London, Aug.13 (ANI): Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that Britain is proud of its Christian culture despite emphasis on multiculturalism on display during the Olympic Games.
Denying suggestions that the opening and closing ceremonies, in particular, had downplayed traditional British culture, Blair said that athletes such as the Somali-born athlete Mo Farah was happy to "wrap themselves in the flag."
According to The Telegraph, he said that while London had won the Games in part because of its diverse culture, the country was able to look back and celebrate its heritage as well as move to the future.
He suggested that those who came from overseas' backgrounds were able to share a 'common space' of British values, including a belief in liberty, democracy, rule of law and support for constitutional monarchy, with those whose families had lived in the United Kingdom for generations.
"We do have this diversity, but we have this common space," the report quoted him, as saying.
"The country actually expressed its values in a fantastic way throughout the Olympics," he added.
"It is a place of many cultures and faiths which is not to say we are not proud of our Christian heritage. It [multiculturalism] is a long-term trend and I notice it everywhere. The question is how do we make it work," he added.
Blair also praised the "spectacular success" of the Games, saying that David Cameron was right to say that "Britain delivered".
"We were warm, generous-minded, a sense of fair play, a sense of humour. We did deliver - the Prime Minister is right about that," he said.
"We actually put it on and we delivered. He called for the legacy of the Games to be the maintenance of funding for elite athletes and school sports," he added. (ANI)