Rise up, Englishmen
Liam Byrne says the English must be less apathetic about the United Kingdom, and about the threat of Scottish independence that looms in next week’s elections
As another celebration of our patron saint passes and the Scottish elections loom, now is the time to hear a few more English patriots raising a glass not just to England but to our United Kingdom.
It feels a little odd at times that we do not hear more English voices speak out against the error of Scottish independence. We know the Union is hugely important to Scotland. Two and a half million Scots have relatives in England; hundreds of thousands work south of the border and the ‘Union dividend’ is worth some £10 billion.
But the Union is of fundamental importance to England too, not just economically but for English society. There is perhaps no better illustration of our economic ties than the UK’s huge financial services powerhouse. The UK has rapidly consolidated its global leadership of the industry in the last decade. But £8 billion pounds of the business is based in Scotland, 90 per cent of which is linked to the rest of the UK.
More articles from: Liam Byrne | this section
Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
Advertisement
In defence of David Southall
Theodore DalrympleTheodore Dalrymple examines the evidence against two much-vilified British paediatricians, Professors Southall and Meadow, and finds it sadly lacking
What possessed McCain to take a punt on Palin?
Rod LiddleRod Liddle says that the appointment of an inexperienced, gun-toting formerbeauty queen as his running mate may well be John McCain’s undoing
Labour’s punishment freaks are hounding honest citizens
Ross ClarkRoss Clark says that far from keeping our streets safer or cleaner, the government’s new force of amateur policemen are ignoring the worst offenders and pursuing law-abiding innocents instead
‘Whoever killed Benazir wants to kill me’
Christina LambChristina Lamb interviews the husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari, who hopes to be named President of Pakistan this Saturday
Never mind the Olympics — get set for the Jubilee
Robert HardmanFree and open to everyone, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 will eclipse the London Games, says Robert Hardman — an unforgettable tribute to the monarch
The châtelaine and the wanderer
Anne ChisholmIn Tearing Haste: Letters between Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Leigh Fermor, edited by Charlotte Mosley
Our obsession with paedophilia is more dangerous than Gary Glitter’s return
Rod LiddleRod Liddle says that the hunt for this foul child molester is the symptom of an unhealthy and disproportionate fixation that has spawned all sorts of absurd rules and regulations
Confessions of a travelling non-dom
O`ar PaliO’ar Pali says it isn’t easy being on planes next to strangers all the time — and you quickly find there are a series of character types, dying to tell you about themselves
They are made a spectacle unto the world
Michael BeloffMichael Beloff reviews a selection of books on the Olympic Games
Meet Italy’s answer to Boris
John LaughlandGianni Alemanno, Rome’s new right-wing mayor, tells John Laughland that it’s time for the Eternal City to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ approach
Latest blog posts
sponsored links
Sky TV, Broadband & Talk from £16 a Month
Sky TV & free broadband packages available from £16 a month. Choose from a standard free sky box, sky plus or sky hd.
Sky TV, Broadband & Talk from £16 a Month
Sky TV & free broadband packages available from £16 a month. Choose from a standard free sky box, sky plus...
ROME CENTRE
PORTA METRONIA, ROME Standing high on the top of one of the seven hills of Rome- the Coelian- this unique
City Breaks. ROME and PARIS
ROME and PARIS: over 350 holiday rentals apartments listed: visit www.romanreference.com and www.parisreference.com or call +39 0648 903612.
Jewellery. RUFFS (Estd. 1904).
Goldsmiths by Design Welcome to Ruffs! You have found a company of Goldsmiths that specialises in the manufacture, amongst other
Spectator Business | Apollo Magazine
Corporate | Advertising | Privacy | Terms
Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP
All Articles and Content Copyright ©2008 by The Spectator | All Rights Reserved
Marcus Perry
February 10th, 2008 2:54pmBull, I have a thousand years of British ancestry and my wife does too. She was born in South Africa but maintained a British identity. My family is British but Liam Byrne insists on her removal from Britain in spite of our 24 year marriage and here he mouths off about how important being British is. My advice to the Highlanders-run to the Hills and put as much distance between yourselves and the English Government. They are anti-family and anti British.
Peter Dunkley
June 4th, 2008 11:50amByrne is embarrassing himself with this pursuit of Britishness, presumably on the instructions of Gordon Brown. A public holiday to celebrate our 'Britishness' is just dreadful. It is amusing that the political beneficiaries of a break up of the Union would be the Tories, the traditional party of union, and that Labour, the proponents of devolution, are now so desperate to get the genie back in the bottle.
Personally I feel that the Northern Irish, the Welsh and the Scots will feel much happier without the burden of all that resentment against the English. Anyway, along with most English folk, I spend a lot of time on the continent and never venture into Scotland, Wales or NI. Even the French aren't as anti-English as the Scots...