England/Britain

I think it's slightly ironic that the debate over inclusiveness and intergration into Britishness is rearing its ugly old head again, when the very idea of Britishness itself is becoming frayed and will, sooner rather than later, unravel completely.

Although many minorities have felt excluded from their Englishness and felt compelled to embrace their Britishness, understandable enough when the St Georges Cross was the banner only for skinheads, racist hooligans and the far-right, it may be no bad thing for inclusion if the UK was to break up.

Aside from the tiny far-right and the oddballs of shows like 100% English (Same thing?), I would contend that the majority of the English are not inherently racist or overly nationalistic and (As long as the major demographic changes in English populations are still taught in schools) are all too aware of their nations historically impure pedigree to adapt to and absorb a different cultures and races.

Whether the same can be stated across Britain is a different matter (Part of that issue may be that it hasn't been tested across the other home nations as it has in England for generations) and perhaps the downing of the flag of Empire would be a good symbol of our intention to forge modern England.

Awaits historical examples of English brutality...