Without doubt it is now commonly
accepted in sports, athletic circles and events that the
English Cross represents England. The incorrect waving of
the Union Flag, or Jack, for England is fast disappearing.
Painting of faces with the English cross at recent world cup
events was an expression of national sentiment, English
national sentiment, by ordinary and working class people.
The Scots, Welsh and Irish have no qualms about who they are
and what nation they belong to and what flag they fly they
certainly do not consider themselves British except some
Unionists in the six counties of Northern Ireland. Although
it is becoming clearer, we the English, are still a little
mixed up about whether we are English or just "British".
This is because England was the apex of the British Empire
which in fact was an English Empire where fag ends persist
today in Gibraltar, Northern Ireland, Falkland Isles and
several other spots around the world.
The term "British" was highlighted in
the days of imperialism to rub out the idea of nations and
nationalities. The apt and current parallel form of
imperialism is now being consolidated by European Union.
Wales and Scotland are to be merely regions and not nations.
England is divided into several regions like the rest of the
EU. Some Euro-regions straddle national boundaries.
According to the Treaty on European Union we are all
supposed to become "European Citizens" with duties and
rights as yet unspecified. Apart from one or two exceptions,
according to international law, you cannot be a citizen of
two states at the same time. This means we are intended to
be citizens of a superstate and lose our national identity
as part of the process of taking away the powers of nation
states and national governments, thereby national democracy
and all forms of democracy.
To progress democracy into the
economic and other fields requires real socialism. The
prerequisites of socialism are therefore national
independence and national democracy. Hence the thrust to
European Union is the antithesis of democracy, national
independence and socialism.
A nation state and national government
is strongest when the nation is the strongest. In the case
of Britain this entails several nations and peoples whatever
class they come from. A current example of the strength of a
nation irrespective of class is that of the Serb nation who
have united against the illegal and barbaric NATO bombing.
Socialism and nationalism are not
comparable just as flour and electricity are not comparable.
Socialism is an economic system where production and
appropriation proceed together in common but where personal
consumption is related to personal contribution. Nationalism
or patriotism does not define a system of society but can
define a sentiment, doctrine or movement. In the context of
today’s political situation, nationalism or patriotism has
the aim of securing national independence, an aim which is
democratic but not inherently socialist. Therefore it is the
duty of all socialists to be the best democrats and the best
nationalists or patriots.
The action of NATO in the Balkans and
intense rivalries between the imperialist powers involved is
to shred the UN Charter and international law, especially
the right to self determination of nation states. The object
of European Union with a single currency and single army is
to completely take away the right of EU member states to
their own self determination. European Union is being
consolidated as a capitalist corporatist superstate to suit
transnational capital. It is big capital which is opposed to
nationalism, nation states, national democracy and all forms
of democracy. The anti-thesis of transnational capital is
therefore the nation state, nationalism or patriotism and
democracy.
Some of the factors which bind a
nation together include a common language, history,
geographical area, economic system, culture and democracy.
Democracy requires the minority to accept majority decisions
and can only happen within a nation state and not between
nation states. Britain is a multi-cultural, multi-racial,
multi-nation state comprises three predominant nations and
part of the Irish nation. This mini-Common Market is
dominated by England. Britain in turn is now subjugate over
vast areas of economic, political and military life to the
European Union superstate. This is done through common
policies, laws, directives and regulations on foreign policy
and a European Army, a single currency even though we have
not joined the last stage of economic and monetary union,
agriculture, steel , shipbuilding, coal production, fishing
grounds, trans-European roads, judicial system, taxation via
VAT and so on.
A full understanding of the importance
of what is called the "National Question" is required to
broaden the anti-EU movement in Britain where all classes
take part, especially the working class and the
organisations of the labour movement who normally represent
them.