The return of England
by Arthur Aughey
Englishness has re-emerged with a sense of grievance. Is it big enough to threaten Britain?
According to Philip Larkin, sexual intercourse in England began in the annus mirabilis of 1963, between the ending of the ban on Lady Chatterley’s Lover and the Beatles’ first LP. According to many, something similar happened to English national identity in 1996, the year the European football championship was held in England.
1963 helped to dispel the myth that the English prefer the comfort of a hot water bottle to the delights of sex. 1996 helped to dispel the myth that the English were reluctant to engage in national celebration. Back then, the flying of the St George’s cross in such large numbers was a startlingly new form of behaviour. Ten years on, the flag is part of the cultural and commercial mainstream.
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