Show these Britain bashers a red card

CAN THERE have been a more dispiriting week in modern times for those of us who actually believe in our country? Everyone

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from deluded university students who you’d hope would be educated to know better, to a football player who was helped on his way to enjoy considerable riches by playing for the national team, to an alleged comic I’ve always found about as funny as halitosis, spent much of last week piling in on our nation. And, with grim predictability, our flag has also been caught up in this.

To begin, a disclaimer.

While it would be wonderful to say that every action this nation has ever done, contemplated or attempted was wholly virtuous, that would be about as valid as a politician’s promise.

Of course mistakes have been made and with the benefit of hindsight in this instance dating back centuries - so much could have been done so much better. But to continue to denigrate our nation so ceaselessly sets an extremely dangerous precedent that could ultimately lead to a chilling conclusion.

Unlike a legion of BBC commissioning editors, until last week I'd found it impossible to laugh at any of Sir Lenny Henry’s act.