The European Union referendum has been an affair of sharp distinctions and contradictions. Both sides hotly contest the Union’s benefits and obstacles to British economic growth, and both sides argue over the role of the EU in immigration and the benefits thereof. Equally prominent are questions of accountability and democracy: In every part of the Leave camp, the cry is “Take back control!”
There is another question hovering around the arena where the two sides contest nationality and representation, one of the few parts of the whole campaign which does not stand out in sharp relief. This is the question of England – not the United Kingdom, but its largest constituent country. Since the Scottish referendum, commentators and politicians have periodically referenced the existence of a specifically English identity, and stressed that those holding this identity feel unrepresented, disrespected and angry.
The question of English identity predates the referendum. Numerous authors, such as Alvin Jackson and Linda Colley, have noted the decline of the institutions – army, Protestantism, Empire, monarchy, nationalized industries – that defined a specifically pan-British identity. (Colley also noted the importance of having a common, usually Continental, enemy.) In the late 20th century, Scottish and Welsh nationalism (re) emerged to fill the vacuum left by the recession of Britain.
