what it’s like for those of us who live in the not-England parts of the UK.
🙂
Yes it is a strange thing thinking that England is best at everything and the shock when people discover it is not. Being Cornish I find it rather annoying anyway ! A few England flags in Cornwall, I assume from people who did not realise they were actually not in England – lost probably!