Wee Little Englanders

Once upon a time the phrase Little Englander was used to describe English people with anti-imperialist opinions, those who perhaps thought it best that England keep to its jurisdictions within its borders in the UK, or indeed that it should be independent from its UK partners. In the days when the expansion of the British Empire was the will of the King, to be a Little Englander was to be weak, and unpatriotic. 

Nowadays, the meaning of the phrase has changed dramatically. It is now more commonly used by those on the left of the political spectrum to criticise those on the right who may have doubts about certain aspects of globalisation. With the EU debate at a current prominence, some say that Britain’s size and lack of industrial might makes us too insignificant to survive alone in a 21st century globalised world. These same people use the phrase ‘Little Englanders’ to express their anger and disdain of the current conservative government whose actions tend towards putting the interests of England before the interests of Europe as a whole. 

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A number of both Labour and Liberal politicians and writers make a habit of using the phrase in a condescending manner, as an insult that characterises anyone less than indifferent about immigration or the European Union as ignorant or small minded. In fact many commentators make no distinctions at all within the vast sphere of opinion offered and anyone with Euro-sceptic views or a strong stance on immigration is assumed to have an aversion to foreigners and in danger of being labelled a Little Englander.

It is truly astonishing the amount of material that describes Euro-sceptics as ‘bigots,’ or ‘xenophobes,’ and uses this perception to discredit their opinion and hence disregard certain issues of the debate. To give some recent examples, listen to the reactions to David Cameron’s actions at the most recent EU summit: Labour MP Tristram Hunt on Question Time in this clip (from around 5mins in), or Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg and Lord Oakeshott in this clip (from 1min20secs in). It is almost as if the Labour and Liberal politicians oppose the government’s actions purely because they dislike the Conservatives, irrespective of the details and popularity of the policies themselves. Interestingly, Owen Jones bravely tried to make this point in an article in the Guardian last month by explaining that you don’t need to be a “swivel-eyed Little Englander” to oppose the EU, basically saying: sure I hate the Tories too but it’s ok agree with them on some issues. Tony Parsons produced this comic portrayal of the Little Englander phenomenon in The Mirror.  

The word ‘English’ as a nationality has become a bit of a dirty word in the UK. English people are encouraged to use the nationality ‘British’ and to say that we are from the UK rather than from England, whereas a Scot would have no qualms saying that she was Scottish and that she loved her country. The St. George’s cross has been hijacked by extreme right wing groups and to be too patriotic is to risk being stereotyped as a nationalist. England is by far the largest country in the UK and of course London is the home of the government, a reality that carries a great many issues and responsibilities for English politicians especially when determining the best interests of the UK within Europe. The place of England within the UK and the relationships between the countries of the United Kingdom will be the subject of a future series of Mighty Democracy. For now let us concentrate on the UK's place within Europe.

Critics of Cameron’s latest decision to sit on the sidelines as the Euro area countries commit to fiscal centralisation say that he is alienating or isolating the UK, and that this is a bad thing. They say that he is acting primarily to appease the Little Englander ‘wing’ of his party and not speaking for the rest of the country or Scotland or Northern Ireland etc. 


There is undoubtedly a difference of opinion as to what the best interests of the UK are. There are those that believe we are stronger within a larger group of European nations, and those that wish to aim for a more independent, trade-only relationship, and of course those that are neither here nor there. However it is becoming increasingly clear that hovering somewhere between the two is undesirable, as it leaves us in an uninfluential position outside of the Euro-zone block of nations which have already expressed a great deal of political will to perform a huge upward transferral of power, in the form of their fiscal sovereignty. 

However, what is truly odd is the way that those who want independence are frequently referred to as Little Englanders and those that welcome European integration are not. Those that wish for the UK to leave the EU, envision an strong and independent United Kingdom, innovating and leveraging its own competitive advantages and free to exert global influence and make its own trading relationships with the rest of the world. You could even call these people: Big Englanders. Those that believe that the UK is too small, and that we need the EU because we lack the productive capacity to survive alone in the world, sound more like Little Englanders. 

The UK actually produces quite a bit. And we do have comparative advantages that help us achieve this; uniqueness that we should maximise. The language has always been a seller, in granting access to the widest academic and business network in the world, in the higher education and consulting industries, and even creative media (Tolkien, Rowling, Orwell etc. are all internationally renowned; The Apprentice, The Office, X-factor etc. were all hugely successful abroad, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay etc. have spanned generations and borders). Location is another. We are a small collection of islands just off the furthermost side of Europe, home to the largest city in the continent, with residents and traders from all over the world, and a global hub for trade exchanges of commodities, currencies, artwork, stocks and bonds, all taking advantage of the UK’s time zone, common law, language and legal network. The UK's rule of law, liberal attitude and openness to the world have all contributed to make it a top destination for professionals, students, scientists, and investors, and of course British culture and history makes it a top destination for tourists too. 

Yes we are a small country, but size does not equal prosperity. In fact, in many cases, size is negatively correlated with wealth. Many of the richest countries in the world (per capita) are much smaller than the UK. As per this previous article, the existence of nation states is relatively new in the history of the continent of Europe and while people may or may not be ready to change the definition of their state, they certainly aren’t ready to change the definition of their nation. So if you're not thinking like a Big Englander, what are you thinking?

It all boils down to the ideological debate of what the definition of 'we' is, whether it means your family, the people you know, your city, your country, your continent, or the whole world. This very topic could be viewed as part of a wider ideology. We all belong to a wider society beyond the borders of our country, but should we think about the interests of the whole world before the interests of our country? Should we prioritise the needs of the country before the needs of our city, or town, or street? Should we consider the needs of our whole community before our immediate family? Should we look after others before looking after ourselves? Many would argue that the answer to each of these questions is YES, but if you alter the questions from ‘should we’ to ‘do we,’ most would agree that more often than not the answer to each is NO. In other words, people generally take decisions in the best interests of themselves and the people around them, even if deep down they believe that some form of greater good could come from thinking otherwise. The only way you can stop a country from putting it own interests before wider international interests is by taking that power away from it.

Our society is not some kind of numinous entity; it is us - concerted action by human beings. We were all born into a society, but we don’t need to look after society’s interests. If the baker bakes, the teacher teaches, the miner mines and the fisherman fishes, then everyone does what they do best and the division of labour holds society together. In other words, if everyone takes care of themselves and the people around them, society will look after itself.

Society is of course a wonderful thing. We should celebrate the fact that humans have elevated themselves to coexistence and cooperation that benefits everyone. There is a sense of friendship and goodwill towards others that stems from the fact that we all belong to a collective movement of individuals. But society only exists because there are enough resources to go around and we can all benefit from the division of labour. If there was not enough food, water or shelter to go around then there would be no society, we would be robbing and killing each other like wild animals.

In the same way that a local community is divided up into the baker, the butcher, the biologist, the chemist etc. the world community is also divided up into the English, the Germans, the Koreans and the Norwegians etc. If the Germans make good cars and the Koreans make good mobile phones, then they are each performing their role in society, and maximising the total benefit gained from the division of labour.

To perform our function in the wider society of the world, we need to put our interests first. This means using our competitive advantages, embracing our individualities and differences and focusing on doing what we do best even if it is just making real ales and Cornish pasties and celebrating the royal family. By remaining attached to a standardised customs union, our competitive advantages, and the sense of competition itself, will slowly be eroded as the European market becomes harmonised.

It is in Europe’s best interests if each country acts predominantly in its own best interests. There is nothing shameful about being patriotic. Europe’s greatest asset is its diversity, and to pursue harmonisation is a betrayal of its very nature. So whether we are little Englanders, little Danes, little Poles or little Greeks, let’s think big and keep Europe special.