It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry over this article in the Scotsman. Eddie Barnes and Alistair Dalton write:

Baroness Warsi said Scots had "been much better" than the English at finding a core identity around which people could find common ground.

She noted that people from Pakistan who had settled in Scotland felt far more comfortable describing themselves as Scottish than those who came to England.

What Sayeeda Warsi fails to mention is that the Conservatives deliberately supress any sense of English nationhood for fear that it will lead to demand for an English parliament and English governance. This results in a situation in which David Cameron can give a speech on reforming public services in England without once mentioning the word England; in which Michael Gove will bang on about teaching 'British history' in 'our schools' when he's talking about schools in England (and then has the word 'England' erased from the Dept of Education website); in which MPs like Mike Penning, Stephen O’Brien and Andrew Lansley all put out press releases whose territorial application is England-only but which fail to mention the the word England.

Baroness Warsi, if you happen to be reading I strongly suggest that you read my appeal for an English civic nationalism.

The Scotsman article continues:

Positive Action in Housing director Robina Qureshi said: "The Scottish Government has openly challenged racism and fascism, which has brought about people having a strong sense of Scottish identity. 

"In England, that is not happening. David Cameron's message is 'you will be like one of us' and become English, which tends not to be inclusive."

Complete blithering nonsense. Cameron, Brown and Blair were/are all advocates for British identity or 'Britishness'; not one of them ever spoke out in favour of strengthening English identity, inclusive or otherwise. While the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Governments have concentrated on fostering a patriotic civic nationalism in their countries, the British Government has completely ignored the case for an English civic nationalism.

This piece was originally published on the blog Toque.