Notes on Nationalism by George Orwell5/13/2023 ![]() ![]() The new nationalism is just as hard to spot in Britain’s politics. If the patriotism of Englishmen does not extend to the lower box of a census form, it may not run deep. In 2011 “English” was the first option and “British” was the fifth in 2021 “Britain” came top of the list. What caused this shift? A botched survey. ![]() Skip forward a decade and this number plunged to 15%. In 2020, 22% did.Ĭhroniclers of English nationalism leapt on the 2011 census, which showed that a whopping 58% of residents in England identified as English only. In 1999, 31% of people fell into this bracket, according to the British Social Attitudes survey, the most comprehensive snapshot of opinion. Even after devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, Britain’s departure from the eu, the rise and fall of the uk Independence Party and four straight Conservative general-election victories, the proportion of British people who identify as predominantly or only English has barely budged. Like the life of St George, the rise of English identity is largely myth, argues Sir John Curtice, a political scientist. ![]() If English nationalism is on the march, no one has told the English. ![]()
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