Let’s be fair, right now, it doesn’t take much of a look around and think that ‘Old Blighty’ is in a bit of bind and to think the worst sometimes. The pandemic has been rich in its fertility for pessimism. So has all manner of things in recent times.

The last eighteen months or so has created an atmosphere of national loathing. It seems we hate everything and almost everyone at the moment.

Depending on your view – and there are many – if it’s not trans-rights, it’s all men are rapists and make all women feel uncomfortable in their presence. And what a pain GenX are with all that tearing down of statues and rioting. Clearly, the monarchy is imploding and we are led by an authoritarian blond mop who can’t keep his trousers zipped up and can’t remember how many children he’s sired.

We have the worst press in Europe, quite possibly in the world and Britain’s global rampage via Empire with its associated reminders of the horrors of slavery constantly keeps coming back to haunt us all. Then we could throw in a bit of Piers Morgan, Laurence Fox and Priti Patel as the balancing act to a load of militant loudmouth ‘lefties’, the ‘bloody BBC,’ and today’s yoof, which everyone hates if you’re old enough to qualify for a mortgage.

Then we have lockdowns, roadmaps and Britain wouldn’t be Britain if Easter wasn’t spoiled by the weather.

However, it’s good to know, we’re not the worst at absolutely everything. The President of France – Mr Macron, isn’t just struggling with an escalating and out of control virus – the political centre-left are imploding over race relations and scandals about incest. In Germany, Angela Merkel’s party has been seriously weakened and in both countries, right-wing politicians are gaining a significant foothold. Poland has just been referred to the EU for breaches of its justicial system and in Hungary, there is simmering resentment over immigration that has spilt over into its courts as well. Sweden, The Netherlands, Italy and Spain have their own homegrown political and economic problems that are brimming over as we speak. All this has bigger consequences for the EU than being reported.

It is evident that EU member countries are not happy at all with the vaccination programme they messed up all on their own, and to add further injury – anti-lockdown protests and riots have erupted in quite a few cities across Europe out of frustration. More widely, there’s a very troubled America battling on the home front with domestic terrorism as well as internationally with China, Iran, Russia and a few others. Australia has fallen out with its biggest trading partner. India is battling with the very basics of democracy, South Africa is dealing with an infodemic and neighbouring countries have all manner of depressing issues to deal with.

Back home, we have some things to look forward to. London, Windsor, York, Bath and Stonehenge. and we have places as diverse as Edinburgh to Anglesey. Don’t forget we have fifteen national parks and according to Wikipedia, 23 pages of country houses, castles, palaces, other stately homes, and manor houses nestled on some of the most beautiful landscapes anywhere in the world. We have 7,723 miles of coastline and 779 beaches, 120 mountains and over 2,000 market towns.

We are not just proud of cream teas and fish and chips. We invented humour, queues and apologising for everything. Red phone boxes and David Attenborough are as British as New Forest ponies as are some of the best universities in the world. It should also be a significant point of note that Britain was the first major country off the blocks with a vaccine, and certainly one of the top three countries to actually deliver it. It graphically demonstrated our inventiveness, agility and national ability when we get things right.

Finland is officially the happiest country in the world (source). But on average they have four months of snow that’s two feet deep in the south of the country – in the north, winter lasts on average seven months. The warmest annual average temperature in Southwestern Finland is 6.5 °C (43.7 °F) – and the coldest temperature recorded has gone as low as -51c. Things don’t get more depressing than non-stop winter do they? (source). Britain happens to be the fifth most educated country in the world – Finland is 10th, so there (source).

For a country that lies 80th in the league of landmass (source) straddled between Guinea and Uganda for size, and 21st by population, Britain has the sixth-largest economy in the world. It also ranks 90th down the list of most polluted countries (source) – and that’s pretty good for the sixth biggest economy with a lot of people stuffed onto a small island.

Admittedly, Britain has now fallen to 35th on the Freedom Index (source) and the same slot on press freedom (source), which is nothing to be proud of, but we hit low on the list for racism unlike countries such as Russia, Malasia, India and many, many others including Japan and Cyprus who frequently compete for top 30 slots (source).

Healthcare is difficult to rank. It depends a lot on what is being measured – but the UK regularly ranks inside the top 10 for overall healthcare outcomes and cost efficiency of delivering it – despite the attempts of the government to privatise it.

Much to many people’s surprise, Britain ranks well in public transport against most countries. This is possibly because America’s is lamentable, India has not one high speed train in operation and much of Europe, Asia, and the Americas is pretty useless too (but not all). I quote – “The UK ranks ahead of much of Europe thanks to having some really good rail fares (though many really bad ones, too) and “sweating the system”: extracting maximum capacity from a Victorian network. Switzerland and the Netherlands win bouquets for their efficiency, reliability and integration, but the cost is painfully high. The same applies to Scandinavia” (source). Germany picks up the global crown for overall transport mainly because France, which has a great system is beset with constant strike action.

Britain ranks No 20 in the Social Progress Index, which measures the extent to which countries provide for the social and environmental needs of their citizens (source)

So yes, we have bad things like elitist self-serving politicians, bankers, the Daily Mail and rain but we also have a stable geology so there are no earthquakes, and we have laws, rights, the Cotswolds and we’re in the top twenty for loving our pets. In fact, we have 21 million cats and dogs – plus a million rabbits and we love them to bits (source).

In Switzerland, they’ve had democracy since the 13th century and are famous for some mountains and the cuckoo clock. In Britain, we brought the world the agricultural revolution, the steam engine that drove the industrial revolution and everything from the tin can, to the jet engine, from stainless steel and the light bulb to cat’s eye and fire extinguisher. Britain invented the first hydraulic press in 1795 all the way to the first web browser in 1989, both ends of the mass communication revolution.

We have a lot to be proud of. What we need now more than anything is optimism, enthusiasm and energy. As Noam Chomsky says – “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”

Although some would say that pessimism is really the output of wisdom, it doesn’t really help that much if everyone looks miserable and the outlook a bit grim.

The end of the lockdown is in sight. The economy will improve as savings pour into it and normality – whatever that turns out to be, won’t be as bad as many think. Our inventiveness, character and drive will deliver. It surely will. Look up, not down – it’s time to move on from our dark national mood – summer is coming. Be positive – it’ll pay dividends.