November 25, 2005
Your history is unfortunate
This is a simply astonishing piece of text from the Labour Party:
Dear Correspondent,An unfortunate history. Yes, this Terry White really wrote that. England actually has a mixed history (like many other nations on Earth) rather than a specifically unfortunate one. Mr. White's statement is factually incorrect and, at best, reveals a bias against England. Indeed, there is a term that people use when describing sweeping statements against a demographic that are not factually correct and can be seen by the recipients as an insulting remark or attitude based only upon a persons nation or culture.Thank you for your email.
Neither the Labour Party nor the Labour Government are pursuing the policy towards England or the English that you claim.
England, as opposed to Britain, has an unfortunate history around the world and within the British Isles and please do not say that it is all past.
It is a fact that the right and extreme right in Britain cloak themselves in the English flag, the cross of St.George and claim to be the true representatives of the English.
Wherever there is hooligan behaviour, usually linked to extreme right-wing political groups e.g. at football matches here and abroad, it is the flag of St.George that is displayed and that, I would imagine, is the reason why the MP referred to this type of 'Englishness' as a threat to democracy.
Regards,Terry White
Communications Unit
The Labour Party
It is becoming increasingly difficult to accept the primacy of Britain when these are the kind of remarks we receive from its official and semi-official representatives.
"Neither the Labour Party nor the Labour Government are pursuing the policy towards England or the English that you claim", he wrote. Mr. White would ask us to accept that as the official position of the Labour party. Should we also interpret that the official position of the Labour Party is that "England, as opposed to Britain, has an unfortunate history around the world and within the British Isles..."? We need to find out. Actually, what we need to do is ask to speak to Mr. White's manager as his remarks have gone too far.
It's almost as if Mr. White's manager walked up to him and said: Here's a stick, there's a sleeping lion. Go and see what you can do.
