My impressions of the UK

By Dr. Winston Morris, Contributor

I HAVE lived in Britain for 32 years now, and I have decided to set down something of the ways in which I have been struck by life in an old but great country and to indicate how those ways differ from those in the island society from which I come.

The first thing I noticed was that people in Britain spent a lot of money but somehow it did not seem to show. One had never, in any case, associated the British with stylish and elegant living. But it must be made clear that there are Britons who love the good things of life.

The second thing which struck me was that the system encouraged people to lean on and use the facilities provided by the community (socialism). I eventually learnt what it means to say that Britain is a Welfare State which is a system that undertakes to provide for the health and well-being of the individual through grants, pensions and benefits. Jamaicans have to be self-reliant. Only paupers can expect to receive from public funds. Lady Thatcher reformed the Welfare State so as to make people less dependent on the state by abolishing some universal benefits.

But the question which interests many people who are non-white is how coloured people fare in a society which is predominantly white. I will answer it by saying that dark-skinned people can live a happy and successful life in Britain. The government is committed to good race relations. There is greater tolerance than I thought there would be. The authorities bend over backwards to accommodate foreigners. They say that there is to be no colour bar. Black people must have the same opportunities as white people.

They care about black people: some years ago in Parliament the question was raised about the under-achieving of black children in school. The authorities are concerned about the under-presentation of black people in some areas of national life, e.g. according to one statistic, only one black Briton in a hundred goes to university. Some don't think that it has to do with race or colour, but because most black children come from poor homes.

I have finally come to the conclusion that Britain is indeed a democracy, in the sense that it is ultimately governed by the people.

Crack the whip

Life revolves around the people. The people crack the whip, call the shots and write the agenda. They tell government Ministers and professionals how to do their work. They tell preachers what they want to hear. They tell the Queen what changes she must make to the monarchy if she wants to remain in business as monarch of the Kingdom.

The people are socially and politically educated. That, sadly, is not the case with many people in some Third World countries. Jamaica has been described as an authoritarian society, by one Scotsman. It is our style to follow the leader and not expect the leader to follow us.

British young people are not under the same pressure as West Indies to leave school with formal qualification. In Britain, the stress is not on the academic and life revolves around more than one centre. You don't even need one O' Level to get, let us say into acting (films). Easy does it, might well be the motto in Britain. No pushing is necessary. People will succeed naturally. People don't seem to make the same effort that we in Jamaica understand we must make with regard to studying, yet Britons pass examination.

The experts say you can't expect this and you can't expect that. We in Jamaica expect it. Britons seem prepared to juggle several interests and not focus on just one. They don't feel they have to give up anything to excel. Who needs a degree? You just need to be born with two arms and two legs! Life will educate you.

There is something which fills me with dismay. I am glad I am not a British mother with a young child and without a car when it comes to doing the shopping. I often see a mother at the bus stop with a toddler in a pushchair or pram. She must hold the child with one arm and fold the pushchair with the other. She must then get all of that plus bags of shopping on to the bus. There is no maid at home with whom the child can be left as has tended to be the case in Jamaica.

I used to view with disgust the frequent fouling of pavements (by the side of the road for use of pedestrians). Dogs have to be carried on a leash but when they wish to relieve themselves the owners allow them to do so on the pavement and it is just left there.

There has been an improvement within recent years, I am happy to report, because the law now says that owners of dogs must clean up after them or face a fine of 50 pounds if they are caught.

But what are the English people really like? What stands out is that they are nice to people. They speak nicely to you. By and large, I have been well treated.

It is true that the English are not initially as outgoing as other races. They say the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish are different in that respect. Very often I have found that if I meet and engage in conversation an English person one evening and run into them next day in town, they won't even acknowledge me even with a nod of the head. As one American gentleman puts it: "They disintroduce themselves." But they can be warm-hearted and sincere when you really get to know them. I don't think they should be described as cold. I have heard it said that they are shy.

Are they tight with money? That is the impression they have given many people. But this needs to be balanced by the fact that if there is a disaster anywhere in the world, they will open their hand and give generously.

They seem to live to take holidays. They take nothing lying down. The individual will fight a case beyond the House of Lords (the highest court in England) to the international courts of Europe. People seem to do nothing more than call for public enquiries and for the resignation of officials if things don't go right.

The British have an indomitable spirit as is seen in the refusal of the Queen Mother to take things easy despite her great age. People are determined to die on their feet. It is this refusal to accept defeat which has probably won Britain wars in the past. Speaking of the past, I think that the British are obsessed with it when you consider the numerous museums there are. But then Britain is an old country. The Queen can trace her line back over 900 years. The Roman general Agricola set up camp in A.D. 79, in Manchester, where I now live.

What about the food and the weather? Many people in the world regard British cooking as plain saying that Britons don't know how to cook. Quite apart from the fact that Britain has several good television chefs, there are quite a few Britain dishes that I find tasty. As for the weather, it remains true that it is unpredictable. Many Britons curse it, but nice fine weather is possible but sadly it does not last. Within recent years we have been having mild winters.

Although Britain remains a great country, she certainly is not perfect. An estimated six million people have difficulty with reading and writing (the UK population is put by some at 57 million). What saddens and perplexes me is that in a country where medical science is so advanced one person in four is crippled or disabled. That advanced Britain is not perfect has made it easier for me to accept myself and the Jamaican people with all our weaknesses.

All in all, the British are a remarkable people: polite, hospitable, relaxed, very humorous, forgiving, confident - basically happy and contented.

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