Top 9 reasons you should be proud to be English this St George's Day

Happy St George's Day! Yes, as the vice-like grip the crazies have held Britain in for far too long seems to be finally easing, where even our serving Prime Minister finally accepts women don't have willys, I can wish you a happy patron saint's day without fear of being branded a swivel-eyed xenophobe extremist (oh pipe down at the back!). It's like the weight which has weighed us down as a nation is slowly being lifted. And thank God.

Women are women again, misogynist men are being called out again (whether they wear a frock or not), it's okay to say 'blimey that immigration's a bit high', and even our socialist law-makers are about to cut the ludicrous amount of fat from our bloated, increasingly unproductive civil service. Good.

That nice Mr Trump has reminded us in the end we can only rely on ourselves.

Fortunately, despite decades of spineless bleating from a weak, Britain-hating insurgency (some of whom were bleating this self-harming nonsense from seats in Parliament by the way), standing on our own two feet is what Britain always did best.

It's time to end the years of bad-mouthing our own country, to stop navel-gazing and start seeing what a truly amazing place this little island of ours really is.

Here's my at-a-glance Top 9 reminders of how bloody great a place Britain is, should you need it.

9. Our national football teams: Yes I know, it's been a while for all four teams (with the honourable exception of the Lionesses at the 2022 Euros!) But is there anything in national life that brings together the quarter of Britain you are from quite like a major international fixture? Those moments remind you why it's called the beautiful game.

8. History: The fascinating, incredible backstory of these Isles which we can trace back to man coming out of caves is the envy of the world. It's a proud journey we need to take back from the Left who have twisted it into a self-flagellating thing - yes we built an empire (and made life so much better in so many quarters of the world), we didn't invent slavery but we did end it (and used our navy to police it), we didn't start the two world wars but we did end them (through monumental self-sacrifice). Our history is amazing and don't let anyone tell you different.

7. The NHS: Yes it's flawed and yes the wait times are poor, yet for all that the NHS remains one of the single greatest achievements of mankind. You walk into a hospital and a load of lovely, highly skilled, people make you better. They literally save your life and the lives of those you love - no wonder it remains the envy of the world.

6. Our beautiful countryside: From the fearsome beauty of Glencoe in the Highlands through the sublime pools of the Lake District, the rugged handsomeness of Wales' topography, the serene waterways of the Fens, the pastoral idyl of the South Downs, and the unique beauty of the Cornish and Devon coasts, there is beauty to take your breath away everywhere you care to look in this land of ours.

5. Music: Britain, as we know, (and not America) invented rock n roll with the Beatles and the Stones. And as our American cousins became fat and bloated musically Britain remained unbelievably creative bringing glam rock, punk, heavy metal, ska, Britpop, acid house, techno, rave, rap, house, garage, grime, and on and on. Whatever your taste, you know when you stick Spotify on you'll be listening to a Brit artist.

4. Science: Amazing British minds, like Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Alexander Fleming, and Charles Darwin, basically invented the modern world. More recently we have Tim-Berners Lee to thank for the internet. Stephen Hawking for blowing our minds, Logie-Baird for TV and Crick and Watson for DNA therapies which, like Fleming's penicillin, will save millions of lives. You're welcome world.

3. The Second World War: Depressingly, our young people seem to know precious little about Britain's finest hour - but it truly was. Without the unbelievable courage, grit, and resilience of ordinary British men and women the Swastika would now be flying across Europe. Britain literally saved the world. Again, you're welcome world.

2. Humour: We are without a shadow of a doubt the wittiest, funniest, sharpest nation on earth. And it's a peculiarly British humour, which we all use, which is at once self-deprecating yet lifts us all. Whether a private joke between two people or a nationwide belly laugh at a Christmas TV special we are brilliant at laughing at life's absurdities. And we do it while still being famous for our good manners. Yes I know there are rude buggers and they seem to be increasing, but don't despair, as a rule we are still a nation of good mannered people. We value politeness and kindness and see them as a strength not a weakness. It is a cliche but it is also a truly defining characteristic of Britishness.

1.British Values: Our British lives are built on an inherent, almost genetically dictated, sense of fair play, tolerance, rule of law, democracy and individual liberty. It is a beautiful thing which we all too often take for granted. And yes there are flaws, of course there are, but our Parliamentary system is pretty much as good as it gets, no one is starving, we have free health care and education, we respect all faiths, all belief systems, and are happy to let each other live out life as we wish. Huge swathes of the rest of the world are not so lucky. "To be born British", someone almost said, "is to have been dealt the winning hand in the game of life".

And on this of all days it might serve us well to reflect on that.

Happy St George's Day.