The British citizen travelling abroad has to make a conscious decision in explaining whether he or she belongs to England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the UK or a combination of these identities. Our confused understanding of what is meant by ‘British’ identity is attributable in large part to our imperial history, its effects and the lack of a coherent concept of British citizenship in post-imperial Britain.
The reasons are buried in British history: waves of xenophobia and war hysteria in 1914; the imperial hangover after the Second World War in devising various grades of British citizenship; racially-motivated immigration policies; alienation from European integration; and a muddled understanding of diversity and pluralism.
