IT'S pretty tough being British and for anyone in any doubt let's get straight to the point.

I used to think that being able to speak English meant you were British. Wrong.

I used to think that if you could name at least two characters in Rainbow it meant you were British. Wrong.

I used to think that as long as I supported England I would be classed as British. Wrong again.

Maybe I was just stupid.

But in the run up to the elections, a lot has been made about the far-right. Now it could be easy to have a go at this group but that wouldn't make a difference to the minority of people who have already made up their mind about the likes of me.

Apparently, all the problems that ever existed anywhere are my fault.

It has nothing to do with the fact that politicians make promises and then decide to go back on them.

What people don't realise is that the problems one community faces are exactly the same as all the others.

Because money isn't being spent in one area it doesn't necessarily mean it is going elsewhere in the town. If the community centre on one side of town is falling down doesn't mean the one on the other side of town has a jacuzzi.

Got sworn at in the town centre? Well so do I and everyone else who meets someone with a short temper.

Your local political party is lazy? Well, don't expect one that promotes hate and bigotry to change everything. It simply doesn't work like that.

Most people, I would say, use their common sense and can see through the facade.

I was scrolling through this website the other day and came across one where people who demonstrate against the far-right are listed. Some have their home addresses listed and others simply have their picture.

Whilst scrolling through the North West section I noticed one thing - bar two people, every other person among the hundreds listed was non-Asian.

Being British, it seems, is being able to stand up and be counted when the chips are down.

Being British, it seems to me, is about making sure our towns do not become forever tainted with the far-right.

Being British, it seems, is to realise that, no matter what, all communities have to live side by side in the future.

And being British is being able to understand that this country is not for those of just one colour and race but for those who want to make it a better place for everyone.