ON returning from Britain's oldest ally, Portugal, I fell to pondering the origins of the expression 'Good Old Blighty'.

I was fascinated to discover 'Blighty' is a British Raj corruption of the Bengali word 'bilētī', or possibly a Hindi word 'vilāyatī', which essentially mean 'foreign', and was used by British expats in India to refer to goods shipped from Britain, and over time to mean Britain.

It gained currency during the First World War amongst British troops in the trenches.

There is certainly a delicious irony that the far-right romantically and nostalgically reference 'Good Old Blighty' in their calls to return to some mythical British values, little knowing that they are actually talking about a 'foreign' land!

“Blighty’ is an example that Britain is, and always has been, an exotic and successful mix of diverse foreign and indigenous culture. In a very real sense it is what makes Britain, Blighty.

Mark Wooding

Nymet Rowland

p.s. And if I needed any further reminder of how diverse cultures have influenced Britain, the port (that quintessential British post dinner drink) I sampled in Porto is of course Portuguese.