Jock Morrison: the Little Englanders are on the march

That such a reactionary, xenophobic crew could achieve second place in a parliamentary by-election and almost a quarter of the vote in local elections nationally, shows just how far to the right English politics have moved over the last 30 years.

Most Tories, openly or secretly, agree with UKIP. The Lib Dems are now the Conservatives’ partners - when will they drop that redundant ‘liberal’ bit? Those other shapeshifters, New Labour, brazenly flaunt their pinched nineteenth century tag One Nation, presumably to advertise their aspiration to be as radical as Harold MacMillan’s Tories, who used the same label in the 1950s.

Don’t, therefore, expect much in the way of opposition down south to the latest advance of the Little Englanders, currently spearheaded by UKIP, in their crusade against social welfare, minority rights and all things foreign.

So Scotland, beware. Apart from the silver bullet to solve all economic and political problems - exit from the EU - UKIP has no truck with independence or anything smelling of it, like devolution. Abolition of the Scottish Parliament would be among its very first acts if it came to power.

The emerging Anglo-Saxon uber-nationalism, represented by this rise of UKIP, is a threat to Scotland in other ways too. If England can’t restore its worldwide empire - which I suspect UKippers think of as the happiest of days - then at least it can have a huge army and navy patrolling the globe alongside its American cousin to show Johnny Foreigner what’s what.

This will be paid for by a flat rate of income tax whilst inheritance tax and employers’ national insurance contributions will be abolished. We can’t, after all, have progressive taxation getting in the way of enterprise, can we? Anyway, getting rid of most of the welfare state - or indeed anything with the word ‘state’ in it - will eliminate the need for most public expenditure. And if we prevent Johnny Foreigner coming here to work, why, that’s the best way to create employment for our ‘own’ people, isn’t it?

So, it’s back to a Little England of the 11-plus, fox hunting and the right to blow cigarette smoke in the faces of our fellow diners. ‘Common sense’ will replace ‘political correctness’. Naturally, the latter includes nonsense like human rights and anti-discrimination laws.

A good example of this common sense voice is Ron Northcott, UKIP candidate for Plymouth, who tweeted after Farage’s spot of bother in Edinburgh: "Amazed that 50 Jocks could get out of bed that early. It's not signing-on day is it, or is the chemist open?"

There is another side to English nationalism, of course. For many years now the folk singer Billy Bragg has been on a personal mission, urging the Left in English politics to reclaim patriotism and rescue it from the grasp of the extremist right. Bragg’s mission was initiated by his disgust at the adoption of the St George’s Cross by xenophobic football hooligans, racist groups and neo-nazi movements. 

To the consternation of his liberal fans, he has appeared on stage with the red and white flag.  His 'progressive patriotism' seeks to promote an English identity forged from the qualities which inspired the likes of the Levellers, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Chartists and the Suffragettes.

Bragg is sympathetic to Scottish and Welsh independence. He contrasts the intolerant, xenophobic nationalism of the English right with the Celts' tolerant, inclusive civic nationalism.

I wish him luck. Scotland as well as England would benefit from him succeeding in his mission. But the rise of UKIP shows he faces an uphill struggle. Still, he might be a man before his time if the words of his song Take Down the Union Jack are anything to go by:

Take down the Union Jack
It clashes with the sunset
And ask our Scottish neighbours
If independence looks any good
'Cause they just might understand
How to take an abstract notion of personal identity
And turn it into nationhood.