English identity to the fore

With a tattoo of Winston Churchill’s face on his right forearm and a poem about English pride on his t-shirt, Michael Clarkson is not shy about his patriotism or his disdain for a Europe that lies “miles away, over the sea”. Even his little dog, Elsa, was sporting England’s flag of St George, a red cross on a white background, around her neck to celebrate the feast of the nation’s patron saint at an “English Festival” on the outskirts of Gillingham, southeast of London. With displays of sheep-shearing skills and vintage tractors, donkey rides for children and stalls selling old-fashioned foods like jellied eel, this was a nostalgic vision of England. For Clarkson, it was a welcome opportunity to show his love for his country.

In his view, English identity is being eroded as immigration rises, Scotland asserts itself and the government bows to diktats from the European Union in Brussels.

This sentiment is widespread in some parts of England that are struggling economically, and polling data shows that people who feel that way about England are most likely to vote to leave the EU in a referendum on June 23.

“I’ve always said I’d like to leave,” said Clarkson, 35, a chemicals salesman from Chatham, a town neighbouring Gillingham. “We’re part of an establishment of bureaucrats in Brussels that make up rules for us.”

The poem on the back of his t-shirt made his feelings about this very clear, with a line about telling Brussels “we want our England back” and a verse that read “We are not Europeans, how can we be? Europe is miles away, over the sea”. England lies 34 km from continental Europe, with the French coast visible from Dover on a clear day.

An analysis by political scientist Matthew Goodwin of the University of Kent, using polling data from YouGov, found that 43 per cent of those firmly committed to voting “Leave” in the referendum were people who felt more English than British.

Those who felt equally British and English made up 28 per cent of that group while only 14 per cent felt more British. Confusing to outsiders, the distinction between Englishness and Britishness is complex. England has 85 per cent of the United Kingdom’s population and its dominance is such that in the past “British” and “English” were often used interchangeably by many English people as well as foreigners — although not in the UK’s three other constituent parts.

Major changes since World War Two including the end of the British Empire, EU membership, economic globalisation and the devolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have weakened some of the pillars of British unity.

The three smaller countries had always retained a strong sense of identity, partly as a reaction to England’s dominance, but the English had not previously felt the need to assert themselves, and a consensus on how to do so has yet to emerge.

“There is a desire in this era of devolution for England’s voice to be heard,” said Toby Perkins, a member of parliament from the opposition Labour Party.

A passionate English patriot who nevertheless wants Britain to remain in the EU, Perkins spoke of a need to “define and claim patriotism for all of us” rather than abandon the mantle of Englishness to those who want to cut loose from the bloc.

Those who felt equally British and English made up 28 per cent of that group while only 14 per cent felt more British. Confusing to outsiders, the distinction between Englishness and Britishness is complex.