There was a hideous little piece on the Today programme this morning when Rambling Jim Naughtie introduced A.L.Kennedy (who she, thought I)to talk about Andy Murray.
Andy Murray is Scottish, so is Rambling Jim and so, apparently, is this A.L. Kennedy. Cue a self-reverential piece about how if Andy Murray does well in the first week he will be Scottish (titter) but if he does well in the second week he will be English (titter, titter). If he wins he will become British. Hoorah and more knowing tittering.
What a bag of tartan turds this whole theory is.
Andy Murray is Scottish. He is also British. He will never be English. However, I couldn't give two hoots where he's from. I hope Andy Murray does really well. I hope he wins and if he does I will cheer as loudly as anyone and celebrate his outstanding achievement, which he will richly deserve. I will then boo louder than most when every Scottish rent-a-quote (you can see Alex Salmond's grin from space, you know) tries to hijack his success for their petty national pride.
Put plainly, why can't Andy Murray be both Scottish AND British? Why can't he be equally proud of both? And why can't he represent both identities in his sport? Or was Lewis Hamilton's success last year an 'English' success?
There has been talk of a 'Scottish Six' o'Clock news for years. I wonder if we might get a British Today programme any time soon, one which casts aside national sniping in the interests of actually reporting some news. Some dream...
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Maybe it's because you are English that you don't notice the subtle claiming of the Scots, Welsh or like myself the Northern Irish until we are doing well. I have been Irish, British and back to Irish again in my sporting career.
This is true of Andy when he first rolled up to Wimbledon with his unruley hair he was the young Scot and Tim was the man that all the English fans cheered for. Some were even cheering for Andy's opponents in his games. Not now it would seem.
And most Scots support any other team when England play football. People are not perfect and the Scottish seem uniquely to have a visceral hatred of the English which is not reciprocated by us.
When Andy Murray first started he was a young, unpolished player and Tim Henman was our best hope of getting a championship. He is Scottish so he was referred to as a Scot. Is that wrong? Should we never refer to Scots as Scots?
He remains a Scot and, as far as I can recall, Scotland has been a part of the UK for a good few hundred years so why can't he be both Scottish and British?
I am both English and British and it doesn't cause me any difficulty.
This is the trouble I have with the whole 'nations' business: it is a victim mentality rather than a positive celebration of multiple identities and the article on the Today programme this morning fell squarely into this definition.
When will the Scots move on to a more positive relationship?
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