English Democrats - What are they about?

[trevhagl]

Actually i read NO MORE HEROES a great book on late 70's punk that doesn't shy away from criticising. Bushell said his political about turn was due to the left supporting paedophiles etc. The author said "I haven't got a clue what he was talking about there, much less fall for it"

Put simply they're probably nutters

 

[cockneyrebel]

In your opinion, but like nationality class is 100 different things to 100 different people.

You may be completely right, but thats neither here nor there in what people actually believe.

Fair enough, but from my point of view I think there are similar interests along class lines, but not in terms of nationality. But you're totally right that a lot of people would disagree with that.

 

[STFC]

Put simply they're probably nutters

I must admit that I don't know much about the English Democrats, but I thought they were about devolution for England, English MPs voting on matters concerning England (the West Lothian question and all that). Maybe I've got them mixed up with some other group.

Interesting that you assume they are "nutters", presumably on the basis that their name includes the word 'English'. In fairness I suppose it's much the same as the rest of us assuming that any group or party whose name includes the words 'socialist', 'communist', 'marxist, 'anarchist' etc are nutters.

 

[Stoat Boy]

The question about English nationalism could become very important following the next election.

Envisage a senario in which the Labour Party can only maintain itself in Government because of Scottish MP's. Maybe even a coalition with the SNP and thier Welsh equivilant or their new buddies in the DUP.

Which leaves an England with a Conservative majority and having laws imposed on it by a Government which uses non-English votes to force through English only issues. Aint going to go down well at all.

 

[rogue_lettuce]

I don't think the Scots or Welsh have any kind of moral monopoly on being able to be nationalistic and not right-wing; especially as the Scots and Welsh were as much at the vanguard of British Empire as the English.

I said nationalism and left-wing politics are incompatible, except in the case of...
I didn't say nationalism and right-wing politics were incompatible in those cases.

 

[The39thStep]

Not at all surprised that those who still advocate a no platform policy and tell us about giving the far right a good kicking weren't able to put this into practise.

 

[d.a.s.h]

Many lefties in my experience become suspicious and even hostile when the dreaded 'E' word is mentioned. Maybe they've invested too much in a picture of the English as a bunch of red-faced, baby-bayoneting marauders to be able to back down from it. They don't seem to mind when other nationalities have their own celebrations: Burns Night, St Patrick's Day, Jamaican Independence Day, Bastille Day and so on.

Mind you I'm probably biased myself as I like to fantasise about Marcus Brigstocke being forcefed toad-in-the-hole before having his 'nads bitten off by a bulldog and then drowned in a vat of Colman's mustard.

 

[Socialist Cynic]

Nationalism is incompatible with left-wing politics

Except that if you read the BNP's manifesto, it's overtly left-wing on a host of issues, which is one of the reasons they're getting so much play. Economically, they're easily the most left-wing party (anti-neo liberal, pro nationalisation, anti-globalisation etc). What they don't do so much is internationalism - which is a big part of left thinking but not the only part.

It's a bit hard to do that when you're part of what was once the largest empire in the world

No it isn't, the US spend most of their time playing the beleaguered underdog. Britain went into the first world war pretending it was the victim of German imperialism ffs.

However England is a nation

Your 'nation' is the collective fantasy that a rich southern businessman has something in common with a dirt-poor northerner, through a shared 'heritage' which amounts to not a lot more than brickwork/paintings/music created by people you've never met and some musings by military historians.

England' is a piece of geography, lorded over by an avaricious and jealous state enforcing the interests of a truly international ruling class. I'm not hostile to England, I'm hostile to people irrationally accepting base propaganda about the existence of a united 'country' whose most treasured monuments were put together by warring clans to whom an overall nationality would have been laughable.

Citizen of the Earth, Subject of the Crown.

 

[Nigel]

I'm hoping that one day some people in England will develop a sister party to Plaid, because otherwise England will become a right-wing rump after the break-up of Britain. We can't have the racists getting in next door.

Was thinking of setting up the English Republican Socialist Party once.
A Starry Plough with a Cross Of St. George.

Too many sects about at the moment anyway!