Fishburn Hedges

07.07.2010

One of the multitude of events at Editorial Intelligence’s Brand New Britain examined whether we Brits are much trusted abroad.  It’s a topic I’ve touched on in a past post and sits within the context of the new government’s avowedly less ambitious foreign policy. Happily there was a fair amount of disagreement amongst the panellists.  All agreed that Britain’s military exploits in Iraq and Afghanistan had demonstrated the limits of its powers.  But Bronwen Maddox, chief foreign commentator at The Times, cited the government’s pledge on international aid as example of Britain showing leadership of a different kind, and something that would undoubtedly help create a distinctive brand for 'Britain.' Where the debate did catch fire was on whether Britain really carried any moral weight.  Philippe Sands, Professor of International Law at University College London, put it that Britain no longer has a major role in world affairs, and that it lost its reputation for integrity and pragmatism over Iraq.  Others, such as Anthony Seldon (the famous historian and biographer of Tony Blair), gave passionate defences of ‘the British way of doing things’ – the efficient civil service, the relatively high standards of ethics – as something that would withstand such foreign policy blunders. But what I took out of the discussion was that those who cited these legitimately-called strengths were also guilty of failing to look at Britain from the outside in.  Standing back, you can’t help but feel that other countries are noting the financial collapse, austerity packages and military failings and are asking whether they should be listening to Britain any more.  And if this is the case, it makes branding Britain a little tricky. This might feel like a somewhat depressing conclusion, but it need not be.  The strengths Anthony Seldon cited will continue to set Britain apart from other nations, and could form the backbone of a new brand for Britain, but perhaps what is most needed is a more humble and less know-it-all tone in the communications of British government, businesses and NGOs. We also should not forget the significant cultural role that Britain continues to play.  And as Martin Davidson, the Chief Executive of the British Council, pointed out, so long as English remains the pre-dominate global language, we have an advantage that most other countries (the French?) would die for. Posted by Paul Raeburn