Isolationist? Moi?

I read an article last week by a French philosopher and economist drawing a parallel between Britain and Japan as “Islands of Isolation.” His theme was that both countries remain inward- looking and preoccupied with the disintegration of their original culture.

I can’t speak for Japan, but anyone who watched the magnificent opening ceremony of the London 2102 Olympics must have been impressed by the diverse and inclusive nature of modern British society.

The bucolic images of rural England gave way to the Industrial revolution forging the Olympic rings. We then saw the arrival of immigrants from the Caribbean, a multicultural family and Dizzee Rascal, a rap artist. The mastermind behind the show, film director Danny Boyle (himself the offspring of immigrants) was proud to celebrate Britain’s openness to the world.

Immigration has brought huge benefits to the UK with hard-working entrepreneurial new-comers going back all the way to the Huguenots who arrived from France in the 17^th century,  to the Asians who transformed Britain’s corner-shops in recent years. Integration of new communities and the celebration of multi-culturalism have been fundamental policy and social choices.  I won’t pretend it has been easy, but we no longer see the sort of right-wing racism that has plagued other countries.

If I were being really undiplomatic I might go as far as to say that the article was “baloney”, “balderdash” or perhaps “hogwash”, all words imported from foreign languages. Indeed, English has refused to be tied down by learned academics resisting the influx of foreign words and has happily assimilated phrases from all over the world. It is a living language which mingles old English, Shakespeare and Dickens with new words and expressions from jazz, rap and ghetto.

Food is another area where Britain has gladly welcomed outside influences.  You can still get good traditional fish and chips or roast beef. But you can also find different cuisines from every corner of the world served with the highest quality ingredients. Opposite the oldest restaurant in London there is a Mongolian eatery. And the former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook announced that chicken tikka masala was now Britain’s national dish.

Britain also welcomes foreign students, many from Jordan. In 2011 there were over 428,000 non-UK students in higher education in Britain, 14% of the total students in full-time education. The UK is the favourite destination for foreign students in the EU.

Britain’s openness to the outside world is part of our trading culture. Our companies were global before the word “globalisation” was invented.  Napoleon called us a nation of shopkeepers and we still depend heavily on trade and investment with other countries.

Britain has the most open business-oriented economy of all the major European nations, is the Number 1 location for European headquarters, has the best track-record for attracting international investment projects, and hosts half the world’s top 100 computer games development companies.

It is a caricature to suggest that “Fog on the Channel, Continent isolated” remains a dominant attitude in the UK or that a “Little England mood” will lead to a referendum on leaving the European Union. Both David Cameron and William Hague have made clear that leaving the EU would not be in Britain’s best interests and that a referendum is not the answer. The EU brings major advantages, in terms of trade, the environment and working together on the international stage.

It is a modern urban myth that Britain yearns for its youth and regrets its decline from having been a major imperial power. Some intellectuals might see it that way; the evidence on the ground in the cosmopolitan centre of London or in many other cites demonstrates otherwise. The spectacular opening ceremony and the welcome we have given to the Olympic family have, I hope, overturned those old-fashioned impressions.