I love this country although I wasn’t born here, since Johannesburg, South Africa, is my birthplace.
That said, I think the British are so good at what they do, that their instinctive modesty prevents them from crowing their many virtues.
We are an understated people, where our Prime Minister (who is effectively the Head of State, if you ignore the King as the titular Head) lives in a three-bedroom, modest apartment, buried in a terraced house in Downing Street.
No other Prime Minister/President would live in such modest living quarters, where the wallpaper of the tired décor has to be paid for personally by the Prime Minister and they are driven to all occasions, in the most modern, mundane and bland saloon car.
TEMPLE TO AVARICE
Instead, in other countries, a palace or some other temple to avarice is the place of residence for the Republic and the mode of transport for them is the most opulent car that either the country produces or can get its hand on.
On the QT, I understand, on good authority, that the First Lady, Michelle Obama, adorned herself with at least 20 housekeepers all fluttering around her like the Queen of Sheba, attending to her every need.
“When Prime Minister Cameron was on the terrace he was overheard saying take two steaks from the freezer.”
In sharp contrast, when Prime Minister Cameron was on the terrace of Queenwood Golf Club (against all the rules I hasten to add) whilst on the telephone to his wife Samantha, he was overheard saying: “I’ll be back in about a couple of hours, take two steaks from the freezer for dinner” and this exemplifies the difference!
PRESIDENT TRUMP
I have a home in Palm Beach, Florida, and I remember one time that I looked in amazement when President Trump’s entourage arrived from its short journey to Mar-a-Lago from the airport. There were two enormous black limousines, flanked by a hundred or so police outriders and all for such a short one-mile journey.
I told the policeman at the time (who was holding up a three mile stretch of an eight-lane carriageway) that our Monarch, who has a thousand-year lineage, drives himself and has a policeman on a bicycle for security by comparison!
DIFFERENT STROKES
In the UK a medical student, who spends 18 years studying and practising surgery is happily demoted to the term Mr. and never Doctor, as is the case elsewhere in the world.
What’s more, if you called your surgeon, inappropriately, Doctor, he/she would immediately correct you.
This unique self-deprecation and modesty are what makes the British so endearing and differentiates us from other countries.
GREATEST CITY
The capital, London, is the greatest city on earth for a multiplicity of reasons.
It is not only geo-politically convenient to the rest of the world but it is a safe, tranquil and a beautiful city with 45% of green open spaces for recreation.
All the centres of excellence are in one place and it’s the happening, cutting edge city for many cultures and industries.
Despite governmental attempts to tax non-Dom, international residents, they still flock to the capital, since there is no other city in the world which comes close to providing the wealth of attractions, on so many levels.
HAMPSTEAD AND HIGHGATE
By way of illustration, you can buy a property in Hampstead, with up to 11 acres of land (which effectively renders it a country estate), yet it is within 15 minutes of the centre of London and nestled between two medieval villages of Hampstead and Highgate.
Two golf courses are within walking distance and these unique facilities are not present in any other metropolis of the globe.
Despite the socialistic instincts of the present government, as exemplified in the recent Budget, more people want to come to London than want to leave, and for many good reasons.
ENGLISH HERITAGE
Invariably the second or third home of every Monarch, President, Prime Minister, Potentate, Sheik, Chief, diplomat, or Sultan have a home in the UK and this, to them, represents a piece of English heritage. A good deal of these individuals have been educated in the UK and share the love of English literature and the culture of the country.
Britain, at the turn of the last century had an empire of 500 million people throughout the world and as such, shared its culture, judiciary, and customs with many far-flung places.
MARITIME LAW
It is no accident therefore, that all maritime law is English law, Greenwich Meantime is the worldwide measure and English is the common language.
We may be the fifth/sixth largest economic nation, but if you add the soft to hard power, we are in the top three, hence why China is spending an unprecedented £800 million on their new embassy in London. I wonder why?
Personally, I am delighted that the UK left the clutches of Europe and in the medium to long term, as long as Brexit is properly implemented, we will never look back.
Once upon a time, Europe had a population size and a similar GDP, to that of the USA and due to the dynamism of the latter and the lethargy of the former, Europe is significantly economically smaller today, with double the unemployment rate.
Even though modesty prevents us from trumpeting our virtues, they are there for all to see and appreciate and is why we should be so grateful and privileged to live in this ‘green and pleasant land’.
Hark, do I hear the verses of the glorious hymn Jerusalem? It still gives me goosebumps!
Trevor Abrahmsohn is Founder and Director of Glentree International
