State of the Union

Conservative Home has an interesting discussion up about how to resurrect the Tories' support in Scotland, which also carries some thought on the future of the Union. I've always been an instinctive unionist, as I think what unites the 4 countries of the UK is more than what divides it; but I think increasingly unionism cannot be sustained. The blogosphere recently has been awash with rumours that the SNP are about to take power in Scotland; Iain Dale and chums are pressing for an English Parliament; a sort of mutual misunderstanding, even loathing is developing on the streets when you talk to people about England/Scotland relations.

The fact might well be that the UK is finished. The Empire, which it built, is long gone, and with it the raison d'etre of the Kingdom. England is developing its own new nationalism (though at the moment it seems limited to football), partly in reaction to Scots and Welsh devolution, and it could simply be that all 4 parts of the UK would be better off given their own decision on the Union.

Despite being a Unionist, I just can't feel too sorry about it. I think it's time that the ancient kingdom of England was brought back to life, in a new cosmopolitan, multicultural way that still nodded all the way back to the Anglo Saxons who shaped this brilliant language of ours, to recapture the continuity of culture that I can't help thinking with our obession with Empire and global influence and sucking up to the uninterested USA we have lost. Yes, it might become a way of refusing to recognise our responsibility for empire and its consequences, but there are plenty of people around to challenge that. For every Lawrence James there are several Johann Haris. Or is he a Scot?

England of course would then have to re-negotiate membership of the EU and its contribution would decrease if it stayed - I can't really say its influence would decline, as the UK has very little influence in the things that matter (namely CAP). We could establish the new kingdom as a liberal constitutional monarchy with a Bill of Rights to replace the Human Rights Act, something that would nod to the English tradition of seeing liberties as automatic (an idea with a lot going for it, despite the fact that this rarely worked in practice - it took French govts a while to really cotton on to Liberte etc too), not as benefits handed down or taken away by the state. We would need to replace the House of Lords of course - well it could then be fully elected, and stuff the whinging MPs who worry about their primacy, they would just have to negotiate with the Second Chamber, as happens in other countries with two elected chambers. It would force England, through lack of ownership of power, both to reclaim coal and nuclear power, and be at the forefront of renewable technologies.

We could make something that people, even lefties, actually like, are vaguely pleased with, and are happy to stand up for its beliefs.

And XTC would be the national band; as you can probably guess this semi-nostalgic political wishful thinking is inspired by my latest listening of Mummer.