Progressive Patriot: A Search for Belonging

What does it mean to be English? What does it mean to be British? Does the rise in popularity of the St George's flag represent a new beginning or symbolize the return of the far right? Is the Union Jack too soaked in the blood of empire to be the emblem of a modern multicultural state? In a country in which all of us are born under two flags, what does it mean to be a patriot? In 2006, Billy Bragg saw his home town become the front line in the debate over who does and does not belong in twenty-first-century Britain an apparent reaction to the terror attacks on London of 7 July 2005, when four British citizens from the immigrant community killed fifty-two innocent people and injured many more. This book is an urgent, eloquent and passionate response to these events.Reflecting on his family history and revisiting the music that inspired him, Billy Bragg pits his own values against those of traditional Britishness in a search for a sense of belonging that is accessible to all and in so doing, offers positive hope to a nation no longer sure of its own identity. 'An intriguing and timely book, which opens a new angle on the debate of what it means to be British and a patriot' Daily Express 'Whatever your views, there is much to be inspired by here' Sunday TelegraphBragg, Billy is the author of 'Progressive Patriot: A Search for Belonging', published 2007 under ISBN 9780552772426 and ISBN 0552772429.