Yes, special position. On a side note and off topic, where does this idea come from that UK folks are awkward or different from the mainland? You have a partly shared history with the Scandinavians have you not? Nonetheless some concrete examples are to be presented here and I unfortunately only know one by heart, because it amazed me a few years ago during my 'Europe centered' semester.
No i wasn't sure what you meant by special position, you're going to have to elaborate.
Plundering/Imperial/Colonial past. I'm the first member of my fathers lineage in 6 generations / 180 years to actually be born in the UK despite being almost entirely Anglian (bar a Finnish and Unknown Indigenous Canadian ancestor).
"Shared" is one way to put it. Its very long. But were settled by people who live in what is now Denmark. They have a loose alliance against other Danes who would come to raid. Eradicate the Danes eventually. Form a joint culture. The high king at one point held united Anglo-Saxon areas, Norway and Denmark.
But yeh we have never considered ourselves danish ancestors. Since angles ans Saxons integrated quite well.
There are some Key features. though, each of the old kingdoms are basically areas now, with intensely different cultures, and languages.
Anglia here in the east, Mercia in the north, Wessex in the south, Northumbria in the northern border.
Anglia has had a growing "resistance" to other cultures for some time now. We've accepted everyone from american loyalists, Irish loyalists, Chileans and most recently Hong kongers. Yep fine.
But we're very "closed" here, we're friendly to people in help, but strangers who don't need help are treated with suspicion. And when you catch two fellows climbing over you're fence who "NO spek Englishes" to get somewhere its got a bit far.
Every village is different with differing traditions. But as a whole pretty alike. But so different to other parts of England, yet alone Scotland or even Europe.