Okay, I was exaggerating, Richard, but it has been noticeable over the past few weeks that, apart from Farage (whom I don't support, incidentally), our politicians say very little about England as an entity, whereas they are perfectly comfortable referring to inhabitants of the other parts of the British Isles and accepting the idea that they take pride in their discrete cultural identity. My contention is that, as the Emily Thornberry affair so clearly illustrated, they are uncomfortable with the public expression of an English identity. |