England Abandoned?

For too long it seems as if the idea of an independent England has been ignored by the 'Left' and the field had been abandoned to the right and far-right lunatic fringe. Scotland has the pro-independence/nationalist parties, the SNP, SSP, and Greens, all of them are progressive and centre-left or far left, Wales has Plaid Cymru a proudly democratic socialist nationalist party, even Cornwall has Mebyon Kernow who describe themselves as 'green social democrats'.

An independent English Republic, that no longer flies the butcher's apron, that is free from the dreadful legacy of monarchy and empire, that can take it's place alongside free and independent equal neighbours, in the world community of Nations is surely a goal many Socialists and Democrats can identify with?

The fact is as Scotland and Wales move towards greater devolution and possibly outright independence, the rumblings of discontent in England will grow. Well that's fine, but at the moment the only political organisations capitalising on an increased desire for English self government are reactionary and rightwing, and sometimes openly racist and fascist.