Cool Britannia is a media term that was used in the late 1990s to describe the contemporary culture of the United Kingdom. It was closely associated with the early years of the "New Labour" government of Tony Blair. It is a pun on the title of the patriotic song "Rule, Britannia". New Labour is an alternative name of the British political Labour Party. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North East England. ... It has been suggested that dajare be merged into this article or section. ... Rule Britannia is a song, originating from the poem Rule Britannia by James Thomson, and put to music by Thomas Arne in 1740. ...

Origins of the term

The phrase "Cool Britannia" was first used in 1967 as a song title by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, but there is probably no connection between that usage and the modern coining of the term. The phrase "Cool Britannia" reappeared in the mid-1990s as a registered trade mark for one of Ben & Jerry's ice-creams (vanilla with strawberries and chocolate-covered shortbread). The ice cream name and recipe was coined in early 1996 by an American lawyer living in London, Sarah Moynihan-Williams, as a winning entry in a Ben and Jerry's ice cream competition. Her name for the ice cream as "Cool Britannia" was meant to presage the era of New Labour, which came about with their election win in May 1997. The phrase was quickly adopted in the media and in advertising, seeming to capture the "It" quality of London at the time. The election of Blair's government in 1997 on a platform of modernisation and with Blair as a relatively young Prime Minister gave the idea fresh currency. (There is a strong parallel between this and the catch-phrase "Swinging London" during the early years of Harold Wilson's Labour government.) 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (more often the Bonzo Dog Band) was the brainchild of the British art-school set of the 1960s. ... Ben & Jerrys factory in Waterbury, Vermont Ben & Jerrys is a brand of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerrys Homemade Holdings, Inc. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Swinging London is a catchall term applied to a variety of dynamic cultural trends in the United Kingdom (centred in London, as the dominant city) in the 1960s. ... James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century. ...

1990s culture

To the extent that it had any real meaning, "Cool Britannia" referred to the transient fashionable London scene, 1990s bands such as Blur and Oasis, fashion designers, the Young British Artists and magazines. The first sign of Cool Britannia's (and Britpop's) fall was the emergence of the Spice Girls. Cool Britannia also summed up the mood in Britain during the mid-1990s Britpop movement, when there was a sudden influx of lively British rock and pop music from bands such as Oasis, Blur, Suede, Supergrass, Pulp and The Verve. Many link popularity of the Austin Powers films and the resurgence of 007 as factors of the spread of Cool Britannia. The movement, along with political factors, saw a renewal in British pride, typified by such things as Noel Gallagher's Union Jack guitar and, although more of a Trojan Horse into the scene to destroy it, Geri Halliwell's skimpy Union Jack dress. In March 1997 Vanity Fair published a special edition on Cool Britannia with Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit on the cover with the title 'London Swings! Again!'. Figures in the issues included Alexander McQueen, Damien Hirst, Graham Coxon and the editorial staff of Loaded. By 1998 The Economist was commenting that "many people are already sick of the phrase," and by 2000 - after the fall of Britpop - it was being used mainly in a mocking or ironic way. Blur are an English rock band. ... Oasis are an English rock band, formed in Manchester in 1991. ... Young British Artists or YBAs is the name given to a group of conceptual artists, painters, sculptors and installation artists based in the United Kingdom, most (though not all) of whom attended Goldsmiths College in London. ... Britpop was a British alternative rock genre and movement that was at its most popular in Great Britain in the mid 1990s. ... Suede was one of the most popular and important bands from the UK in the 90s, and helped start the Britpop movement of the decade. ... Supergrass are a rock band from Oxford, England who were at their peak in the Britpop era of the mid-1990s. ... Pulp are a rock band, formed in Sheffield, England in 1978, by then 15-year-old school-boy Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar). ... The Verve (formerly Verve) was an English alternative rock band of the 1990s, originally formed in 1989 at Winstanley Sixth Form College, Winstanley, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, by vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. ... Mike Myers as Austin Powers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. ... 007 refers to either James Bond or Korean Airlines Flight 007 which was shot down in 1983 over Soviet airspace. ... Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born May 29, 1967 in Longsight, Manchester, England) is the lead songwriter, guitarist and occasional vocalist with the English rock band Oasis. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 Union Jack is the commonly used name for the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ... Geraldine Estelle Geri Halliwell (born August 6, 1972) is an English pop singer and songwriter. ... American actress Demi Moore, on a typical Vanity Fair cover (August, 1991) Vanity Fair is a glossy American glamour magazine monthly that offers a mixture of articles based on sensational exaggerations, jet-set and entertainment-business personalities, politics, and lies. ... William John Paul Gallagher (born September 21, 1972, Longsight, Manchester) is the lead vocalist for Britpop band Oasis. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alexander McQueen (born Lee McQueen, 17 March 1969) is one of the most influential English fashion designers. ... The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living by Damien Hirst (1991) Damien Hirst (born June 7, 1965) is an English artist and the leading artist of the group that has been dubbed Young British Artists (or YBAs). ... Graham Coxon singing in the video to Blurs Tender Graham Coxon (born Graham Leslie Coxon on 12 March 1969, in Rinteln, West Germany) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the former guitarist in the rock band Blur. ... Categories: Magazines stubs | Mens magazines ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Economist is a weekly news and international affairs publication of The Economist Newspaper Ltd edited in London, UK. It has been in continuous publication since September 1843. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Similar terms for Wales and Scotland, "Cool Cymru" and "Cool Caledonia" respectively, were also coined, but never gained any real popular currency. Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd in... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification...

Videos

• Whatever happened to Cool Britannia ? The UK after eight years of Blair Thirty British, US, French and Canadian scholars assess Blair's policies and style after two terms, in May 2005. Links to papers and video.