CULTURAL DEVOLUTION

" The white man is mad, as every man without a tribe is mad " - Native American saying

We aim to celebrate and nurture English cultures and other cultures in England, in a society where everyone has the right to belong.

We say 'English' because many of us choose to see ourselves as English, whatever our roots. Yet our struggle is also for those who are clear that they are not English, who have their own cultural home. How we identify is as much a matter of choice as birthright. We do not go along with race myths. We also challenge the choice of a 'British' identity, since it requires the forced inclusion of others. The Great British assimilation project has been, and still is, a threat to all cultures - not just to the English.

We stand for a true poly-cultural society in which all cultures, including the English, can be proud of their identity (not embarrassed by it) and have a voice in any political settlement in any forum. We oppose 'multiculturalism' (or Jacobinism) which wants to de-politicise all cultures in an 'integrated' civic society where people only have rights as individuals. A sense of belonging to an entity greater than oneself is a prime human need.

HIDDEN HISTORY

" There is an unbroken line from the paranoid walls of a Norman keep to the Official Secrets Act of today " - John Fletcher

Solidarity and co-operative behaviour can be promoted by an awareness and celebration of cultures. Cultural devolution challenges us to gain insights about who we are. Re-discovering the hidden history (e.g. the English as a suppressed people*; working people's lives and struggles; why other groups were forced to come here...) will work to counter prejudice on all sides. [*See outline on 'England Day' page.]

We seek to engage with other peoples in England, who are also facing many challenges. We share in common with them the same problems of maintaining and developing our cultural identity in a fragmenting environment. Within English identity, and despite modern mobility, there are great regional variations shaped by history and geography - so much so that one can think of Wessex and Northumbria (say) as different sub-cultures.

After Britain, England need not become a nation-state, imposing a fixed ideal of a national culture (nationalism) on people; rather a dual confederation of its varied cultures and its equally varied regions.

Various practical projects to help strengthen English culture are being progressed or considered: -

For our England Day project see 'England Day' page.

For a 'bringing together of the fragments' see 'English Discovery' page.

For the distinction between 'English' and 'England' see 'England Solidarity' page.