Reprinted from the Daily Mirror:
20 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BRITAIN

LAND OF MISTS, MIRTH AND MODEST HEROES
By Sue Carroll

So what is there to cheer us up? Plenty. To balance things, here are 20 reasons why I love Britain.
I'M writing this looking out of my window at the most amazing blue sky. Even in polluted London everything looks crisp and shiny on a cold February day. Clearly defined seasons give us this, along with buds on trees and the appearance of an early crocus. Can anything stir the soul like the changing light of Britain?

AMERICA may lead the world in slick, sharp sitcoms such as Frasier and Friends. They also have some great stand-up comics. Yet still no other country can boast a wider range of humour than ours, one which embraces Benny Hill, Monty Python, The Office and Billy Connolly. But the best thing about our humour is that we can laugh at ourselves - and do.

WHETHER it's sitting on bales of hay at a point-to- point in Jilly Cooper-land or joining the thronging crowds at Epsom on Derby Day, our love of horse racing is part of a wider culture. It's the British bond with the horse and our love and respect for it.

THE diversity of our newspapers, a daily reminder that in a democracy everyone is entitled to an opinion. There are places where to rant about one's own country would be tantamount to writing a death warrant.

EATING candyfloss and riding the dodgems at a rickety old travelling fair.

THE knowledge that in two or three hours by plane or car you could be sitting under a palm tree on the Cornish coast or gazing through mist at the Isle of Skye.

DESPITE the homogenisation of breweries, it's possible to go into any major city in Britain and still get a pint of local beer.

THERE'S nothing like spending six hours in a Los Angeles hotel room watching TV to make the £116 licence fee look like a bargain. Irritating though it may be, there is no better broadcasting service than the BBC. Look through the listings on any given day for BBC1 and BBC2. Where else would you find a service offering the diversity of Ready Steady Cook, Jeremy Vine: What The World Thinks Of God to Crimewatch and Question Time or Balamory's Miss Hoolie? And Bill Oddie on Mastermind.

THANKS to the influence of men of iron such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Victorians gave us the most awesome bridges in the world. Not just functional but working architecture. Two sights to make my heart soar: the Tyne Bridge as I'm heading north and, on my way home, Hammersmith Bridge, illuminated by a red sky at dusk.

THE quiet confidence of our sporting heroes - David Beckham, Martin Johnson, Lennox Lewis, Paula Radcliffe and Jonny Wilkinson - who excel without bragging. I've no wish to denigrate Muhammad Ali, but can you imagine any of the above saying: "I'm the greatest", even in jest?

LOCAL dialects which, once a symbol of class and an impediment to a career, are now appreciated. I find it heartening that can I get off a train in Leeds and the guy driving my cab will have a turban, dark beard and the broadest Yorkshire accent you ever heard. Don't say we're not a multicultural society or, worse, that immigrants don't integrate.

BRITAIN leads the world in eccentrics. They write letters to posh newspapers about the first cuckoo of spring, engage in pointless debates about the origin of the V-sign or house hundreds of cats. In this increasingly bland society we need the endearingly different. Our most famous eccentrics are Patrick Moore and Clarissa Dixon-Wright, but Chris Evans is a wild card who can't be discounted.

FROM the window boxes in council flats to the lawns of Hampton Court, we are a nation of gardeners. Though we hide it well, we have a sensuous side that loves delicate flowers, heady scents and blazing colour. Wordsworth wasn't the only one moved to poetry by a host of golden daffodils.

TROOPER Finney receiving the George Cross this week was a reminder of what we've come to expect of the British soldier who risks his life for the safety of others. Committed, uncompromising, modest men who perform the most gruelling duties with quiet efficiency and dignity make our armed forces the best in the world. In this day and age the word hero is one we bandy around. I reserve it for Britons like Trooper Finney and the millions before him.

IN Britain, "sorry" has never been the hardest word to say. Even if someone's treading on our feet, it's in our nature to apologise.

AT pageantry and pomp we're world-beaters. The occasions to warrant a knees-up are few and far between, but when we do show our emotions, it's a full-on celebration. Just witness the State Opening of Parliament. Who knows how they do it in Paris or Washington?

WHEN it works, the welfare state is the rock on which a fair society is built. Where would you rather be injured, America or Britain? It may not always run on well-oiled wheels, but for all its faults we should be proud of a National Health Service which looks after us all, rich or poor, young or old. There are countries for whom this can only ever be a dream.

FISH and chips. Stilton Cheese. The Chelsea Flower Show. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Chicken korma. The Queen.

THE smell of: newly mown grass, smoky English pubs, autumn leaves on a bonfire, Sunday lunch, wax polish, hops.

IN a social climate that's constantly changing, we remain generous, welcoming and community-minded. We're also pragmatic and stubborn. We love winning but we're good losers too. (We've had plenty of practice.) But we won't give up without a fight.

In the memorable words of Winston Churchill: "A nation that goes down fighting will rise to fight again. But one that surrenders meekly is finished."