Abstract
Jeremy Paxman in his book entitled ?The English: A Portrait of a People', reveals a fact that appears to be nonsense. He says that the proud English people do not have strong national symbols. Worse, they have rejected the few existing patriotic ones, such as the Tudor rose, St George's Cross or the "Land of Glory" anthem. How can we explain this paradox? After the presentation of the few English national symbols, our attempt to understand this paucity will lead us to another problematic observation. We realize that the Englishmen have claimed as "national" the symbols invented by the British. In a historic context, the reinforcement of the invented UK identity and a similarity-distinction perspective reveals some aspects of the English character. It emerges as a population wedged between its strong patriotic neighbors and touches upon its special relationship with the Unites States of America.
