But the number of English identifying with England rather than Britain was roughly equal, at 41 to 43 percent. The English do not feel so self-conscious about their identity as the Scots and Welsh do. This is hardly surprising, since England has nearly 85 per cent of the total population. Tory predictions of a nationalist backlash are wide of the mark. The English do not feel threatened by the Scottish Parliament, let alone by the Welsh Assembly.
National identity is neither an artificial construction nor some unchanging inviolate entity.
As Professor Linda Colley has argued, it has evolved in response to external challenges. The end of Empire, membership of the European Union and, above all, closer international economic and social links have changed the meaning of national identity. That need not mean a descent into mushy multiculturalism, nor the inevitable break-up of Britain and our submersion into a European superstate. Rather, it is possible to have a series of loyalties and identities. The focus should, instead, be on the emerging constitutional framework.