Post-devolution English National Identity And Its Political Implications

Shortly after its election into government in1997, the Labour Party under TonyBlair implemented a policy which may have profound impacts on the UnitedKingdom–devolving different degrees of powers to Scotland, Wales and NorthernIreland. England, with most of Britain’s area, population and wealth, became the onlyforgotten part of devolution. This has stimulated a fierce debate among Englishpoliticians and academics about the crisis confronting English national identity andthe need for a redefinition of it.Coming from that background, this thesis is a discussion of post-devolutionEnglish national identity and its different political implications for the elite and themass level. It is divided into three chapters. Chapter1provides an overview ofEnglish national identity in terms of theory, history and the status quo, givingtheoretical foundation for national identity, historical background information aboutthe development of English national identity, and brief analysis of current crisisconfronting English national identity. Chapter2elaborates on an elite-level view onpost-devolution English national identity and its political implications, which is basedon the fact that the political elites have sensed an “English Question” includinginequalities for England in the devolutionary settlements and have raised a series ofproposals for political reforms to safeguard England’s position in the Union. Chapter3focuses on post-devolution English national identity and its political implications atthe mass level, examining the patterns and trends of national identification in Englandbefore and after devolution and constitutional preferences of the populace, aiming tosee if there is any relevance between them.