All About England

"Essentially English history did not start with the Romans or the Normans. It was the Anglo-Saxons who created the monarchy and culture we still have today…. Everything that is wonderful and useful in England, from the language to the constitution, is traceable to them” David Starkey - Historian

England is a small country in the northwest corner of Europe. The history of England and indeed the English people starts with the early migrations from their continental homelands of the Anglo-Saxons, a race of warriors who came to this country and made it their own. Our early ancestors were an extremely proud people, both tough and resourceful. They were a confederation of closely related northern European tribes that in a short space of time would merge into a single English identity. These were the men who were to lay the very foundation stones of the English Nation and whose ancestors would go on to shape the modern world in which we live like none ever had, or will ever do again.

The first large scale migrations occurred in the 5th century. Squadrons of ships leaving the traditional homelands of Denmark and Northern Germany first settled in the coastal areas, but as more arrived small warbands pushed inland up the rivers and waterways forming new communities as they went.

Our ancestors gave their name to this new land, England - the land of the English, and the language they spoke Englisc would over the years evolve into the modern day English that we speak.

Small we may be, yet the English nation's influence spreads to the four corners of the globe. When travelling abroad it is virtually impossible to find anywhere untouched by English cultural influence. Sports and games created by the English, technology and invention, medicines which have saved countless millions of lives, the industrial revolution - the spark that changed the world forever, English television, music, theatre, literature and culture. We have given the English language to the world along with its greatest masters; Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton and Tennyson.

During the dark days of 1940 it was the English people who bore the brunt of German aggression and it was the English people who steadfastly refused to yield as Hitler tried in vain to bomb them into submission. Our island was the sole beacon of hope left for the subjugated peoples of Europe - Britain stood alone against tyranny and, along with our allies, saved western civilisation from destruction. No selfish reason dictated this stance. The Germans did not want to fight us. Quite the opposite, they actually admired us. The cost of the war in both manpower and financial terms helped advance England's fall from world eminence by decades. We stood alone for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. Is this all so easily forgotten?

Our glorious history stands testament to our sense of adventure, fighting spirit and a confident and positive outlook that in modern times we will do well to remember. Ours is a history of invention, of development and advancement, both of our own people and our neighbours near and far. Our martial spirit and military history stand apart from any other nation.

It is also no accident that many of the ideas of individual liberty and freedom that have helped shaped the modern world first took root in our land and from our people. It is often forgotten that the English have a rich heritage of radical thought and action. We have produced a long list of English radicals and great thinkers who have never allowed their thoughts and ideals to be constrained by the times in which they lived or the governments they lived under. In times gone by the English have always been willing to take a stand for new ideas in which they believed and have never allowed others to impose their views upon them. The government feared the people and it worked much better that way.

There are those who would say that these ideas of the freeborn Englishmen and Anglo-Saxon democracy are a romanticised myth but it is this very ideology that has shaped the development of English society and our political and social history. The idea of an early Anglo-Saxon democracy is at the core of the English radical tradition and it was an outlook that many paid a heavy price for but it was also the inspiration behind such things as, the English Revolt (peasants' Revolt), the Bill of Rights, the Levellers, Diggers, Parliamentarians, 19th century trade union movement and the Chartists. It also inspired those who wrote the American constitution. It is from our people who we have inherited our rights as freeborn Englishmen. It has been our struggle, and we should not allow others who care nothing for any of this to give away our inheritance cheaply - especially when it is not theirs to give.

Our heritage is a rich tapestry to be savoured, admired and protected and yet, due to political correctness, it is a history and culture that is to be denied us. Scottish, Irish, Asian or any other culture you can think of is to be celebrated, but we the English are not afforded the same opportunity to celebrate our identity.

It is a national tragedy that through political correctness we are unable to instil a sense of pride and belonging into our children. Indeed, in times where many have no sense of direction, when communities are fragmented, our Englishness can provide that identity, pull everyone together and tell us something of who we are and from where we came. Political correctness in this country is used as an instrument of oppression, a weapon in the hands of a small minority to deny the majority their right to express their opinion and culture. As English people we should utterly reject it in all its forms and never allow those in positions of power to dictate to us what is and what is not acceptable. They have not earned that right.

Never forget, our country was built by men of physical strength, mental fortitude and unbreakable spirit. It was forged in the heat of battle and nurtured in the inherent libertarian instinct of those very first freeborn Englishmen These people were our ancestors, our kinsmen and they are a part of each and every one of us. Their story is our story.

We are the ones who have given so much to this world.
We are the ones who have touched this planet like no others.
We are the ones who have so much of which to be proud.
Walk on. Stand tall...
We are the English!
The darkest hour is the one before dawn breaks. LONG LIVE OUR BELOVED ENGLAND!


"Our ancestors took this land. They took it and made it and held it. We do not give up what our ancestors gave us. They came across the sea and they fought here, and they built here and they're buried here. This is our land, mixed with our blood, strengthened with our bone. Ours!" Bernard Cornwell - 'The Last Kingdom'