The Shameful Conquest of England

By Ailsa Henderson

The newest publication from the Way forward for England Research, The Shameful Conquest of England, builds on the authors’ earlier work and almost a decade and a half’s value of information to color an image of the political and constitutional attitudes of the UK’s largest nation. As in earlier FoES surveys, it explores the attitudes of the English to their neighbours within the UK, the mechanics of the Union, the UK’s relationship to the EU, and the governance of their very own nation. 

As in earlier years, this version of the survey as soon as once more finds that phrases reminiscent of ‘scepticism’, ‘grievance’, ‘ambivalence’ and ‘dissatisfaction’ finest describe the politics of Englishness. Nevertheless, this yr sees two new entrants into the lexicon of English – as distinct from British – politics: ‘Anger’ and ‘Concern’. The info counsel that clear majorities of voters who determine as primarily English are made each indignant and fearful by modern political life. In contrast, underneath ten % of the identical group expressed hope or happiness about present political life within the UK. 

The report’s authors, Prof Ailsa Henderson of the College of Edinburgh and Prof Richard Wyn Jones of Cardiff College, discovered little to present solace to Keir Starmer’s authorities. As they’ve present in earlier surveys, the Union’s largest constituent affords little of the enthusiastic gravity that may hope to maintain the Union’s smaller nations in orbit. Relatively, amongst these English-identifiers, the authors discovered ambivalence in direction of the Union as a venture and a generally held sense of grievance concerning the perceived value and political affect of the opposite nations. 

Usually, English-identifiers skew in direction of the correct of the political spectrum, significantly and more and more focussed on assist for Reform, as they have been for the celebration’s earlier manifestations.

When it comes to the UK’s former exterior union, the EU, Henderson and Wyn Jones discovered a placing distinction between English- and British-identifiers. Those that consider themselves primarily or solely as English moderately than British proceed to be persistently Eurosceptic. Nevertheless, they additionally discovered that whereas they see the connection with the EU as settled, they continue to be deeply dissatisfied with the implications. In contrast, these figuring out as British moderately than English, which overwhelmingly consists of Labour voters, see the UK’s relationship with the EU as their high constitutional concern and are overwhelmingly Europhile of their attitudes. Amongst those that voted Labour in 2024, 77% see the connection with the EU as not shut sufficient, 80% would vote to rejoin, and 79% describe it as their high constitutional precedence. 

A brand new addition to the 2024 survey explored the identities prioritised by supporters of various events. These, unsurprisingly, range from one another however there seems to be an identifiable spectrum operating from Reform at one finish to Inexperienced on the different. One placing apart was that in no case, together with Labour’s, did class id make the highest three. 

Lastly, on the survey’s core questions of the constitutional preparations for the governance of England, the info counsel – as they’ve prompt in each version since 2011 – that whereas the Labour authorities has continued with its predecessor’s enthusiasm for regional governance in England, that’s not supported by the English citizens. Voters proceed to choose England-wide fashions for its future governance, though it should supply some consolation to Labour {that a} naked majority of its personal supporters (54%) choose meso-level options to any options. Nevertheless, the dearth of assist elsewhere doesn’t bode effectively for firmly embedding an choice that’s usually offered as a cure-all to all the things that ails the physique politic. 

England stays a nation discontented with itself. Its relationship with its neighbours each throughout the UK and within the EU stays both unsatisfying or unsettled, relying on whether or not voters are on one facet of the Stay / Go away divide or the opposite. There’s a clear feeling amongst English-identifying voters that their nation has been laborious finished by and that its present look is a poor reflection of its former glories. The authors counsel that England’s total attitudes to the Union as a unbroken constitutional actuality are ambivalent at finest and, within the case of primarily English-identifying voters, 72% would say “so be it” if one other constituent of the Union selected to go its personal means.