Bright Blue TV: A new Englishness?

Join Bright Blue on Friday afternoon for the next episode of Bright Blue TV on the theme: A new Englishness?

The recent success of the English football team in the Euros has led to a renewed debate about English identity and what it means to be English in 2021. England, while the dominant constituent of the United Kingdom, lacks many of the national institutions that other parts of the UK cherish, including not having its own parliament. Older institutions that used to define so much of Englishness, such as the Anglican Church, have been in decline for decades. As such, English identity is often conflated with British identity, and Englishness sometimes lacks its own distinct voice. What Englishness means as a political force is difficult to discern, but some believe that English nationalism has been on the rise, expressed through political shocks such as the vote to leave the European Union. English patriotism, however, should not be conflated with nationalism. To many, the diverse and socially progressive England squad managed by Gareth Southgate represent what a multicultural and modern England should be proud of, but the Black British players have also been subjected to racist abuse by a minority of so-called fans, and the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have been criticised for not supporting players when booed for ‘taking the knee’. So what does it mean to be English today and what is the future of Englishness going forward?

This episode of Bright Blue TV is hosted by Chief Executive of Bright Blue, Ryan Shorthouse. In this episode he will be joined by Deputy Opinion Editor of The Guardian, Joseph Harker, Professorial Fellow on English Identity and Politics at Southampton University and former Communities Secretary, John Denham, Chief Executive of the Runnymede Trust, Dr Halima Begum, and Founding Member of Don’t Divide Us, Dr Rakib Ehsan.