I love my country. I love English Breakfast, tea and scones (cream on first). I love going to the pub with my friends, whether it be on a blustery winter day or in a summer beer garden. Which reminds me, I love all our quirky English customs, like how we talk about the weather, with us witnessing intense levels of rain recently as a result of climate change. I love the diversity and relatively liberal attitudes in modern day Britain, as well as the BBC and the NHS. True, there are things I strongly dislike about British society, such as our colonial history, Brexit and the class system, epitomised by the monarchy. However, all in all, I am proud to be British.
Since studying Nationalism and reflecting on the rise of Reform in A-Level politics, I have been considering when patriotism crosses the line into jingoism or chauvinism – an idea explored in ‘Flag’, a poem I love by the Welsh poet, Owen Sheers. What sprang to mind was the flags I have seen in my local area, dancing feverishly on lampposts in the wind. I thought of the shocking example of the rape threats received by Labour councillor Sarah Chambers following Derby council’s decision to remove the flags hung in the public, illustrating how Raise the Colours promotes violent thuggery towards women and minorities, the polar opposite of the British values of respect and tolerance.
However, I also considered ways that we can positively channel our patriotism, particularly because I believe that people are nervous to express what they love about the UK in fear of being mistaken for someone who sneaks out at night with a ladder and cans of red and white paint. What immediately springs to mind is the UK’s potential within the environmental sector. Historically, Britain’s environmental potential was celebrated regardless of your political leaning, evidenced by the Climate Change Act being passed in 2008 with cross-party backing. This feels like an alien prospect in 2025, with increased polarisation and conspiracy theories surrounding climate change.
Despite this, the facts illustrating the UK’s capability as an environmental game changer remain the same. For instance, it is predicted that by 2030 there will be one million jobs in the green energy sector, a powerful source of hope after announcements that unemployment has risen to 5.2 per cent. There are also plans to restore 250,000 acres of peatlands by 2050, which could significantly reduce emissions, given peatlands store around 3 billion tonnes of carbon and are home to some of the UK’s rarest biodiversity.
Once more, the government is investing in floating wind farms and compressed air energy storage, giving us an opportunity to become world leaders in tidal energy. With Trump’s illegal war in the Middle East, it’s more important than ever to invest in renewable energy and recognise the impact our country can have. Here in the UK, 600,000 heat pumps are being installed annually up to 2028, highlighting our positive potential environmentally, the extra investment being particularly marked given that in 2022, only 35,000 were installed to replace gas boilers.
Even more impressive is the progress the UK has made to decarbonise over the last couple of decades, although much more change is vital. We have the largest offshore wind market globally, powering over ten million homes using over 14 gigawatts of operational offshore wind capacity. Another positive change is seen in the increase in electric vehicle purchases. In 2023, these made up 20 per cent of new car sales, a drastic increase from how just eight years previously, when only 1 per cent of vehicle purchases were electric cars.
Investment in green technology is helping to fuel the economy: in 2025 the UK’s renewable energy market was valued at £22.3bn , so next time someone argues that environmental growth is too expensive for our country, think otherwise. Finally, progress is being made in restoring our beautiful and unique landscape, with 300,000 trees being planted annually as part of the Nature Recovery Network.
It can feel difficult to be positive about our national identity when people are vandalising our British values in the same way they are vandalising our public spaces with tongues of red and white paint. However, we have lots to celebrate when considering our progress as a green energy superpower, which I believe is an important focus, because if people feel proud and confident in their country’s potential, they are more likely to welcome a green energy transition. We have more strength in unity instead of division.
I hope you found this an interesting and informative read, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the issue! Feel free to send me an email (my address is mayrosepuckey@gmail.com) or contact me on Instagram or Substack (@maypuckey).
