Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire

by Danny Dorling

Overview

Things fall apart when empires crumble. This time, we think, things will be different. They are not. This time, we are told, we will become great again. We will not. In this new edition of the hugely successful Rule Britannia, Danny Dorling and Sally Tomlinson argue that the vote to leave the EU was the last gasp of the old empire working its way out of the British psyche. Fuelled by a misplaced nostalgia, the result was driven by a lack of knowledge of Britain's imperial history, by a profound anxiety about Britain's status today, and by a deeply unrealistic vision of our future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785904561
Publisher:	Biteback Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	01/15/2019
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Danny Dorling is the Halford Mackinder Professor in geography at the University of Oxford. In 2015 he was a commissioner of the London Fairness Commission, which reported in 2016. His work concerns issues of housing, health, employment, education, wealth and poverty, and his books include The Atlas of the Real World (Thames and Hudson), Inequality and the 1% (Verso), Population 10 Billion (Constable) and All That Is Solid (Allen Lane).

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables ix
Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Why Brexit? 21
Chapter 2: Britain’s immigrant origins 38
Chapter 3: From empire to Commonwealth 75
Chapter 4: High inequality and ignorant politicians 115
Chapter 5: The fantasy and future of free trade 160
Chapter 6: How not to treat immigrants 193
Chapter 7: Imperially rooted education and bigotry 235
Chapter 8: A land of hope and glory? 279
Chapter 9: Why not Brexit? 312

About the authors 345
Endnotes 347
Index 387

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Essential reading for all trying to navigate the choppy waters of post-Brexit Britain.” - Rupa Huq MP

“Brexit was a long time coming. Danny Dorling and Sally Tomlinson in the exquisite and timely Rule Britannia get that and know that the responses must be as big, if not bigger, than the tsunami the vote to leave has created. Here is that rich but rare mix of profound analysis and hope for something better.”- Neal Lawson, chair of Compass

“A much-needed mirror through which Britain and what it means to be British is explored with razor-sharp nuance and detail. The book’s contents should form the basis of the humanities curriculum at schools – equipping our future generations with a more truthful and grounded understanding of what Britain really is.” - Shaista Aziz, journalist, writer and stand-up comedian

“Leaver or Remainer, if you think Brexit might affect you or your children or your children’s children, read this book.” - Peter Florence, director, Hay Literary Festival

“The single most important book about Brexit. Meticulously researched and clearly written, Rule Britannia exposes the racism, ideology and narrow self-interest behind the Brexit rhetoric.” - Professor David Gillborn, director, Centre for Research in Race and Education, University of Birmingham

“Absolutely brilliant. Extremely insightful and thought-provoking.” - Dimitris Ballas, Professor of Economic Geography, University of Groningen

“Danny Dorling and Sally Tomlinson’s Rule Britannia makes for essential reading on the connections between Brexit and Britain’s colonial history. It is a highly readable book and, despite the gravity of its content, a joy to read in being replete with humour and anecdotal gems. A re-education in itself, the book convincingly argues that changes to education policy, schooling and curricula are essential to challenging and averting the disastrous consequences of Britain’s imperial nostalgia and ignorance.” - Nadine El-Enany, Senior Lecturer in Law, Birkbeck