For England's Sake!

Edited by Gareth Young

Why does England lack political representation, when Scotland and Wales have their own parliaments? Why is English nationalism associated with intolerance, rather than with an inclusive pride and patriotism? Why is Westminster maintaining its silence on the English question, with a referendum on Scottish independence on the horizon? Why are 'English' and 'England' inconvenient words for politicians?

It is time to ask these questions - not only of unionists and English nationalists, but of all citizens, regardless of their national identity.

This is not about Last Night at the Proms or chicken tikka masala; we reject such attempts to patronise. This is about England, and the right to build a self-aware and self-determining nation.

As we watch the ascent of a resentful English nationalism, and the growth of Scottish and Welsh separatism as a response to the Anglocentrism of the British state, the question of England - long stifled by the British establishment - is in more need of answers than ever before: Are we citizens of nowhere or citizens of England?

A Republican Monarchy? England and revolution

Tom Nairn 12 October 2011
The author of the first major contemporary critique of the monarchy looks over his argument as Scotland moves towards independence under a shared crown and inaugurates a new debate 'For England's Sake!'

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