Earlier today Wes Streeting delivered his resignation speech in Parliament. His thoughts on nationalism and patriotism are worth noting. I left the Government because we are in the fight of our lives against nationalism, and it is a fight that we are currently losing. Unless we change course, we risk handing the keys of No. … Continue reading Wes Streeting on Nationalism vs Patriotism
Tag: labour-party
Andy Burnham, King in the North
He's running! Or at least jogging. So perhaps we should remind ourselves of Andy Burnham's views on England. https://youtu.be/OTjgz6Dr8Ns?si=B74VG3t9qU013UUL One of Burnham's arguments against an English parliament is that his heritage isn't 100% English. Seriously! No I wouldn't have an English parliament. I'm born in Liverpool of Irish ancestry, Scottish links in the past, and … Continue reading Andy Burnham, King in the North
Frank Field: The Strange Death of Labour England?: Revisiting Bagehot’s English Constitution
To mark the death of former Labour MP Frank Field on St George's Day 2024, we are republishing his Chancellor's Lecture to the University of Hertfordshire. At Westminster, Frank was a tireless campaigner for an English parliament and something of a lone voice on the Labour benches when it came to speaking for England's sense … Continue reading Frank Field: The Strange Death of Labour England?: Revisiting Bagehot’s English Constitution
Labour is the party of English patriotism
The build-up to St George's Day 2024 was a busy one for Keir Starmer. His first offering was an article proclaiming Labour to be the true party of English patriotism. I’m proud to be English precisely because it’s a place where we can disagree – whether that’s a debate in the House of Commons or in the … Continue reading Labour is the party of English patriotism
The Leaders Speeches
Rishi Sunak's leader's speech at the 2023 Conservative Conference in Manchester lasted over an hour, but in all that time he only mentioned England once. Family matters, and as proud Conservatives we should never be afraid to say that. And there's another family that matters to us all, our family of nations: England, Scotland, Wales and … Continue reading The Leaders Speeches
Anglocentric Britishness
As previously noted on this website, the Union Flag is front and centre on Labour's campaign literature in England, while in Scotland and Wales the national flags of those nations are prioritised. David Lammy wrote a piece for The Sun outlining why Labour is proud to fly the Union Flag. While Lammy's reasons for Labour's flying of … Continue reading Anglocentric Britishness
The Labour Party has flag problem
Labour Party activists in England have complained about the Union Flags plastered all over the party literature that is being distributed prior to the English local and mayoral election on 2nd May. They worry that British and Minority Ethnic (BAME) voters might associate it with the far right. Some commentators, however, took to Twitter to point out … Continue reading The Labour Party has flag problem
Segmented Branding and the Negation of England
As previously noted, the Labour Party has a flag problem, with some Labour MPs rejecting the party's campaign material because it is plastered with Union flags. In light of some of the comments this story has generated, I wanted to say a bit more on this. One MP 'queried why the party could not use “segmented branding” … Continue reading Segmented Branding and the Negation of England
English Commonwealth 