John Curtice: Long-term prospects for ‘Britishness’ appear weak
“ARE you English or British?” “Why both. What’s the difference?” Such conversations about national identity are often thought to be commonplace south of the Border. Residing in by far the largest part of the UK, people in England often talk as though Britain and England are but one and the same place.
So should we take much notice when a YouGov poll discovers that three times as many people in England say they are “mainly English” than say they are “mainly British”?
Well, adherence to a common sense of “Britishness” is often thought to be a vital part of the emotional glue that helps keep the Union together. That glue has long since lost much of its strength in Scotland. If it has now been eroded in England too, the long-term prospects for the Union would seem rather bleak indeed.
There are, though, some caveats about YouGov’s poll. When they try to find out people’s identity, polls typically ask how their respondents how they “think” or “feel” about themselves. After all, an identity is a label or badge that people apply to themselves and towards which they feel a degree of emotional attachment. Such a wording helps get at that.
In their latest poll, YouGov just asked people whether they were mainly English, British or whatever.
Such an approach might be thought to invoke a factual description rather than an identity. Yet if that were all YouGov’s poll was picking up, we would not anticipate that which description people chose would make much difference to the views they expressed on other subjects in the poll. But it did. Those who described themselves as English had a distinctly more “nationalist” outlook.
Fifty-seven per cent of them said they would vote in favour of leaving the European Union. So YouGov’s poll does seem to have picked up something of a genuine “little Englander” mood south of the Border – stimulated perhaps by the recent travails of the eurozone.
And if it is a mood that is willing to contemplate the “break-up” of the European Union, might it not be willing to consider the dissolution of the domestic Union, too?
• John Curtice is Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University
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Comments
There are 41 comments to this article
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neoloon
Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 02:15 PMIt's embarrassing to see Scottish unionists still clinging onto their unionist hopes when unionists in England are increasingly disinterested.Like a spurned lover Scottish unionists' desire for the union is unrequited.Infatuation denied! Get over it!
whitstomatowiu
Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 02:09 PMIndependence for England,-------------------I hope your wish is granted very soon my English friend.----------------------------------------------------------------Unlike Scotland we have the SNP to fight our corner for Independence, what party have you got, your choice is very limited could the BNP, EDL, NF or TMRLP achieve what you rightly deserve your Independence.
Mucha Cara
Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 02:03 PMone two
Independence for England
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 02:59 PMisn't it wonderful to have academics like Proff Curtice to explain it all to us! Here's a good one: "So YouGov’s poll does seem to have picked up something of a genuine “little Englander” mood south of the Border – stimulated perhaps by the recent travails of the eurozone". We feel more English because of the eurozone do we! Thanks for telling me why I am English and not British Prof Curtice. I thought it was because I am fed up with being a non citizen in my own (according to politcians at Westminster) non nation. You can be Scottish Welsh N.Irish or British! Not English. The other home nations have their own assembliesParliament but we English are ruled by the British. etc etc. English Question, West Lothian Question etc. etc. Well I'm sorry Prof but you can write what you like and interpret polls how you wish. The fact remains that we English have had enough of the UK. We want out! Independence for England NOW!
Enigma
Monday, November 21, 2011 at 12:49 PM36 Support for an English Parliament, from wherever it comes is always welcome. The reason English people often conflate EnglishBritish, though less now that in the past, is because for the 300 years English institutions have become British, unlike in Scotland. Consider also that in many parts of the media, BBC included, anyone describing themselves as `English` might just as well say they support the BNP. Then there is the tendency of UK politicians, notably Gordon Brown,to talk of the `nations and regions of Britain`. I leave it you to decide what he meant by `regions of Britain`, but it wasn`t Scotland or Wales.
calimero
Monday, November 21, 2011 at 07:17 AMHardly surprising since the people of England have simply tended to conflate the "British" identity with being English anyway. Indeed many English are quite content to regard themselves as British but Scots as not - most notoriously obvious in the state broadcasting media where the perception is that all things positive are BritishEnglish and those neutralnegative Scottish. You see it sport, crime reporting, Scottish subsidies (British oil revenues) and not forgetting how "Scottish" banks brought BritainEngland down. The unionist media has fed its English audience a poisonous diet of propaganda in its portrayal of Scotland's economy, its parasitical relationship with England and its incapacity to manage its own affairs. It is no surprise that most people in England have a totally distorted view of their northern neighbour. It’s no surprise they now seek themselves to end, at least the Scottish subsidy, as they see it. For the people of England feeling more "English" is no surprise as simply demonstrates that the time has come when the peoples of these islands take responsibility for their own affairs. I would urge every person in Scotland to sign the Number 10 e-petition calling for devolution for England. As a first step, it may not be the settled will of the people of England, but I am certain they can and will make a success of running their own affairs and they will certainly need the practice and confidence that brings prior to Scotland's independence.
brianwci
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 11:11 PMPoor smirking Prof Curtice. Bad enough the Scots are turning away from his precious union in droves, now the English are too!!! Nightmare! OR Sunny days are here again da da da....here again...da da da da da da da da da sunny days are here again.. ....depending on which side of the fence you are standing.
samcoldstream
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 08:21 PMThe argument about Scottish Independence will eventually become irrelevant as the UK is slowly but surely moving towards a looser Federal or Con-Federal form of government in everything but constitutional name. It is an outcome that neither the Nationalists nor the Unionists planned for and they will just have to lump it.
Vote 'NO'
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 05:20 PMIndependence for Scotland has to be outside of the EU and independent of England. There had been no move by the SNP to argue for this. Therefore, what they demand is just more of the cringing Scots' sham.
Vote 'NO'
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 05:17 PMMentally challenged, it's amusing to see the cybernats have moved this 'discussion' forward not one iota. Hence the silence to move it forward by Salmond, Neill, Robertson, Sturgeon, &c.
Yr Awel
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 04:00 PMComment removed by moderator
North Highland Publishing
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 02:20 PMWe've just released a novel by Ken Pratt onto Kindle that looks at this issue. "The English Student" discusses the growing unrest from the English perspective. Surely freedom belongs on both sides of our border.
well informed
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 12:59 PM26 What exactly is RUK? Once the union of Parliaments is disolved the UK still exists under the union of crowns. This is the only viable link post Independence. Anything else is simply not Independence.
Yr Awel
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 12:26 PMComment removed by moderator
Yr Awel
Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 12:23 PMComment removed by moderator
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