I'M LEAVING BRITAIN BUT I'LL MISS THESE THINGS! DOES THAT MAKE ME A WAYCIST?!

I'M LEAVING BRITAIN BUT I'LL MISS THESE THINGS! DOES THAT MAKE ME A WAYCIST?!

#JonGaunt #JonGauntTV #LeavingBritain #EnglishCulture #ProudToBeEnglish #EnglishVillage #BritishIdentity #EnglishTraditions

I'm leaving Britain. I've had a bellyful of what this country is becoming. But this morning I was reminded that the England I love is still alive and kicking. And I'm bloody furious that we've lost so much of it elsewhere! I'm dog sitting for my daughter in a beautiful little English village.

Took the dog for a walk and everybody said hello. Well, actually, they said hello to the dog. A bloke was repairing an old Cotswold stone wall. The local market was packing up. The pub was opening. People were chatting, smiling and getting on with their lives.

Then we got to the funeral directors. The bloody dog sat down outside and refused to move! Why? Because he knew the lady inside would come out, give him a stroke and offer him a biscuit! Even the funeral director knows the dog!

THIS IS ENGLAND. NOT SOME NOSTALGIC FANTASY. NOT A PICTURE POSTCARD FROM THE PAST. REAL ENGLAND, HERE AND NOW!

And that's what made me angry. Because this sense of community, belonging and shared identity still exists. But we've lost so much of it in our bigger towns and cities. Why? And who's responsible?

Then I remembered Labour minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter linking warm ale, black Labradors and country pubs to what she called a "very far-right nostalgic vision of Britain". What a load of absolute cobblers! Of course, after the backlash, she was suddenly explaining how much she loved pubs and Labradors herself. Well, Jenny, I've got news for you.

THIS ENGLAND DOES EXIST! I'VE JUST WALKED THROUGH IT!

And there's nothing racist or far right about loving it, defending it or wanting to bring it back to the parts of Britain where we've lost that sense of community.

The Chinese takeaway owner knows the dog. The Turkish barber waved hello. The African bloke running the coffee shop plays the coolest music this side of Oxford.

That's not some government diversity initiative. That's people living together in a community that has a character, a history and a shared sense of belonging.