Independent Scotland and a "New England"?

I know many on the Left in Wales who support Independence are sorry that we appear to have few counterparts in England. English Nationlism often perceived as the domain of the extreme right.

There are occasions for hope often from the uttering of the musicians Billy Bragg

This week he has given us afresh approach to the Scottish Referendum telling the Scotsman Newspaper  , that the end of Britain could herald a new England led by a centre-left party akin to the SNP


 Bragg’s comments about Salmond “putting forward a nationalism that’s inclusive and mature – something that we don’t have in England”

Is in direct contrast to those on the left in  English left and the rest of the UK  who have long feared the prospect of Tory domination in Westminster should Scotland gain independence. 
Bragg says: that he envisages

 Not an English national party, but a party for England of civic nationalism that puts forward the progressive ideas of the SNP. Scottish independence throws up the possibility of a more progressive England,”

he continued 

 “The problem for us from this is that if you’re in England and you want no fees and free prescriptions, who do you vote for? There’s a real problem that’s opening up with that and I worry that the Labour Party will be punished because people won’t vote for it because it hasn’t grasped all this.”

So Bragg sees Scottish Independence  as a catalyst for his "New England" an opportunity for his nation to have a progressive left of centre his nation deserves.

Sadly it is unlikely to come from Labour unless it shakes of both its Blareite  Blue-Labour element but comes to realise that there is a future for the left in England without Scotland  (and even Wales) but it will involve them shaking of their British Nationalism and becoming English progressives.