Love Me Or I'll Boo You

With regard to Tom’s post about Mike Parry, the thing that struck me about the hysteria surround who Scots are supporting in the World Cup was “why has this not been so much of an issue before?”

Scots have always wished the England football team less than success so why is it an issue now?

I think it has to do with the war and the pervading sense that "Englishness" is under attack and also the fact that the English are having to face up to the idea that they are not generally liked as a people worldwide.

This, of course, is because "Englishness" tends to manifest itself as intolerance, a dismissive attitude towards other cultures and baseless self congratulation ("Rooney could be fit for the Semi-Finals..."). Why? Because the only people talking about “Englishness” and blustering about why they are not universally adored are bumptious personalities like John McCririck, Mike Parry and Jeremy Clarkson; walking admonishment for anyone in the anti England camp.

For me, the interesting point is that before these people didn’t care what people thought and now, everyone has to like them. There is a definite suggestion that Scots not backing England are being un-patriotic – no surprise really in a time of war. It’s plain to see those confused by attacks on a national character constantly in flux anyway retreating to the verbal trenches. We’re talking about people with a fixed and very outdated sense of what their nation and people represent.

So why should Scots back the English? The only true answer is because we get a lot out of British culture. In terms of football, I don’t know too many fans who restrict their preferences to the Scottish game. Most have an English team and most enjoy the glamour of the Premiership even as we realise its all a WWF style stage managed farce brought to us by a station owned by one of the worlds most evil men. It’s the same with music, fashion, food, TV etc.

Britons tend to get a lot culturally out of being British on a range of levels, but thanks to a loud minority of English twats who run and present the media, England (and white England to be more specific) appears to be dismissive of everyone else’s contribution.

Couple the attitude that no-one else counts with the delusional, creaking “green-and-pleasant-land -we-used-to-run-the-world” schtick most of the English media seem to have and its no wonder the rest of us don’t want them to win anything. It’s like wishing a materialist neighbour gets a new car and then comes round to tell you about it.

As for Andy Murray, he’s a wee rich kid playing an elitist middle to upper class sport whose publicist dreamed up a way to make him look like he was “down” with the Scottish people.

I could no more care who wins Wimbledon than I could Crufts or the Show Jumping.