Rick Muir (London, ippr): The debate over an English parliament in OurKingdom is further evidence that English national identity is on the rise. A recent IPPR report found that whereas in 1992 over 60% of English people chose ‘British’ as the best way to describe themselves, this had fallen to below half by 2005 while those choosing ‘English’ as the best way to describe themselves rising from 31% to 40% over the same period.
This stronger sense of English national identity is clear in sport, with the now ubiquitous flag of St George. It is evident in politics with a growing clamour for new English institutional arrangements to match those in place in Scotland and Wales. But what are the social implications of the rise of English national identity? Public attitudes data shows that Englishness is associated with more ethnic exclusive attitudes than Britishness. Thus the 2001 General Household Survey found that whereas 52% of white respondents described themselves as English, just 11% of black and minority ethnic respondents did so, with 51% of them choosing British to describe themselves. This is in contrast to Scotland. There, black and ethnic minority respondents are much more likely to favour Scottishness over Britishness.
The data also shows that those who feel English are more likely to admit to racial prejudice than those who feel British. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with feeling English – it is a deeply felt national identity which deserves recognition like any other in the UK. But national identities can and should also be civic, pluralist and open to all citizens. Will advocating a civic Britishness as Gordon Brown and others want leave English national sentiment to take an increasingly ugly form? Billy Bragg and David Blunkett have argued that progressives need to start articulating a civic English identity open to all who live here. This is I think an increasingly important task. Two positive signs: the multi-ethnic and multi-racial make up of the English sports teams and their fans; the way Scottish national identity has become more civic and less ethnic as its popularity has grown. But there is a job of work to do if we are to prevent the rise of English national sentiment getting mixed up with a growth in all-too-familiar prejudices
