Little Englander

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Little England (disambiguation).

Little Englanders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were a faction of the Liberal Party who opposed further expansion of and financial support to the British Empire, and advocated complete independence for British colonies.[1][2]

Since the 2010s, especially after the 2016 Brexit referendum,[3] the term has become a popular derogatory epithet for an English chauvinist[2] who mistrusts the European Union, international cooperation, and foreigners in general.[4] "Gammon" has been used similarly in British political culture since 2012.[5]

History

The original Little England movement originated among manufacturers in

Arthur Ponsonby wrote of the Liberal leader Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's opposition to the Boer War: "The impression one got of him from the Press in those days was … that he was an unpatriotic Little Englander".[7]

In literature

The term "little England" predates its political usage; the expression "this little England" was used in the

Shakespeare's play Henry VIII (1601), when the Old Lady tells Anne Boleyn: "In faith, for little England / You'd venture an emballing: / I myself would for Carnarvonshire
."

Contemporary usage

The Cambridge online dictionary defines "Little Englander" as "an English person who thinks England is better than all other countries, and that England should only work together with other countries when there is an advantage for England in doing so".

English nationalists and British people who are xenophobic or overly nationalistic.[10] It has also been applied to opponents of globalism, multilateralism, and internationalism.[10][11] Since the 2010s, especially post-Brexit,[3] the term has gained popularity as a derogatory way to describe supporters of English nationalism and xenophobia.[2] For this reason, it is similar to the insult "gammon", which has been used in British political culture since 2012.[5]

See also

References

  1. doi:10.2307/1846260
    .
  2. ^ a b c Chotiner, Isaac. "From Little Englanders to Brexiteers". The New Yorker.
  3. ^ a b Irving, Clive (October 15, 2016). "The Rise of Hateful Little England" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  4. ^ "little Englander | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary". dictionary.cambridge.org.
  5. ^ a b "Is the EU really plotting to switch Britain to 'Berlin Time'?". Metro. 5 February 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  6. ISBN 9780773575004
    .
  7. ^ F. W. Hirst, In The Golden Days (London: Frederick Muller, 1947), p. 253.
  8. ^ p.62 of The Puritans in America: A Narrative Anthology, edited by Alan Heimert and Andrew Delbanco. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985. 438 pages.
  9. ^ "little Englander | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary". dictionary.cambridge.org.
  10. ^ a b Crace, John (11 June 2013). "Who are these 'little Englanders' David Cameron is playing to?". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2019. In short, it has become a byword for small-minded bigotry.
  11. ^ "A Eurosceptic union is forming across Europe". Coffee House. 2016-12-06. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
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