Forget all this crap about the search for a ‘British identity’ – you’d be better served setting out on a Snark hunt – if you want to see the real meaning of what it is to be British then everything you need to know is this story…

Scotland set for first Asian MSP

The Scottish National Party says it is on course to have Scotland’s first Asian MSP sitting at Holyrood.

Glasgow councillor Bashir Ahmad is among the candidates the party has listed as those it most wants elected to the Scottish Parliament next year…

…Mr Ahmad, who came to Scotland from Pakistan at the age of 21, has been president of the Pakistan Welfare Association five times.

In 1995 he founded Scots Asians for Independence, which has aimed to build support for the SNP among the Scottish Asian community.

He was elected to represent the Pollokshields East ward on Glasgow City Council in the 2003 elections and he has been a member of the SNP’s national executive committee since 1998.

Mr Ahmad said party members had "righted the wrong" of Asians having no voice in the parliament.

He said: "The lack of any Asian or ethnic minority voice in the Scottish Parliament has been felt deeply in my community.

"But SNP members have righted that wrong.

"By doing so, they have proved that the SNP aspires to lead a Scottish Parliament that will represent all of Scotland – a truly national parliament.

"I firmly believe the SNP can now earn the trust of the Asian community throughout Scotland and that this will be a bond that endures for generations."

What a cracking story – the guy that may become the first Asian member of the Scottish Parliament is Pakistani by birth, Muslim by religion, a British citizen by naturalisation and Scottish by choice, so much so that he’s joined the nationalist party and campaigns for independence – just how fucking brilliant is that!

That’s what being British is all about – not one single homogeneous identity but multiple identities existing without coming  into conflict, all of which add up to an individual person.

Shame he’s a member of the SNP, but then you can’t have everything…