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The Inclusivity Policy of a British School

—on a 12-year-old student in Britain being barred from making
a speech about being British on Culture Celebration Day

Celebrate your race with jubilation.
Flaunt your flag with fervent glee and grit.
Revel with elation in your nation—
But not if you’re a lousy little Brit.

Crow about your customs with conviction.
Your culture is a captivating hit—
Unless of course you’re cursed with the affliction
Of being born a boring, two-bit Brit.

Gleam in garb that hollers patriotic.
Prance with pride and shimmer in your kit.
Such swagger will be lauded as exotic—
But only if you’re not a lowly Brit.

Blast your roaring anthem of devotion
In notes that soar where scores of angels flit.
Praise with haughty warbles of emotion—
But not if you’re a worthless, wretched Brit.

You have the front to wave a Union Jack?
Make sure you watch your treasonous British back!

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Susan Jarvis Bryant is a poet originally from the U.K., now living on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

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37 Responses

  1. Mark Stellinga

    Susan, Connie & I, too, are extremely disheartened by the surge of ‘anti-American’ born-an’-raised-Americans (??) we now encounter so much more often than when we were in our teens (the 60s) – and am not at all surprised that you, as well, are feeling so rejected, so alienated by, and so resentful of a rapidly growing number of your fellow Brits. Thankfully, what’s most important is that we poets know that we’re right about what we write about – as YOU’ve always been and are with this little fireball.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Mark, thank you very much for reading and commenting on a tough poem to write. You are quite right to point out the “surge ‘anti-American’ born-an’-raised-Americans” – I believe Americans who are openly proud of their culture are experiencing similar disdain.

      Reply
      • Mark Stellinga

        Disdain AND despair… but every day or two some new pod-caster brightens our perspective on where we’re headed with a genuine ‘Fixer’ now back in charge. 🙂

      • Susan Jarvis Bryant

        Mark, I love those rays of sunshine illuminating bleak corners. I too believe storm clouds have silver linings… I’m just horribly skeptical when it comes to trusting those we’re told are in charge.

    • Scharlie Meeuws

      A Rhyming Review

      A cracking verse, so dry and bold,
      It’s satire dipped in English gold.
      With rhyme that bites and wit that stings,
      It dares to say unfashionable things.
      A Union Jack, a school-time slight –
      You waved the flag, and wrote it right.

      Reply
      • Susan Jarvis Bryant

        Scharlie, what an honour to receive a comment in appreciative, encouraging, and highly amusing poetry. I thank you wholeheartedly for this gift.

  2. Joseph S. Salemi

    The plain fact is this: If you are a white British subject of English or other European descent, you are a third-class citizen in your native land, with carefully circumscribed rights. Anyone who denies this is a bare-faced liar.

    This situation does not change, no matter what political party rules in the House of Commons. And if you make any kind of public stink about it all, you will be visited by the constabulary, arrested, hit with a fine and/or imprisonment, and sacked from your employment. The British Deep State makes use of the police for ideological enforcement, just as Heinrich Himmler made use of the Gestapo in Nazi Germany.

    Does anyone even remember what Enoch Powell said would happen to Britain? Well, it has happened. And the entire educational, cultural, and journalistic establishment of the U.K. is completely at home with it all.

    If Susan had published this piece in the British Isles, she would have been vilified, cancelled, and perhaps worse.

    Winston Churchill must be turning over in his grave.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Joe, your honest comment says it all clearly, concisely, and courageously. After your reminder of Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech, I researched how much of his prophetic speech had come true. The results are astounding. Britain was warned. Powell was demonized and now a blind eye and a deaf ear are turned while crimes that were unthinkable a few decades ago are brushed under the carpet for fear of offending a protected class of criminal offenders. How insane is that? I know my grandparents are turning in their graves – all they fought for is lost. Joe, thank you!

      Reply
  3. Martin Briggs

    Thank you for this, Susan: a worthwhile statement well made.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Martin, thank you very much indeed for your kind words of encouragement.

      Reply
  4. Roy Eugene Peterson

    What a sad commentary on what has happened in Great Britain. Your zingers were perfect stingers! Now if that poem can somehow make to the British Isles!

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Thank you, Roy. There are a few Brits on this site and I know there are many standing up for what is right. It’s a tough fight when the government turns against its own citizens. I believe this is a global dilemma, sadly.

      Reply
  5. Cynthia L Erlandson

    Well said, Susan. When any anti-Brit, anti-American, or anti-Christian group claims for themselves an “identity”, and begins by “just asking for tolerance and inclusivity”, they will not stop there. What they aim for as an end is INtolerance towards the original inhabitants, and to EXclude the original inhabitants from (wrong and previously unpracticed?) rights and privileges they claim for only themselves. Perhaps it might have helped things if the king hadn’t apparently converted to an anti-Brit, anti-Christian religion.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Cynthia, you make an excellent and very true point on the “INtolerance” front. The world is rife with faux-virtue which serves up the complete opposite of what it promises. As for defender-of-faiths Charlie, over the pond – as the British monarch he is meant to be the Defender of THE Faith – the Christian faith. As far as I’m concerned, his crown has just toppled off. Globalists are aiming for a one-world religion. It looks as if he’s leading the way the ideological altar. Cynthia, thank you very much indeed!

      Reply
  6. Brian Yapko

    Susan, this poem manages to break my heart into a hundred pieces even as it inspires profound rage. To think that so many British people have been taught to feel shame for their astonishingly accomplished culture sickens me. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Edmond Halley, Lord Nelson, Gainesborough, William Wilberforce, W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan, Winston Churchill — the nation that brought us Magna Carta, the beautiful language of the King James Bible, the plays of Shaw, the economic insights of Adam Smith, the philosophy of John Locke. The culture that brought us everything from the Loch Ness monster to Harry Potter, not to mention Excalibur, the Round Table, the mysteries of Stonehenge, the beauty of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the valor of Dunkirk. I have the deepest animus for the fool who would disparage British culture and would instill shame in its children. And — I apologize in advance — I am furious with those Brits who opened their doors and their minds so completely that they’ve sabotaged everything that they have accomplished. I’m working right now on a poem called “Europe Presides Over Its Own Autopsy.” Unfortunately, Britain looms front and center in that piece. But it didn’t have to be this way. If someone over there would grow a pair, it still doesn’t.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Brian, your eloquent and passionate comment is just the sort of reaction I hoped my poem would bring. Life on earth comes with mistakes and marvels and every culture experiences both… but only some cultures get to celebrate their marvels while others have mud slung at them for their mistakes. And the status of each culture is chosen by those who govern with an iron fist. This poem called to me, simply because it was a child who face the full force of the mudslinging for promoting a culture that’s been politicized and demonized – the culture this bullied girl lives and breathes, the culture belonging to the land her shaming and shameful school was built on. This young girl represents every child singled out and ostracized for being considered less-than by those with the power to build confidence and promote independent thinking, not crush it. Brian, thank you very much, and I look forward to reading “Europe Presides Over Its Own Autopsy” – what a powerful title!

      Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      I truly believe it has come to this, Cheryl. The heartbreak of it is that many are glad because they’ve gone through the education system my poem speaks of – one that teaches children to blame their country, their culture, and their elders for the evils of the world.

      Reply
  8. Edward Hayes

    Ms. Jarvis,
    The poem is excellent; its message, to this 63rd generation American of English descent, devasting. I am editing a lengthy collection of mine which betrays my feelings about England: a section with six on England, and another six written in Kipling’s style and memorializing him ( one of my few published in 1998 by the Kipling Society, London). One is entitled “A Lady Not for Burning. For Margaret Thatcher”; a second, “What is the Grandest Name of All?” (answer: “Churchill, Churchill, Churchill!”); a third, “Runnymead Revisited”, snaps: “England! Where do the inksteps wind? / Take hard stock, ahead behind / Before you disappear from time / All compassless from Runnymead! / Would you, to Europe, empty out / Your very being? Your battle shout? / Has all the Saxon fire gone out / Forever, from bright Runnymead?”
    I expect to finish my editing– of a lifetime’s work — in late summer or early fall. I belong to the SCP; it has printed several of mine. Mr. Mantyk has been ever encouraging.
    I would like to send you my completed collection for your enjoyment. Your poem has struck a chord.

    Sincerely,
    Edward C. Hayes
    PhD political science
    1967, Berkeley

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Dr. Hayes, thank you very much indeed for your appreciative and encouraging comment. I am thrilled you like my poem. I needed to get this sad message across in a way I thought would make the most impact, and for me that’s satirical poetry.

      I wish you every success with the editing process and publication of your book. I am most intrigued by your work having lived in England for most of my life. I am drawn to the enticing array of clever titles you have offered, but I particularly like, “A Lady Not for Burning” – what a formidable force Margaret Thatcher was. I was just old enough to vote when she was elected and very excited by her relationship with Reagan and Gorbachev. I was cradling my baby son in my arms as I watched the Berlin Wall come down on TV with tears streaming down my face… a day I will never forget.

      Thank you for your kind offer. I very much look forward to reading your book.

      Reply
  9. Gigi Ryan

    Dear Susan,
    My favorite source of current events is the SCP! Thank you for bringing this situation to my attention in this delightful poem. Though the subject is exasperating and heartbreaking, you still share the news with beautiful expression. My favorite line is, “Of being born a boring, two-bit Brit.”
    Gigi

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Gigi, thank you very much for reading and for such a great comment. Like you, I much prefer to have the news reach me via poetry than the mainstream media… I find it far more reliable. I’m glad you like my alliterative outburst and will admit to smiling as I wrote your favorite line, and a smile is essential to my equilibrium in days of chaos. I appreciate your kind words of encouragement.

      Reply
  10. James Sale

    Thanks Susan – great writing: “Of being born a boring, two-bit Brit.” has got to be a prize winning line for alliteration of the decade! As for the content – I am sure you can imagine just how evil and oppressive it is in the UK just now; and how nauseating it was seeing our PM lick the a**e of Macron and slight our greatest ally, Trump. Truly, we are in a terrible downward spin; I do sometimes think of emigrating myself – do you know whether Evan has got a spare room in his house? A large cupboard will do …

    Reply
    • Mia

      I am first in the queue though, I asked a while back.
      I don’t know about a cupboard though, perhaps an attic or a barn somewhere …
      It is good to joke as I have been too sad to even write a comment for this brilliant poem. No I lie, I have written many but have deleted them all. That is where we are at the moment.

      Reply
      • Susan Jarvis Bryant

        Mia, I am so sorry you’ve been feeling sad, though I can fully appreciate why. There are changes here too that I am certainly not happy with, but my heart bleeds for my homeland, which is becoming more unrecognizable by the day. Your comments are always welcome and thank you very much for your kind words on my poem.

    • Brian Yapko

      Susan could easily teach a masterclass in effective alliteration.
      As for leaving the U.K., you should think about the free state of Florida, James, where — as Governor DeSantis puts it — “woke goes to die.” Plus palm trees, alligators, key lime pie and some splendid views of the Gulf of America! Much to love.

      Reply
      • James Sale

        Thanks Brian – those alligators sound great!!! But the key thing is – friendship, so knowing you are close would be a huge benefit. Thanks – but I haven’t yet quite reached the critical point, and I have a son and new granddaughter living close by in England – that would be tough!

    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      It’s always lovely to hear from you, James, especially when you approve of a poem on the plight of my fellow Brits. Thank you! The last time I visited my homeland was twice in 2023, and I was shocked by the changes. I feel for my friends, my family, and all those trying hard to fight a seemingly impossible war against an increasingly insane government. Your presence would be a gleaming gift over here. I can hear Evan rolling out a red carpet to his large cupboard as I type… or what about Brian’s suggestion? How can one refuse the draw of palm trees, alligators, and key lime pie?… and then there’s the wild, coastal plains of Texas with smoked brisket on the breeze and cacti and cowboys on the horizon?

      Reply
      • James Sale

        Gee, Susan, it sounds more and more tempting – that red carpet of Evan’s, that large cupboard, and then key lime pie, and my wife has always had a thing about Texas. We really must go there anyway – if/when we do, I’ll call on you!!!

      • Susan Jarvis Bryant

        James, I know you have come to realize through my poetry that I am a proponent of the brutal truth. Well, here it is straight from a little fishing town on the coastal plains of Texas. I left my job at a local church because its teachings were political not biblical – the same for most Texas churches. DEI is in our workplaces and preferred pronouns and porn are in our schools. 2020 was the same here as it was in the UK and Europe – the Covid protocols killed many here and a friend’s husband in England was murdered in exactly the same circumstances as a friend’s husband here – intubation and a cocktail of dangerous drugs. We’re still pushing vaccines for the elderly and vulnerable after the dangers have been declared and (unbelievably) two new mRNA jabs have been approved for children six years and up since Trump came to power, even though we know children don’t need them. Babies of six months old from our town were experimented on with mRNA technology. Mike and I stood against this. Not one big name has been arrested for these atrocities, the big cities are rife with crime, and we have a legal system that is broken. Many promises are being made just as they have been by every leader in the Western world, and every citizen of the Western world has to battle a corrupt mainstream media to get to the truth. I don’t believe Trump will save us from the communist clutches of the globalists – we lost the war in 2020. I believe it’s not where you live, it’s how you live that matters, and things need to change in local communities. The new global government is our enemy, not our friend… and Trump, whether good or bad (I honestly don’t know) isn’t our Saviour. So, James, enjoy your family, stay close to one another, and teach your granddaughter the Truth – the greatest weapon she can wield in a world full of chaos and corruption. I say this with honesty, love, and care.

      • Mike Bryant

        Susan and James, the churches are a huge travesty… churches, universities and seminaries were infiltrated and taken over in the 1950s… it was called Operation Mockingbird… now most churches preach an earthly gospel… go along, get along… no more money changers are to be whipped and cast out of God’s house. But Big Pharma, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, universities, researchers, news purveyors, reporters and millions hired by government were all taken in about the same time, and until now. We are seeing the fruits of at least 70 years of investments by this insidious army of do-gooders.

        Covid was the first test of their power… there will be many more.

        This short video, Susan, is a reminder of the Covid nightmare:

        https://choiceclips.whatfinger.com/2025/07/24/hospitals-deadly-vaccine-tyranny-forcing-experimental-covid-jabs-on-vulnerable-patients-causing-heartbreak-and-death-nationwide/

      • James Sale

        Thanks for your candid advice Sue: the churches becoming all ‘political’ is perhaps one of the worst aspects of it all. OK – will stay put for now! I am reassured by you – and, oh, keep writing your excellent stuff!

  11. David Whippman

    Susan, thanks for this perceptive take on the malaise that grips Britain. You were so sensible to get out! I think we are heading for some real disruption here: maybe it will be after I have gone, as I am 75, maybe not. With mass immigration, the belittling of indigenous people, and other problems, it looks ominous. And the worrying thing is that our rulers seem oblivious to the general mood. Anyway, rant over, thanks again for this so-relevant piece.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      David, thank you for your kind words on my poem. It breaks my heart to read your words on my homeland and I hope with all my heart things turn around for the British. I believe the rulers have reached the prideful stage that dictates (excuse the pun) a lack of care for the opinion of the people. If we can rely on pride coming before a fall, I think the iron-fisted dictators stoking the chaos are due a Humpty-Dumpty size fall that will set Britain back on track. I hope and pray it’s soon!

      Reply
  12. Yael

    Great hard hitting poem Susan, I love it, thank you. The antidote to this wretched state of affairs which you describe so beautifully and eloquently in your poem is love of course. To love, friends and enemies alike, and to love them fiercely. I have made this my goal this year.

    Reply
    • Susan Jarvis Bryant

      Yael, thank you for your appreciation of my poem and for your excellent words of wisdom. “To love, friends and enemies alike, and to love them fiercely” is key to peace in this warring world. I love the word “fiercely” which is why I favor satire to get a hard-hitting message across. Often our enemies are of our very own government’s making and instead of looking at the source of the stoked hatred, we hate those who are sucked in by the devilish deeds of those who thrive on the hatred they stoke. I feel very sorry for all those children brainwashed by an education system that has force fed them an ideology. These children are now adults who hate their own country. We should be doing all in our power to help them by speaking the absolute and not the subjective truth. Yael, my sagacious and gracious friend, I have taken your words to heart.

      Reply

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