"We have to stop teaching our children ‘Britain is a historic failure,’" writes Marcus Gibson
Author Marcus Gibson is calling for lessons aimed at rebuilding knowledge – but never uncritically – in Britain's history
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It must be extremely difficult for any young person in a British school or college to feel any passion for Great Britain, its history, its institutions, or even its famous flag – probably the most easily recognised worldwide - when they have sat through year after year of teaching that tells them ‘Britain is a historic failure’.
The lamentation starts in lessons that focus on Britain’s loss of Empire, its centuries of colonialism and, not least, how much more ‘successful’ European nations today are compared with their own country. All nonsense: but a narrative that is taught across tens of thousands of schools, colleges and universities every day of the academic year.
Yet anyone who visits Switzerland, Norway or the USA is amazed to see how every school proudly flies the national flag. In the UK, few colleges other than the very few military schools still operating in the UK ever fly the Union Jack.
It never used to be this way. Not long ago thousands flocked to events such as Navy Days at dockyards across Britain where youngsters could see the Royal Navy in the harbour.
Before it ended for good in 1999 after 120 years, the Royal Tournament at Earls Court in London was another great opportunity to showcase our military prowess to young people.
The awesome spectacle of the incredibly tough, and still hugely popular, Royal Navy Field Gun display competition still attracts millions of views, if only on social media.
Today, celebrations of St George’s Day are pitiful compared to what they were even 30 years ago.
Was the pro-EU, very ‘internationalist’ era under Tony Blair responsible for the current era of combustible criticism of the UK that is so widespread across the ‘educated’ classes – yet much less prevalent among true, working classes of British people, especially the English?
Instead of reading how Britain won both world wars with extraordinary skill, bravery and some inventive weaponry – yes, there were calamities that are unavoidable in war – youngsters in English Literature classes are taught Kurt Vonnegut’s novel ‘Slaughterhouse Five’ about the destruction of Dresden, one of Germany’s last remaining munitions manufacturing hubs.
Much of the problem lies in our notoriously pacifist, Left-wing dominated teaching profession – who denigrate the armed forces and Britain’s key role in creating the modern world.
And yes, Britain did create the modern world: the Industrial Revolution, Pax Britannica, modern medicine, global trade, free trade, Common Law, the fundamentals of good Policing, the English language, the Great Exhibition, great museums, incredible music, codifying and popularising the great sports of football, tennis, golf and many more – but how many young people are taught this?
How many don’t know about all these achievements? But if they don’t how can they come to admire their own country?
Yet there are spurts of great patriotism quite recently.
One great example was the short, two-week span of the London Olympics.
No one will forget the joy of Super Saturday when one GB gold medal winner after another mounted the top of the podium.
Who remembers the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 when GB won just one gold and French journalists asked their British counterparts: “Why do you bother coming…?”
Anyone who was present in the Olympic stadium in Stratford on the last mighty weekend of the Games will forget the deafening Anglo-Saxon roar of that very patriotic crowd.
How can we reverse the trend? One answer is this: Whoever is Education Secretary of State come the start of the autumn term in schools should institute a mandatory course for all students in Britain’s achievements.
This would be a worthy start in rebuilding knowledge – but never uncritically – in our country’s great history and core greatness across the centuries.
Yes, there were errors but the noble successes of Great Britain, as symbolised by its glorious national flag, outnumber them greatly.