What does it mean to be British? It feels like the answer to that question has never been more unclear. Living here under 13 years of Conservative rule has sometimes felt like being stuck in a barrel full of tar, with a fire-breathing, knife-wielding dragon leering over you (see above).
This country can often feel like a man who desperately needs therapy – but refuses to go. A once powerful man who is losing relevance; a bad man who somehow thinks he’s a good man, despite having objectively done a load of terrible things. He is sad and delusional, lost and confused.
Today, Britain is fumbling with its imperial past, its new relationship with Europe and its waning global influence. And within its own borders, it’s facing growing calls – particularly among younger generations – for Scottish and Welsh independence, and Irish reunification. All of which begs the question, is Britishness falling apart?
This is where we come to Horror Nation?, a new, week-long season on Dazed that will explore the current state of Britain from the perspective of young people who live here.
Over the course of the next five days, we will be attempting to celebrate the good that is happening here – the culture and the creativity, the artists and the activists, often working or even flourishing against astounding odds. From the grassroots football teams making the beautiful game more inclusive than ever to the artists up and down the country taking UK rap to new heights. We’ll be looking at the Black British theatre scene and the East Asian diasporic club scene, as well as the rise of British paganism. Meanwhile, there will be fashion and beauty dispatches from Eastbourne, Manchester, Glasgow, Yorkshire, Cardiff, and Belfast; a deep dive into the notion of British twee; and an oral history of iconic Liverpool boutique Cricket.
But we’re also wanting to face up to the reality that Britain is becoming an increasingly difficult place for young people to live. We’ll be asking who young people can vote for, now that Labour has abandoned their interests; we’ll be looking at how Northern Irish youth relate to Britishness, the young people campaigning for Welsh independence and the rise of Scottish conservatism – and much more besides.
And finally, we’ll be hearing from our audience, through the results of our survey and our photography submissions, which paint an illuminating picture of modern Britain.
So stay with us as we lift the lid on the UK and ask whether this really is a horror nation.