As Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown seeks to capture the public's imagination with a search for a national motto, cynicism and subversion are emerging as the most prominent national characteristics.
Readers of the Times, a newspaper dear to the hearts of middle Britain, have posted hundreds of suggestions on an Internet blog asking for a motto to sum up modern Britain.
For some, it is an opportunity to express pride and confidence: "Great people, great country, Great Britain" is one suggestion, while others say "Courage, reason, humanity, democracy, monarchy" or "A country so brave and true" could serve as fitting mottos.
Some are wary of any sign of nationalism, warning: "Pride comes before a fall".
And others have grabbed the chance to have a dig at Mr Brown and his Labour government.
"Taxation without Representation is Tyranny" is one of the more political suggestions, along with "Created by heroes, destroyed by Labour" or "Our government no longer listens".
Nostalgia for the empire also runs deep, with suggestions such as "Wallowing in a post-colonial miasma" or "Once mighty empire, slightly used".
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Search for British motto turns cynical
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