English nationalism is indeed a source of constant despair. When will we see a progressive left-of-centre nationalist party campaigning alongside the EFA members in the UK? Why not an English Socialist Party to work with the Scottish equivalent? To compound the situation the only left-wing blog for English self-determination -England Left Forward- has been closed by its author.
The last post gave a summary of what English regionalist groups currently exist. Before anybody points out the inconsistencies in blogging about English regionalists and then following this with a post calling for a progressive one parliament English nationalist party let me just say that I support the people of England's right to self-determination. If they want a single parliament then they should have it. On the other hand if they decide that regional parliaments would better suit them then so be it. What is sure is that the current unfinished devolution of power is unsatisfactory for all concerned.
Leaving aside the hard right English Democrats and their sometimes allies the neo-nazi England First Party what other parties exits? The English Radicals, The One England Party and The English Peoples Party more or less all make the -not left not right just English- claim. However they all seem to have a nervous dislike of immigration, a rampant euroscepticism and a need to talk tough on issues of law and order. If it walks like a Tory and talks like a Tory? To their credit the English Radicals have called distributist economy -"According to distributism, the ownership of the means of production should be spread as widely as possible among the general populace, rather than being centralized under the control of the state (state socialism) or a few large businesses or wealthy private individuals (plutarchic capitalism)"- but then again so have the BNP.
Political parties aside there is also the Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP). Sadly it appears to be flooded with the most virulent anti-Cornish members of the EDP.
There simply isn't much more to say about the general current state of political English nationalism other than it's -not progressive not friendly not even very English just right-wing.
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There are a couple of groups calling themselves the English National Party. For me the only voice worth listening to in English nationalism right now is Billy Bragg. The Progressive Patriot is a good read, although he continues to conflate England and Britain in it. - Ray Bell
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