Why Lionesses saying they're ‘proud to be English' could get them arrested in Keir Starmer's woke police state

The Irish Sun

2 days ago

IN the afterglow of shooting the ­Lionesses to Euros victory, striker Chloe Kelly told the watching world: 'I'm so proud to be English!'
For a player from Scotland,
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Hopefully Keir Starmer's new social media policing will not trouble our new net queen, hero goalie Hannah Hampton, who evoked her Englishness in a post-match interview
Credit: Getty
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In the afterglow of shooting the Lionesses to Euros victory, striker Chloe Kelly told the watching world: 'I'm so proud to be English!'
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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As Chloe and Hanna showed rare public pride in England — it was a striking moment in today's cautious national climate
Credit: Getty
Here in England it sparked a social media frenzy.
Some half-jokingly wondered whether such publicly avowed patriotism would elicit a knock on the door from cops.
One X user posted a picture of officers on a door camera with the caption: 'Hi
Posters were referencing the new elite police squad set up by the Home Office to
summer
of riots.
As we see time and time again, expressing a love for England and displaying a
So we shall watch and wait to see who gets caught up in this new net.
Hopefully it wil not trouble our new net queen, hero goalie
'We've shown during this tournament that we can come back when we go a goal down, we have that grit, we've got English blood in us,' she told TV viewers.
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That two young women — part of a diverse team that reflects ­modern England — were happy to express pride in their homeland should be a wake-up call to our nation's elite, falling over themselves to praise
This new flowering of Englishness comes in an era where it's become fashionable to talk the country down and smother it with colonial guilt.
Chloe Kelly completes Lionesses' greatest comeback yet to retain Euros title
Many on the metropolitan left in Britain have long had a sneering disdain for the emblems of the nation.
In 2014, Dame Emily Thornberry's snobby tweet of a Medway home with England flags flying and a white van in the drive saw her resign from the then Labour Shadow ­Cabinet.
The following year fellow Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn, who was then Labour's leader, failed to sing the National Anthem at a service to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Not only did it appear an affront to the memory of 'The Few' — those who had lost their lives in the history-defining ­conflict — it was also bad ­politics.
This new flowering of Englishness comes in an era where it's become fashionable to talk the country down and smother it with colonial guilt
Labour signalled that it was drifting away from its traditional, patriotic ­working-class base who loved their country, their flag, their monarchy and their football team.
Sir Keir Starmer recognised Labour's patriotic deficit late in the day, the piping up about his pride in the nation and ­instigating the singing of the National Anthem at party conference.
Later, Corbyn, now in the throes of setting up a new hard left party (don't expect it to have a Union Jack emblem), called singing God Save The King at Labour's annual get-together 'very, very odd'.
Such sentiments drove away ­voters in the so-called 'red wall' ­constituencies in the north.
Little wonder that as the Starmer project flounders, Reform UK — unafraid to fly the flag — have now found fertile ground in once Labour heartlands.
English patriotism has long hid its light under a bushel — not helped by the St George Cross being adopted by far-right knuckle draggers like the English Defence League.
Compare the comparably muted St George's Day celebrations to the green carnival of St Patrick's Day. In America, with a bloody
history
to rival Britain's, Old Glory is hung from garden flag poles across the land, whether the owner is Republican or Democrat.
Some argue that our patriotic reserve is part of the essence of Englishness.
Chloe and Hannah showed the world they were gutsy, skilled, confident, joyous — and proud to be English
Yet,
It was remarkable for being such a rarity in English public life.
Former Government special adviser James Price wrote on X: 'I haven't heard anyone on telly say that about England in so long.
'For all the sneering from some quarters, that's just such a wonderful thing to hear. Much more of this please, in all kinds of arenas.'
Much has been made of the British — as well as English — preoccupation with our victorious role in World War Two.
Yet, standing alone against Nazi
Germany
— real fascists not someone misgendering you on social media — was a crowning achievement of the British Empire, with theatres of war in Africa and Asia as well as Europe.
Swell with pride
The number of red poppies displayed on St George flags is testimony to how important it remains to our national story.
After the war — under Clement Attlee's Labour government — a sense of patriotic purpose and unity helped rebuild Britain.
A shared togetherness can work wonders for the economy and the national mood.
Remember Cool Britannia in the 1990s when the nation revelled in its identity? It was a soft
power
and financial winner.
Everyone has their own sense of Englishness in a land that produced the likes of
For some it's rolling moorlands of the Pennines and
Cumbria
, others might choose dining out on chicken tikka masala or dancing to dub reggae at the Notting Hill Carnival.
Many will swell with pride re-watching
the Queen
.
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Now the Lionesses have roared and added their story to our national identity.
Chloe and Hannah showed the world they were gutsy, skilled, confident, joyous — and proud to be English.
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Keir's Labour signalled that it was drifting away from its traditional, patriotic ­working-class base who loved their country, their flag, their monarchy and their football team
Credit: AFP
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Remember Cool Britannia in the 1990s when the nation revelled in its identity? It was a soft power and financial winner
Credit: EPA
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Englishness means different things to different people — from rolling moors to chicken tikka masala and the vibrant beats of Notting Hill Carnival
Credit: Shutterstock