Nationality is an interesting topic. When I lived in Britain, I was somewhat startled by the lack of national pride there... The Union Flag was seldom raised (mostly when the Queen was in town) and the England/Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland flags were normally only hoisted during the Five Nations rugby tournament or similar sporting events. I often felt that this lack of national pride was a fault and was probably related to the rather apathetic view I saw expressed of politics at the local (and most important) level.
When I asked about the lack of flags billowing, the answer was a very uninteresting fear of being seen as "racist"...
A nation without a nationality... a country without its indigenous languages being taught (Welsh is only barely returning to the schools, several generations after being chased off the playgrounds with English.)
A country without a focus... Sad.
I suspect that Brexit is the first of many steps towards re-embracing themselves as a country. A necessary step which will be rocky at first (maybe for a long while, even), but will lead to greater independence and self-reliance to the rest of the world.
Interestingly, I was researching a surname last night... it was a Czech name which meant "German"... Giving not only the most recent ancestry, but the ethnicity beyond that. Would the same be true of a Briton going to a foreign country... not blending in, but being labelled "English" for generations to come? Britons currently struggle to be a strong culture of themselves, absorbing bits from other countries and almost forgetting their own identity.
My hope is that Brexit will help the UK "grow up" and reaffirm its national identity which will make it a stronger and more competitive member of the international community.
Thanks for your article, it's an important discussion.
Your welcome