What is England, who is she ?

What is England, who is she? Well it’s quite simple really – England is Britain without the Celtic bits. But when, for example (there are many), John F Kennedy wrote his Harvard thesis “Why England Slept” he meant the whole of the UK . Churchill also often used the descriptor “England” but he generally meant all of us in these islands.

England/Britain is self governing at Westminster except that the Land of Hope and Glory it governs contracts out some of the governance of Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland to local parliaments. But only some. There is an element of “Home Rule” but on the international stage we are one State, and key elements of that State are integrated. The rule of the Bank of England, for example, extends beyond the nominal borders of historic England.

The pride of the Scots and the Welsh is strong and their cultures distinctive where the culture of England is hard to define, if it exists at all. English pride really only asserts itself in sport – otherwise English Nationalism is as obtuse as it is unnecessary. 

England is remarkably diverse, as large countries generally are, but the definition of what is a “Region” is arbitrary. There is some unitary distinctiveness in East Anglia or the North East for example. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there should be home rule and regional parliaments. 

The concept of “subsidiarity” in Europe is to “guarantee a degree of independence for a lower authority in relation to a higher body or for a local authority in relation to central government.” For EU members the main application is to protect national or regional autonomy vis-a-vis Brussels. But though the UK is no longer part of the EU subsidiarity as a concept still has relevance.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the “lower authorities” had to be created – thus elected assemblies (or parliaments) in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. But no such logic applies in England. There is no tradition of regional governance and other than in the cities no consistent and established delegated structure.

Many cities do have Mayors but even in London the extent of delegation to them is limited. There are also so-called “combined authorities” with mayors such as in the “West Country” and the “West Midlands” . Again these are arbitrary in definition and limited in authority.

So England is a confusing and confused country with a Parliament which includes representatives from Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland who can vote on matters that are purely English in scope and application. And the application of subsidiarity is equally random. Governance reform, along with electoral reform is long overdue. Don’t hold your breath!