"...does being born in a country automatically endow you with all the traits of that particular national character"

Good point, stigweard.

'Automatically' you could only use if 'traits' are being defined as genetic factors.
I was born in 'Northern Ireland', and me and Shane McGowan are in the same boat in that sense, only in so far as to the fact that we are both entitled to hold Irish Passports...
I, like Shane McGowan am also entitled to hold British Passports.

So yes, parentage, where you see your soul as being, all play their parts in forming one's identity

"Please note also, that I think 'British' to be an overlay designed years ago to keep their individual citizens 'Nationalism-free' (in the Scots, Welsh, Irish instances, for instance) - Tiocfaidh

'Northern Irish' people have always had a choice about what passports they choose to hold. Scottish and Welsh people have no other option than to hold 'British' ones. That may change; I hope it does.
Dave may possibly be entitled to hold a Polish passport, for instance; perhaps even qualify to play for their football team.
Such are the 'dynamics' of nationality.

I would much prefer to see 'Country' passports, otherwise people might think a Scottish fella comes from Wales, or even (...cos it's written on your passport, also...), 'Northern Ireland'

I think like Dave (and by the looks of it stigweard, yourself), that 'British' is an ambiguous burden ordinary people have to carry, which denotes absolutely nothing, except oppression and Colonialism.

There are those who prefer it just the way it is, stigweard; all connotations intact.
That is the 'British' I and other Irish people have experienced; the average one, of which has been contended to be anti-Irish.

Yeah, of course, though..., I'm from Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland.

It sort of stops at Ireland, though...