The summer of 2006 saw England covered in St George’s flags. We were in the World Cup, and fairly soon out of it again; and another icon, the Queen, celebrated her 80th birthday to great popular acclaim.

But, World Cup flags and Royalty apart, what does it mean to be English? Is it a cricket match, a Sunday roast and a couple of pints? Is it loving the countryside and listening to the Archers, or a family outing to the seaside?

More seriously, is it allowing those who think differently to you to argue their case openly and freely. What if some choose to dress differently?

Everyone, whatever their social background or colour, has a view, and in Looking For England these many voices think aloud about what being English means to them. For some it’s being British, not English, that counts. For others it’s “British by birth, English by the grace of God.”

Most express a deep unease about the present, but an unquenchable optimism shines through. Wherever your family has come from everyone talks about the need to belong and, in their own way, to fit in and make the whole thing work.