Reflections on Scottish nationalism and English identity - Vicki Robinson
If Scotland chooses to leave the UK, a huge change of identity will be needed. Great Britain refers to the political union between England, Wales and Scotland (the Act of Union occurred in 1707, when Wales was politically part of the Kingdom of England). No Scotland, no Britain or Britishness. What will the Union Jack look like without the Saltire? New designs have been explored.
And independence absolutely could happen. A new Ipsos Mori poll puts support for it at a record 58% in Scotland. It is understandable. England’s roughly 56 million inhabitants make up around 84% of the UK’s population. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are simply outnumbered, a fact made stark by the Brexit vote. They are minority populations within the UK.
It is therefore unsurprising that minority communities in Scotland are taking on a Scottish identity – the Sikh and Jewish communities, amongst other, have registered their own tartans. They are literally weaving their cultures into the fabric of Scotland. In England, however, people with mixed cultural backgrounds often use Britishness in conjunction with their birth/ancestral country or culture – we often hear, for example, British Indian or British Muslim, yet rarely Anglo-Indian or English Muslim.
England is also the only nation in the UK without its own parliament. Lopsided devolution has given Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland a voice outside Westminster that England lacks. The result is England being accused of dominating the UK, whilst at the same time feeling voiceless. We have ended up in the strange situation where England wants change just as much as Scotland, yet many in Scotland feel independence is the only way to get that change. It is desperately sad.
Additionally, while Britain is often celebrated as diverse, England is unfairly dismissed as ‘little’. In reality, England has the highest level of foreign-born citizens in the UK – 15.6% of the population, compared with 8.9% in Scotland, 6.2% in Wales and 7.4% in Northern Ireland (2017 figures). It is also the most densely populated part of the UK, with 432 people per square kilometre compared with just 70 in Scotland, 152 in Wales and 137 in Northern Ireland (2019 figures).
Fortunately, this is rapidly changing. Vocal Labour MP David Lammy has spoken about his English identity, and even shared memories of dancing around a maypole. Dr Rakib Ehsan wrote a defence of Englishness for Spiked, in which he celebrates and presents evidence for England’s openness and multiculturalism. Additionally, England’s strong regional identities are becoming increasingly diverse. For example, ceramicist and sculptor Halima Cassell has fused northern English architecture and geometric Islamic design in her work. All that needs to happen is for such regional identities to coalesce into a wider national one.
Whether or not Scotland leaves, an up-to-date English identity, celebrating diversity, is important. Confident countries whose citizens feel united and secure in who they are as a people are more open to immigration and clear to new arrivals about expectations.
Interestingly, English regional identity and English cultural diversity may provide a way of keeping the UK together. An English parliament would dominate its Celtic counterparts – however, a selection of smaller devolved parliaments would present the full range of views within England and be less of a threat. Many, particularly in the north of England, would be in agreement with Scotland. Instead of Scotland vs England it would be various similarly-sized groupings within the UK debating with each other. Additionally, promoting England’s diversity would combat negative stereotypes that, combined with difficult areas of history, are off-putting to Scotland.
For the Union to prevail, however, major reform of Westminster is needed. The vast majority of citizens want change, as research related to COVID-19 shows. Brexit may prove to be the straw that broke the UK camel’s back. But it could also be a turning point for a reformed UK. The UK is an open and diverse country, as are the nations within it, inside or outside the EU.
Vicki Robinson
@storiesopinions