A New British Political Identity

In British Politics: A Very Short Introduction, Wright concludes that modern day British politics is changing, "but not yet out of all recognition." Wright addresses many issues confronting the future of British politics: devolution of Scotland and Wales, integration into Europe, diminishing role of monarchy, lower political participation, etc. What if we look as it not as problems that Britain is facing, but instead a new British, or possibly English, political identity?

For one, there is certainly no way back from devolution. As Wright points out, separate parliaments in Edinburgh and Westminster will inevitably: 1. distance issues of the United Kingdom and issues specifically concerning Scotland, and 2. experience further difficulties if different parties are elected in both parliaments. England's relatively indifferent approach toward letting Scotland and Wales govern itself, while keeping in mind Scotland and Wales' economic dependency on London, means while the rupture will never fully heal, ultimate disconnection is extremely unlikely. (Furthermore, the concept of British monarchy, so richly part of British society, would not relinquish British territory.) What sounds possible, however, is a continuation of United Kingdom as a unity, with Wales and Scotland as politically self-governed, to the extent of even foreign policy, where Scotland and Wales would be separate members in the EU. Hence, politically, each state will have all rights of any independent state, except for being under a monarchy and economic dependency. The Queen would still have "rule" over the whole United Kingdom, while a Scotsman like Gordon Brown could still hold PM office.

Now consider the lowering of election turnout and decreasing share of the two majority parties, joined with the coming of new Labour: is not this merely a sign of British politics adapting to the times? Surely, in most modern democratic, capitalist societies, it is difficult to find the continuation of high election turnout rates, as simply the rise of powerful corporations in the last 50 years has altered political influence on society: the average Brit is more dependent on individual success, success of corporations, than government's policies of recovery from war. As a result, the emergence of newer, less dominant parties is only a continuation into the new age of privatized industries and diversified political preferences.

While there are many other aspects experiencing evolution in British politics, I'm going to keep this short, and I just think that the change in many aspects of traditional British politics does not mean the loss of the British identity, but simply, a change in what we can define as British politics. The monarchy might have a different role and Scotland and Wales are no longer under direct control of Westminster, but the British Parliament, the two houses, British political style, as well as the "special" UK-US relationship, relationships with the European mainland, all these aspects remain consistent with tradition British political values, but simply performed in a modern context. Devolution, Monarchy, mixed electoral system: these are evolving aspects of the new British political identity.