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Discuss: Let's celebrate being British

10:23am Tuesday 26th August 2008

comment Comments (48) Have your say »

By Simon Bull »

A GOVERNMENT minister has raised the idea of using the August bank holiday as Britishness Day. What do you think?

Liam Byrne, home office minister for borders and immigration, has suggested using the summer date as a day of national celebration similar to the USA's Independence Day.

After our recent Olympics success there is more cause than usual to be proud of being British but would you be in favour of an annual celebration day?

Do you think 'Britishness' can actually be defined? What does being British mean to you? What factors do you think define a typically British person? Is there such a thing as a British national identity? What do you think people overseas see as Britishness?

Add your comments below.

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pink, bexley says...
10:49am Tue 26 Aug 08

It's funny how the government did'nt want to over celebrate St George's day,and because **** britain done well in the olympic's they want to celebrate being british.Here's what we can do get on a plane or boat and leave this **** country because it certainly isn't great anymore far from it.

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mc, charlton says...
10:59am Tue 26 Aug 08

they are having a laugh!celebrating what!this aint britain anymore i can't wait to retire and get out of this whole...

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tally, the regions says...
10:59am Tue 26 Aug 08

Nations and regions is not my cup of tea,
the bbc swooned over scots and welsh athletes at the olympics but refused to recognise the English atletes by calling them English.
we had to make do with the government's and bbc's view that there is no England.
They can stick their britishness up their arses.

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lil-miss-outspoken, says...
11:26am Tue 26 Aug 08

huh, big chance of that happening, there arent any british to celebrate it!!

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Patrick Harris, Portsmouth England says...
11:29am Tue 26 Aug 08

Since devolution, I have not felt, nor have I been inclined to consider myself as, British. I will not bow to this Government's asertion that I am. The Cross of St. George Flies atop a 20ft flagpole in my front garden and marks my little piece of England, sad, I couldn't care less, Stuff this place called Britain.

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Biscuit, Bromley says...
11:45am Tue 26 Aug 08

Personally I cannot find one single reason to celebrate being British.

Though I'm sure those who benefit from our generous handouts and lax penal system are celebrating their good luck at being British every day.

As Tally said earlier, they can stick their britishness up their arses.

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Sid, says...
11:48am Tue 26 Aug 08

Britain isn't a nation, therefore there is no such thing as british national identity.

Independence is good enough for Scotland and Wales - about time England had it too.

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Harry Brown, Bromley says...
11:57am Tue 26 Aug 08

It's interesting to read that some people don't consider Britain to be a nation any more. So what if Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own very limited independence?

Every one of the 50 states in the USA is independent in many, many ways (laws, government etc) but does America suffer from a lack of national pride or identity? No, it's one of the most patriotic countries there is.

I think one of the typical traits of being British is the love of having a good moan!

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Stephen Gash, Carlisle England says...
12:02pm Tue 26 Aug 08

I am English forever .

British never!

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Excalibur, Bromley says...
1:20pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Whilst it sounds like a great idea, unfortunately this is just another case of Gordon Brown and the New Lie-bour government jumping on the bandwagon and attempting to bask in the reflective glory of our Olympians.

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working for pittance, se london says...
2:00pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Hmm we are allowed to celebrate being british? Prehaps we should modernise this outdated label, before we put up the banners. Unlike our red blooded neighbours we do nothing when we are starved and taxed to death, we just whine and absorb it as law. We should start complaining more, stop picking up the soap for the government. DOWN WITH THE STIFF UPPER LIP!

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Seen It All, Before says...
2:14pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Are we English or British? I think some of us get confused. I've had some lengthy chats explaining the differences to non-UK colleagues. Recent events seem to show we can't seem to get a British football team together, so why don't we just compete separately as England, Scotland and Wales?

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Sid, says...
2:25pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Harry Brown wrote:
It\'s interesting to read that some people don\'t consider Britain to be a nation any more. So what if Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own very limited independence? Every one of the 50 states in the USA is independent in many, many ways (laws, government etc) but does America suffer from a lack of national pride or identity? No, it\'s one of the most patriotic countries there is. I think one of the typical traits of being British is the love of having a good moan!

This is fair enough for the USA, but England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all countries in their own right - NOT states.

Britain has NEVER been a nation, it is a union of nations and therefore cannot be a nation itself.

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Dave, Abbey Wood says...
2:35pm Tue 26 Aug 08

I was born in England and consider myself English, my surname comes from Scotland and have many relatives in Ireland but I was born in England and proud to be English.

Britain is made up with lots of people from different nationalities that do not consider or refuse to considered themselves as English.

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Harry Brown, Bromley says...
2:44pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all countries in their own right - NOT states.

That's not strictly true. Wales is not a country, it's a principality and I'm not sure N Ireland is strictly speaking a nation either.

Whatever you consider the semantics to be, Great Britain is a nation.

I think being British is just as valid as being English.

If you're overseas and speak to someone tthey don't go "so you're English", they go "so you're a Brit".

On the question of the Olympics, if we compeeted as individual nations, we (England) would have finished a lot lower on the medals table than fourth. We probably would have been behind other Home Nations.

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Simon, Petts Wood says...
3:21pm Tue 26 Aug 08

British? Don't make me laugh. We're Europeans, and the sooner we wake up to the fact and start behaving like good little Europeans the better. Bring on the Euro, bring on the European culture.

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Steve, The EUSSR says...
3:38pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Simon wrote:
British? Don\'t make me laugh. We\'re Europeans, and the sooner we wake up to the fact and start behaving like good little Europeans the better. Bring on the Euro, bring on the European culture.

Yeah! never mind that the EU is a dictatorshop that meets behind closed doors in total secrey like North Korea, yeah we should sign away our long fought for Independence completely and be run from this Brussels Dictatorship right?.

Warning to all English people with more than one brain cell - do NOT let the brainwashed indoctrinated vocal minority extremists win the debate! - these moronic retards will bring down the country if allowed.

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Cat, London says...
4:18pm Tue 26 Aug 08

I didn't think it was PC to be British anymore!

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anon, Bexley says...
4:37pm Tue 26 Aug 08

I agree with most of the comments on here....I didn't think we was allowed to call ourselves British, let alone celebrate it!

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Biscuit, Bromley says...
5:19pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Cat wrote:
I didn't think it was PC to be British anymore!

I think we're allowed to be British, but not English . I know people who have been called racist for saying they are English.

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Jimbo, Kent says...
5:37pm Tue 26 Aug 08

"I lost St george in the Union Jack,
It's Englands flag and I want it back".

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knowlsey, sidcup says...
5:38pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Scotland is a 3rd world country so let it go free as it wants and lets see how long it survives or the rest of them would without England propping up their taxes.

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Tony, England says...
6:11pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Harry Brown wrote:

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all countries in their own right - NOT states.
That\'s not strictly true. Wales is not a country, it\'s a principality and I\'m not sure N Ireland is strictly speaking a nation either. Whatever you consider the semantics to be, Great Britain is a nation. I think being British is just as valid as being English. If you\'re overseas and speak to someone tthey don\'t go \"so you\'re English\", they go \"so you\'re a Brit\". On the question of the Olympics, if we compeeted as individual nations, we (England) would have finished a lot lower on the medals table than fourth. We probably would have been behind other Home Nations.

I think you will find the people of Wales consider themselves a nation, that's what counts.
British is a political construct,forced upon us by a ruling elite, specifically designed to get us to accept the colonization of England by foreign cultures.

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Stevie, England says...
7:24pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Harry Brown sounds like a British nationalist unfortunately for him there is no such nationality as British...it's a citizenship, a product of a political arangement.
I am English and i celebrate English culture, just what culture are the British going to celebrate?...they have none....name me one piece of british culuture that isn't English in origin and does not involve the stste in some way, true culture comes from the bottom up and not top down. English all the way, British never.

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Pete Beat, Kent says...
9:06pm Tue 26 Aug 08

The next Olympic games will be in London the capital of Britain. Sadly it will be a song and dance about minority cultures and no mention of us Brits. We can`t up set the etnics.

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Sims2, london says...
9:52pm Tue 26 Aug 08

Britishness means nothing to me, it is a name anyone can have after landing at Heathrow. I consider myself as English and look forward to having an English Olympic Team. Especially after watching the Scots and Welsh Olympians having homecoming parades in Edinburgh and Cardiff. Not a Union Flag in sight either. English athletes will not have a parade since this government hates the English

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Geoff, Northfleet says...
1:26am Wed 27 Aug 08

I used to feel 'quite' British, on a Sunday morning, cantering along footpaths, bugle in hand,monacle at the ready.But, sadly this seems to be dying out.With all this 'regeneration 'going on, I doubt that there will be anywhere left to carry on with this 'British'persuit.
By the way, being a bit out of touch, with the 'televisual world', is Elsie Tanner, still in Coronation Street?

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Jimbo, Kent says...
10:07am Wed 27 Aug 08

Harry Brown wrote:

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all countries in their own right - NOT states.

That's not strictly true. Wales is not a country, it's a principality and I'm not sure N Ireland is strictly speaking a nation either.

Whatever you consider the semantics to be, Great Britain is a nation.

I think being British is just as valid as being English.

If you're overseas and speak to someone tthey don't go "so you're English", they go "so you're a Brit".

On the question of the Olympics, if we compeeted as individual nations, we (England) would have finished a lot lower on the medals table than fourth. We probably would have been behind other Home Nations.

The adjusted medal totals for the home nations are as follows:

Adjusted totals:
England 15.17 Gold, 10.75 Silver, 15 Bronze
Scotland 2.33 Gold, 1.25 Silver
Wales 1.5 Gold, 1 Silver

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Mark, Dartford says...
10:43am Wed 27 Aug 08

In my experience, they do not say, 'Oh you are a Brit'.They normally say, 'Ah English,football hooligan'.This has happened to me.

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JJ, SE London says...
11:14am Wed 27 Aug 08

Mark wrote:
In my experience, they do not say, 'Oh you are a Brit'.They normally say, 'Ah English,football hooligan'.This has happened to me.

Reading through the comments nobody has said was it means to be English or mentioned any values that relate to being English. I'm afraid it really is as hollow as Mark's experience demonstrates: st George's cross, staffordshire terriers, burberry caps, track suits, yobbish behaviour...

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anita, dartford says...
12:15pm Wed 27 Aug 08

Ah to be English and proud. Born and bred in the East End in the 50's . I'm proud to be "English" but unfortunately this country is going down the pan. Have now decided when me and the other half retire we are selling up and moving abroad - very sad - too much violence too many immigrants and a Government that don't care about the taxpayer or the level of crime that is happening on our streets.

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Steve, £ngland says...
12:21pm Wed 27 Aug 08

Scotland and Wales are NOT nations they are mere EU "Regions" and will not be "Independent" even after they vote so!....if they ever do that is, Salmond is working for the EU, he will sign the Scotch Region away to Brussels to be ruled, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are nothing but EU Regional assemblies, this Englishman who cant wait to be rid of these bitter jealous and irrelevant little Regions cant wait for them to be signed away to the EU by their respective "First Ministers".

Proud independent nations?, nah, irrelevant little puppet Regions of the EU, THATS whats in store for the Scotch and Welsh Regions, as for £ngland, £ngland needs neither of these Regions OR the EU! - the last laugh will be £nglands i assure you.

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Sisyphus, Bromley says...
6:44pm Wed 27 Aug 08

Hey, it's Anita...or as they call her in Dartford, The Thinker.

Anita wrote: Have now decided when me and the other half retire we are selling up and moving abroad - very sad - too much violence too many immigrants.

Problem: Too many immigrants in your own country.
Solution: Become an immigrant in someone else's.

Genius. When brains were been handed out, Anita was none too near the front of the queue.

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anita, dartford says...
10:48am Fri 29 Aug 08

I maybe an immigrant somewhere else but I will be a well behaved one, I won't go over there and steal, stab or murder anybody or even ponce off their benefit system (if they have one) or use their hospitals free of charge. The necessary insurance will suffice. My family and I have worked all our lives and have our own money - pity some of our immigrants aren't self sufficient coming into another country instead of a "free for all" literally.

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anon, bexleyheath says...
12:09pm Fri 29 Aug 08

Anita - I completely agree with your last 2 comments, I am doing exactly the same, for exact same reason - good luck!

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anita, dartford says...
3:16pm Fri 29 Aug 08

Anon of Bexleyheath. Good luck to you to - I'm going in two months time with a heavy heart, but England is just not the same anymore.

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Sisyphus, Bromley says...
4:24pm Fri 29 Aug 08

anita wrote:
Anon of Bexleyheath. Good luck to you to - I'm going in two months time with a heavy heart, but England is just not the same anymore.

You'll be sorely missed. It's the brain drain.

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lee, Australia says...
8:53pm Fri 29 Aug 08

I left England for Oz 13 years ago and still call myself English, I returned for a holiday in 2005 and was disgusted at the way the Govt has let the country go, England has just become yet another immigrant dumping ground. One good thing about the Aussies is they do their very best to keep all the dole sponging immigrants out. (although now under a Labour Govt now, they are not as good)

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anon, Bexleyheath says...
5:03pm Sat 30 Aug 08

anita wrote:
Anon of Bexleyheath. Good luck to you to - I'm going in two months time with a heavy heart, but England is just not the same anymore.

quote

Thank you anita, unfortunately I will be staying in here for the next year or two but I am already counting down the days!I hate feeling like this about my own country but I have nothing to celebrate in it anymore.Good luck!

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Harry Brown, Bromley says...
9:39am Wed 3 Sep 08

Maybe the immigrant haters who have or are becoming immigrants themselves can tell us whether people in other countries treat them with the same contempt and bigotry as they have treated immigrants here.

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anita, dartford says...
12:13pm Wed 3 Sep 08

Harry from Bromley.
Simple answer to that is no. Believe it or not there are still law-abiding people out there who respect other country's laws and traditions when they visit another country, and have their own money to support themselves when immigrating. I'm not immigrating to sponge off their benefit system, free health-care,or a free council house.

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Sisyphus, Bromley says...
12:14pm Wed 3 Sep 08

anita wrote:
Harry from Bromley. Simple answer to that is no. Believe it or not there are still law-abiding people out there who respect other country's laws and traditions when they visit another country, and have their own money to support themselves when immigrating. I'm not immigrating to sponge off their benefit system, free health-care,or a free council house.

Can you outline what the benefit entitlements are for the different categories of migrants to this country please?

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anita, dartford says...
3:29pm Wed 3 Sep 08

1. Housing Benefit.
2. Council Tax Benefit.
3. Free NHS any time of day and night.
4. Free use of a dentist
5. Free use of a doctor.
6. Free glasses.
7. Child Benefit
8. Income Support
9. Job Seekers
10. Free milk vouchers for babies
11. Free grants for decorating your free home
12.Free prescriptions
13. Free medicines
14. Hospital travel costs.
15. Free Adult Education course.

Need I go on.

These are for most of the immigrants that come into this tiny little island of ours with no money and nowhere to live passing through France, Spain etc. with not a second glance as they know our country will give them everything free, no such luck for any of us that want to live in their country of origin we have to pay.

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Sisyphus, Bromley says...
4:46pm Wed 3 Sep 08

Im not that surprised to find that you actually dont know what benefits migrants can or cannot claim.

Generally, only EU citizens who are in employment or actively seeking work can claim the benefits you mention.

Those from the new EU countries Poland, Czech Republic etc are not entitled to claim until theyve been here for two years, or are in work and are registered, in which case they may be eligible for some benefits child benefit, tax credits, housing benefit after one year.

People from outside the EU can only come here on special work permits and usually cant claim benefits as a result (or dont need to, of course).

Migrants staying for six months or more have a right to register with a GP and use the NHS. Others are treated as private patients.

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Vern, WEST WICKHAM _ ENGLAND says...
9:46pm Wed 3 Sep 08

I am English First - British second. This and previous governments have allowed the country to become diluted with political correctness which means that it has lost its identity.It does not exist anymore. Old fogies cave for a Britain of old - Tea parties,Post Offices that are open,golliwogs on jam jars, a police force not a "service" which is run by a proper copper not a white PC liberal idiot (ironically now being accused of racisim by an exploiting asian man who was not allowed to join the old boys club).Route Master busses, yorkshire pudding,allotments and such like.

What is GB today - traffic congestion,greedy footballers like Lumpard,a gurning Prime Minister and a gimp running the economy who has eyebrows that dont match his hair......A fat bloke running Scotland and Gary Paedo Glitter, the celebration of Big Brother and home grown terrorists bombing the tube............. Yeah Britain is worth celebrating...

not until we get rid of the loonies running the asylum....

Ill get my coat....

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Sisyphus, Bromley says...
12:16am Thu 4 Sep 08

Vern wrote:
I am English First - British second. This and previous governments have allowed the country to become diluted with political correctness which means that it has lost its identity.It does not exist anymore. Old fogies cave for a Britain of old - Tea parties,Post Offices that are open,golliwogs on jam jars, a police force not a "service" which is run by a proper copper not a white PC liberal idiot (ironically now being accused of racisim by an exploiting asian man who was not allowed to join the old boys club).Route Master busses, yorkshire pudding,allotments and such like.

What is GB today - traffic congestion,greedy footballers like Lumpard,a gurning Prime Minister and a gimp running the economy who has eyebrows that dont match his hair......A fat bloke running Scotland and Gary Paedo Glitter, the celebration of Big Brother and home grown terrorists bombing the tube............. Yeah Britain is worth celebrating...

not until we get rid of the loonies running the asylum....

Ill get my coat....

Thanks Vern (how's your nan?) for that invaluable input to the debate.

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sisyphus, Bromley says...
9:08am Thu 4 Sep 08

anita wrote:
1. Housing Benefit.
2. Council Tax Benefit.
3. Free NHS any time of day and night.
4. Free use of a dentist
5. Free use of a doctor.
6. Free glasses.
7. Child Benefit
8. Income Support
9. Job Seekers
10. Free milk vouchers for babies
11. Free grants for decorating your free home
12.Free prescriptions
13. Free medicines
14. Hospital travel costs.
15. Free Adult Education course.

Need I go on.

These are for most of the immigrants that come into this tiny little island of ours with no money and nowhere to live passing through France, Spain etc. with not a second glance as they know our country will give them everything free, no such luck for any of us that want to live in their country of origin we have to pay.

I have to agree after reading todays papers.Our great ,once country is becoming a nations of ill mannered foreigners who have no wish to become British.Their only ambition is to get as many benefits and as much cash as possible from the state.One suggestion I was reading that has some merit is making immigrants sign a pledge to be sterelised on arrival in the UK preventing a further increase in population.This is backed up by the research showing that more immigrants (especially Asian) breed more per capita than the British. This is leading to a burden on services especially the NHS.

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Sisyphus, Bromley says...
10:37am Thu 4 Sep 08

sisyphus wrote:

anita wrote: 1. Housing Benefit. 2. Council Tax Benefit. 3. Free NHS any time of day and night. 4. Free use of a dentist 5. Free use of a doctor. 6. Free glasses. 7. Child Benefit 8. Income Support 9. Job Seekers 10. Free milk vouchers for babies 11. Free grants for decorating your free home 12.Free prescriptions 13. Free medicines 14. Hospital travel costs. 15. Free Adult Education course. Need I go on. These are for most of the immigrants that come into this tiny little island of ours with no money and nowhere to live passing through France, Spain etc. with not a second glance as they know our country will give them everything free, no such luck for any of us that want to live in their country of origin we have to pay.
I have to agree after reading todays papers.Our great ,once country is becoming a nations of ill mannered foreigners who have no wish to become British.Their only ambition is to get as many benefits and as much cash as possible from the state.One suggestion I was reading that has some merit is making immigrants sign a pledge to be sterelised on arrival in the UK preventing a further increase in population.This is backed up by the research showing that more immigrants (especially Asian) breed more per capita than the British. This is leading to a burden on services especially the NHS.

If you're going to pretend to be someone, at least learn how to construct a proper sentence. 1 out of 10, must try much much harder.

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