The Republic of Northumbria
The government's ability to level up the North will determine the fate of a new separatist group
There is something pleasingly ridiculous about obscure separatist movements. Like their successful peers they have visions of grandeur, carving new states out of old. But limited means force such groups to meet in drab community halls, much like a club gathering in the Detectorists.
Among my favourite proposed states is Cascadia, a territory that runs from Oregon and Washington in the northwest continental United States up through British Columbia in Canada, and sometimes beyond. Its proponents are bioregionalists, who emphasise physical geography in determining state boundaries. As you might expect, environmentalism is at the centre of the movement, with social justice completing the package deal.
The southern US could tell you how well the country’s last secession attempt went, although Cascadia’s advocates would likely resent the comparison. Indeed, Britain’s own Scottish National Party (SNP) has shown that breakaways don’t have to be motivated by keeping certain undesirables out of the country.
The Covid-19 pandemic has nonetheless provided Nicola Sturgeon, first minister of Scotland, with a useful excuse to keep Englishmen out of North Britain and bash Westminster incompetence. Many of the regions have found camaraderie in complaining about perfidious southerners, so much so that some campaigners have lately set up the Northern Independence Party (NIP) to rid themselves of the Westminster yoke for good.
The imbalance between northern and southern England has worried pundits for years. Northerners are poorer than southerners, and frequently feel neglected by central government and deprived of infrastructure investment. Occasionally bits of it catch fire and London doesn’t much notice, so perhaps they have a point.
The North took on new importance in the December 2019 general election as the Conservatives tore down the so-called ‘red wall’ running across the likes of Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Doncaster. Since the election some Tory MPs from these areas have organised into a Northern Research Group, hoping to cause Boris Johnson some factional difficulties.
Locking Labour out of such seats could keep the Conservatives in power for some time. The change also plays into the wider reorientation between Labour and the Tories, as the former cater to effete metropolitan hipster grads while the latter scoop up salt-of-the-earth, horny-handed sons of toil. Or something like that.
Such crude generalisations naturally nark separatists. The NIP’s campaign website complains that “London-based journalists and politicians consistently pick out the worst of us and declare them our true representatives, demonstrating no understanding of the North’s actual character.”
In no way fulfilling baseless stereotypes, the party blames northern deprivation on Margaret Thatcher’s premiership. “We watched the Tories destroy our industries,” it says. “Our towns continue to decay as northerners move on to find opportunities elsewhere. Our communities are splintered, and further economic degradation constantly threatens our sense of dignity.”
As with Cascadia, there is a leftwing tilt to many of the proposed solutions post-independence. “Common ownership of wealth” is mentioned. Decarbonising the economy will allegedly lead to “thousands” of green jobs. In this way, the NIP claims, the North can “solve […] the economic and social disparities that split this island in two.”
Whether such inclusive talk goes well with setting up new borders is less sure. “We know too that the struggles of Hackney and Blyth Valley are one,” would sound more convincing if you weren’t proposing to leave one of these places to the alleged rapaciousness of southern Tories.
As with Scotland, whether such arguments prove persuasive will depend on how the Conservative government manages the union. The ‘levelling up’ agenda has been a main talking point for Boris Johnson’s government, although his party has historically been opposed to Levellers. In this light the Republic of Northumbria seems more plausible than an independent Cascadia.
Local villains. This month has seen various discussions about whether local elections slated for 6 May should be postponed, some for a second time. These include votes for mayors in London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, which are emblematic positions in the modern drive for city-based devolution. Writing in The Article last week, I argued that they should go ahead as planned, because democracy.
Ballots from the bog. Given the whole Covid-19 thing, people are again suggesting that online voting in elections would be a good idea. Given that you can apply for jobs, meet your soulmate, or tweet libels at your political opponents from the comfort of your toilet seat, shouldn’t you be able to cast a ballot through your smartphone? No, actually.
Digital Parliament. Speaking of opposition to digitisation, the House of Commons has had a mixed pandemic in terms of remote working, and seems likely to stick with trudging through lobbies to vote like it’s 1642. Unlike with online election voting, I reckon such reforms should be implemented.
Fascist oompa loompa. It has become popular to describe Donald Trump as a fascist after the storming of the US Capitol in Washington on 6 January. I am doubtful whether this adds much to criticism of the soon-to-be ex-president, and confident that it alienates people and speaks to our generally shallow understanding of history.
Johnsonian pivot. Many of you will have been dispirited/elated at the election of Johnson in December 2019, which feels like a long time ago. To recapture this experience I’ve been trying to guess the likelihood that he will contest the next general election. The methods are interesting, the results less than convincing.
Kentish disease. Kent doesn’t get enough bad press, so I think we should celebrate the fact that a variant of a dangerous virus can legitimately take the garden of England’s name. I may not be entirely serious.
A month into this foray into online newsletters, at least some of you seem to be opening the emails, and a few of you are clicking the links. If you’ve any feedback drop me a message via the usual channels. And as always, forward this on to anyone you think might like it.
Jimmy