Why does England lack political representation, when Scotland and Wales have their own parliaments? Why is English nationalism associated with intolerance, rather than with an inclusive pride and patriotism? Why is Westminster maintaining its silence on the English question, with a referendum on Scottish independence on the horizon? Why are 'English' and 'England' inconvenient words for politicians?
It is time to ask these questions - not only of unionists and English nationalists, but of all citizens, regardless of their national identity.
This is not about Last Night at the Proms or chicken tikka masala; we reject such attempts to patronise. This is about England, and the right to build a self-aware and self-determining nation.
As we watch the ascent of a resentful English nationalism, and the growth of Scottish and Welsh separatism as a response to the Anglocentrism of the British state, the question of England is in more need of answers than ever before: Are we citizens of nowhere or citizens of England?
The British establishment has long stifled these questions. Today OurKingdom launches a new debate page, For England's Sake!, to begin to seek some answers.
