The dilemmas of ethnic privilege

There has been considerable political debate regarding the construction of `British' and `English' identity. This article examines the views of British political leaders Blair, Hague and Duncan Smith. It argues that a comparison with Australian political debates over the construction of `Anglo-Celtic' and national identity can be particularly helpful. The Australian experience draws attention to the need to consider diasporic constructions of `Britishness'; reinforces the need to address the colonial implications of mainstream British identity; and emphasizes the dangers posed by conservative mobilizations of traditional ethnic identities in response to `modernizing' projects by Labour governments. Both the British and Australian debates reveal the dilemmas posed by powerful ethnic identities whose privilege is under threat.