Democratic English Nationalism
Democratic English Nationalism refers to a nationalist outlook or political stance applied to England. In a general sense, it comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for English culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in England and the English people. English nationalists can see themselves as equally English and British, or as predominantly English rather than British.
On the political level, some English nationalists have advocated self-government for England. This could take the form either of a devolved English Parliament within the United Kingdom or the re-establishment of an independent sovereign state of England outside the UK.
The English nationalist movement has its roots in a perception amongst many people in England that they are primarily or exclusively English rather than British, which mirrors the view in the other constituent countries (Scotland, Wales and Ireland). The perceived rise in English identity in recent years, as evidenced by the increased display of the English flag (particularly during international sporting competitions), is sometimes attributed in the media to the increased devolution of political power to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
One possible incentive for supporting the establishment of self-governing English political institutions is the West Lothian question: the constitutional inconsistency whereby Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs in the UK Parliament are able to cast votes on bills which will apply only to England while English MPs have fewer such rights in relation to Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish legislation, which is in many cases handled by the devolved legislatures.
English nationalism is also often associated with Euroscepticism, one reason for opposition to the EU being the belief that England is being subdivided into regions at the behest of the European Union.
While there is in principle no conflict between the objectives of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish nationalism, there is an inherent incompatibility between many forms of English nationalism and Cornish nationalism, since Cornwall is seen by some English nationalists as being an integral part of England. To the extent that it advocates the political separation of England from the (remainder of the) UK, English nationalism is not compatible with Scottish or Northern Irish Unionism, indeed modern Democratic English Nationalists, support a United Ireland, to end the subsidy from the English Tax Payer to Northern Ireland.
I would like to see the break up of the UK into it’s 4 Home Countries as 4 independent sovereign Nations.
Whether N.Ireland joins with R.o.I is entirelly up to them.
The problem with this attitude is N. Ireland is vital to our defence. The RAF and Royal Navy monitor Russian Navy traffic in the North Atlantic from N. Ireland (and Scotland). It was a great blow to Churchill when the Irish Free State chose to remain neutral in WWII. While an English Parliament is desirable, the breaking up of the Union would be a retrograde and dangerous step. We are all British. Most of us, including the Irish, are descended from the people who settled here at the end of the last ice age 8,000 years ago. They in turn were descendants of the people who fled south to Spain at the beginning of that ice age. We hang together or we hang severally.