From mood to movement: English nationalism, the European Union and taking back control

Abstract

This article considers whether the 2016 EU referendum can be perceived as an English nationalist movement. Specifically, attention is given to examining how memories of the former British Empire were nostalgically enveloped in anxieties regarding England's location within the devolved UK state. The comments and work of Enoch Powell and George Orwell are used to help explore the link between nostalgia and anxiety in accounts of English nationalism. Despite their opposing political orientations, when considered together, it is argued that both men provide a unique cross-political perspective on Englishness, empire and nostalgia. By way of exploring these themes in relation to the EU referendum, Aughey's assertion that English nationalism can be perceived as both a 'mood' and 'movement' is used to highlight how a sense of English anxiety regarding its lack of national sovereignty (mood), as well as a desire to reclaim this sovereignty by renegotiating trade relations with the 'Anglo-sphere' (movement), were conjoined in the popular referendum slogan, 'take back control'. In conclusion, it is argued that the contextualization of the referendum can be predicated upon an orientation to empire that steers away from glorifying pro-imperial images of England/Britain, towards a more positive and progressive appropriation of the EU referendum as a statement of national change and belonging.

Nationalism and European disintegration

“…On the evidence thus far, Brexit is a peculiarly British phenomenon in two ways. Firstly, in that it was caused in large part by the politicisation of English nationhood (Black, 2019; Mann & Fenton, 2017). In this regard, Brexit should not be seen as an instance of ‘British exceptionalism’ but as English nationalism as a domestic driver of both European and member‐state disintegration.…”

Conviviality and parallax in David Olusoga’sBlack and British: A Forgotten History

“…Often, when accounts of the past are challenged, it is the ‘national culture’ which is deemed to be undermined by the impact of immigration and global uncertainty, resulting in heightened tensions, forms of cultural segregation and the denunciation of multiculturalism (as opposed to a lack of housing, social care and health services). In fact, such rhetoric was reignited during the 2016 UK European Union Referendum (Black, 2018). Politicians, such as Peter Griffiths, Enoch Powell, Norman Tebbit and, more recently, Nigel Farage, form a lineage of British politicians who have sought to control discussions on ‘race’ and immigration within a subtext of fear (Gupta, 2013).…”

Powellite nostalgia and racialised nationalist narratives: Connecting Global Britain and Little England

“…Nevertheless, the imperative to ‘Take Back Control’ also had a polysemic appeal, capable of addressing multiple audiences, including those concerned with ostensibly less-toxic themes, such as repatriating a multitude of laws and regulations from the EU (Browning, 2019). The slogan’s polysemy facilitated Vote Leave’s post-referendum detoxification efforts as it could be moulded to symbolise both a ‘high-minded, democratic case’ for Brexit and a ‘highly racialised appeal to fear of ‘the other’’ (Kenny, 2016a; see also Black, 2019: 203). Whatever theme it was attached to, however, the emotional resonance of the phrase was always nostalgic.…”