#Blogtour What Everyone Knows About Britain *(Except the British) by Michael Peel

It's my turn on the Blogtour What Everyone Knows About Britain *(Except the British) by Michael Peel

About the Author

Michael Peel first joined the Financial Times in 1997. Since then, he has been a foreign correspondent posted in West Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Europe. Peel's work has won awards, including from the UK Foreign Press Association and the US Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. He has also written for many other publications including the London Review of Books and TLS. He has appeared on the BBC, Sky and other broadcast media. Follow @Mikepeeljourno on X

About the book

How do you see Britain? That might depend on your point of view, and as long time British foreign correspondent, Michael Peel has come to understand, it can look very different from outside.

It's tempting to think of the UK as a fundamentally stable and successful nation. But events of the past few years, from Brexit to exposés of imperial history, have begun to spark fierce public debates about whether that is true. Is Britain, just a marginal northern European island nation, marked by injustices, corruption and with a bloody history of slavery, repression and looting?

And yet UK politics, media, and public opinion live constantly in the shadow of old myths, Second World War era nostalgia, and a belief in supposedly core British values of tolerance, decency and fair play. British politicians regularly exploit a damaging complacency that holds that everything will turn out okay, because, in Britain, it always does.

In What Everyone Knows About Britain, Michael Peel digs into the national consciousness with the perspective of distance to pull apart the ways in which we British have become unmoored from crucial truths about ourselves. He shows us that from many perspectives we are no different from other countries whose own national delusions have seen them succumb to abuses of power, increased poverty and divisive conflict.

The battle over Britain's narrative is the struggle for its future and its place in the world. So, how do we escape the trick mirror - and see ourselves as we really are?

Review

I have to say that Peel ends this books with a lot more positivity and confidence in certain aspects of the people in Britain than I have. I'm guessing it's better than assuming the worst. We are already on a steady path of exploitation via extremists for destructive purposes. Not sure the people in power have any grip on a possible a constructive role.

The truth is Brexit has decimated our role and previously steadfast position on the global landscape. Having negotiated ourselves out of the power position and into a minor role, we still expect the assumption of power by others. Equally it is worth noting that everything the concept was sold on has merely meant the people of Britain are having to put their hands in their pockets more often - for money and to keep quiet.

Also - just on a side note - perceiving the country as in a better position in regard to racial prejudice in comparison to other EU countries, it's a fallacy. Sounds great though, but it is blatantly disregarding the white supremacy bubbling in the guise of national pride. The difference compared to other EU countries is that they have stopped trying to hide the bigotry, racism and xenophobia. Groups and supporters growing bigger in direct correlation to a lack of governance, which brings us back to the extremists exploiting the narrative for destructive purposes. 

I really enjoyed the dissection, especially from someone who has the added bonus of seeing and experiencing from the outside. Britain is very insular, having a lengthy experience off the island is the only way to comprehend our strengths, weaknesses and what kind of impact our self-imposed Brexit rules are actually having. It's a great read, and one that will start many a conversation.

Buy What Everyone Knows About Britain at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Monoray; pub date 25 April 2024. Buy at Amazon com.