Was Alfred the Great behind Brexit?

I have just read an article in the American journal the National Review by Rupert Darwell.  It is interesting to read a foreign take on your own country, and it is intriguing in particular when it is about your country's relationship with the rest of the world.  The thesis is that there is something unique about English history.  Americans often use England and Britain interchangeably. But this is not the case here.  The author is well aware of the difference.  His suggestion is that English history is distinctly different to that of the rest of Europe for reasons going back to the ninth century.


Back when the Vikings were raiding the English found it necessary to create a strong organised and united state that was based on co-operation and consent.  As a result of this we have a long history of democracy and a high respect for liberty.  This means we have avoided the dictatorial and fascist governments that have bedevilled other European countries.  This makes us both particularly skeptical of big government and less convinced by the need to have institutions in place to avoid continental war.

It's an interesting angle.  I think it is pretty wide of the mark in reality, but it is well argued and written with skill. But ultimately the mistake is to see the English as a sort of European version of the American founding fathers. He is in effect projecting the American myth onto England.

The reality is that the British commitment to democracy is in fact not really much to write home about.  Exhibit A - the House of Lords. I don't think the country which still had hereditary legislators into the 21st century is in a strong position to claim a unique degree of respect for individual liberty.  And if skepticism about the European project is so deep rooted how do you explain that the country voted to remain in the EU in 1975?

I enjoy a good historical story as much as anyone.  In fact I probably enjoy them more.  And I certainly think that history is a great lens by which to understand the present.  But leaving the EU doesn't need to be traced back to Alfred the Great.  Who knows what history will make of the decision but it is pretty clear that a big role will be assigned to the media.   The editorial line taken by the mass market newspapers certainly wasn't inspired by a doughty connection to the liberties of Old England.  Democrats don't hack people's phones.

But Brexit does have a history and it will be interesting to see how it is written in the future.  The writers will have the advantage of knowing what happens next.  This is quite likely to allow them to see things that are important that are invisible to us.  It may well turn out that there is something unique to Britain that meant that it was the only country that ever voted to leave the EU.   Or perhaps it will prove the case that we were simply the first to go and the whole project will be looked back on as some kind of historical aberration much like we currently view the Holy Roman Empire.

The only fact we can be sure of is that geographically, Britain will remain a part of Europe.


http://www.nationalreview.com/article/440332/robert-tombs-english-and-their-history-explains-brexit-vote