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The former Home Secretary, David Blunkett, marked his return to public life with the keynote address at an Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) event in March. His speech centred on the controversial issues of national identity and patriotism, as he posed the question “Is a renewed sense of Englishness an important component of Britishness?” The result was a very interesting talk which later led to a spirited debate, during which Philip Dodd, former Director of the ICA and the author Neal Ascherson joined the panel. At the core of his speech was the idea that English people should have pride in their heritage and pride in the contribution that England has made to the global stage. He feels that the English, at times, appear to be reluctant to champion their national identity. Witness the relatively low profile of St George’s Day compared to the celebrations held on St Patrick’s, St Andrew’s and St David’s Day. Mr Blunkett said that he would use St George’s Day to celebrate English contribution to the arts (poetry, music, literature), the English sense of humour, English rural and urban landscapes and the English democratic tradition. He added ‘sporting prowess’ to the list, recalling that he was in Lisbon for Euro 2004 when young English fans demonstrated great patriotism without being jingoistic or threatening. Mr Blunkett feels that the “exclusive” definitions of Englishness put forward by the far right - often using ethnic or racial terms - have made many white English people reluctant to assert their national identity for fear of being thought racist or xenophobic. He wondered whether many of England’s Black and Asian population tend to describe themselves as ‘British’ rather than ‘English’ because some associate ‘being English’ with being born in England. However, he did not see any danger in reinforcing Englishness as this did not stop people being British as well. He stated that the English, coming as they do from Celts, Saxons, Normans, Vikings and others, are inherently multinational and multiethnic. Therefore, Mr Blunkett said it was the responsibility of the progressive left to challenge exclusive accounts of Englishness more vociferously. In his paper, he writes: “In a liberal, plural society, we should aim for integration with diversity. We can achieve this without seeking on the one hand to deny English culture and history; or on the other, asking people, particularly new citizens, to assimilate to a mono-culture that doesn’t exist and never has done.” He ended his speech by saying that the English should rejoice, not denigrate, their Englishness. There followed some points of discussion regarding the impact of class on English identity and the need for the new Englishness to have focal points such as an English national anthem. An interesting issue was raised by a journalist from Black Britain, who asked how it was planned to get black youngsters to buy into this notion of Englishness given that many of them feel the National Curriculum ignores the contribution that Black people have made to this country. Mr Blunkett agreed that there is a need to reflect world history and world cultures in the National Curriculum in a way that makes (ethnic minority) young people feel that what they see as special in their background is not dismissed. However, he was not specific as to how this could be achieved. Reviewed by Karen Roberts, Managing Director, Connect Research. The full speech is available for download on the IPPR website at www.ippr.org.uk/publications.
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