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England: Seven Myths That Changed a Country – and How to Set Them Straight
Tom Baldwin and Marc Stears take on seven myths that distort our ideas of England and where the country is heading.
'Challenging, forensic, compelling' Sathnam Sanghera
'Pure centrist erotica. A myth-busting chronicle of bad-tempered, Brexit-riven England' Sunday Times
'Wonderfully evocative. Too honest, too nuanced and too deep for any party manifesto' Matthew Parris
In an election year when this country stands on the cusp of a change in government, there will once again be efforts to over-inflate myths about England that block out what's important in our politics.
Some politicians will talk of restoring an English birthright of liberty or the swashbuckling self-confidence to rule the waves. Others will yearn for the old-fashioned morality with which, they claim, England once civilised a savage world. Still will more look inwards to a story of an enchanted island that can stand alone and isolated against the world.
In England, Tom Baldwin, bestselling biographer of Keir Starmer, and Marc Stears, influential think tank head, unravel seven myths that have distorted ideas of this country and provided ammunition for charlatans or culture warriors from both left and right.
Instead of vainly promising to solve everything all at once, Baldwin and Stears provide clues for how a humbler, less grandiose, set of ideas rooted in real lives can help fix some of the things that have gone so badly wrong in recent years.
They travel from muddy fields in the Home Counties to the ports of Plymouth and Hull. They visit the old industrial heartland of Wolverhampton, spend weekends in the worn-down seaside resort of Blackpool, then gaze up the gleaming towers of modernity on the edge of London and the dreaming spires of Oxford. Along the way, they speak with many different people who tell stories of England, including politicians Nigel Farage and David Lammy, campaigner Chrisann Jarrett, playwright James Graham and scientist Sarah Gilbert.
What emerges is a startlingly fresh and vivid picture of a country that belongs to everyone, or at least, to no one in particular.
'Challenging, forensic, compelling' Sathnam Sanghera
'Pure centrist erotica. A myth-busting chronicle of bad-tempered, Brexit-riven England' Sunday Times
'Wonderfully evocative. Too honest, too nuanced and too deep for any party manifesto' Matthew Parris
In an election year when this country stands on the cusp of a change in government, there will once again be efforts to over-inflate myths about England that block out what's important in our politics.
Some politicians will talk of restoring an English birthright of liberty or the swashbuckling self-confidence to rule the waves. Others will yearn for the old-fashioned morality with which, they claim, England once civilised a savage world. Still will more look inwards to a story of an enchanted island that can stand alone and isolated against the world.
In England, Tom Baldwin, bestselling biographer of Keir Starmer, and Marc Stears, influential think tank head, unravel seven myths that have distorted ideas of this country and provided ammunition for charlatans or culture warriors from both left and right.
Instead of vainly promising to solve everything all at once, Baldwin and Stears provide clues for how a humbler, less grandiose, set of ideas rooted in real lives can help fix some of the things that have gone so badly wrong in recent years.
They travel from muddy fields in the Home Counties to the ports of Plymouth and Hull. They visit the old industrial heartland of Wolverhampton, spend weekends in the worn-down seaside resort of Blackpool, then gaze up the gleaming towers of modernity on the edge of London and the dreaming spires of Oxford. Along the way, they speak with many different people who tell stories of England, including politicians Nigel Farage and David Lammy, campaigner Chrisann Jarrett, playwright James Graham and scientist Sarah Gilbert.
What emerges is a startlingly fresh and vivid picture of a country that belongs to everyone, or at least, to no one in particular.
- GenresPolitics
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2024
8 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Tom Baldwin
22 books6 followersTom Baldwin is a British journalist, author, biographer, and former Labour Party senior adviser. He has worked as a journalist for national titles including The Times and The Sunday Telegraph. He was also a senior political adviser to Ed Miliband, and director of communications and strategy at the Labour Party.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 4, 2024
I dedicate the following book review to my Mother Elizabeth Barker . Here is to many more Mother and Son annual trips to interesting cities and towns in England and the wider UK.
What are the central myths that stand as England’s national narrative? How do the myths compare with the reality behind them? The answer is; it is complicated.
The theme of this book is that the author’s travel to different parts of the UK (mainly towns and cities with the exception of Runnymede which is basically a historical park) to discuss myths about England associated with them. Some of the myths in the different chapters are obvious, before they are even formally presented, like that of the first chapter that covers the myths around Magna Carta. The reality behind the myths are clearly stated by the authors, not in an attempt to hatchet job them but to give them a more realistic context. Their justification for this is that the myths are often ridiculous or set to high a bar for our country to ever meet again in the future, thus leading to the misery of unfulfilled expectations during trying times.
The variety of myths are varied enough to be interesting. These extend from England’s sense of moral mission following on from the legacy (heavily edit by myth it would seem) of William Wilberforce, to the wholesale and calculated “betrayal” of the Working Class as one singular group. The critique of these myths included some frankly stated facts. However, there is more than one occasion, quite suitably, some old English dry humour is directed against some of the bigger myth claims to make light of them.
What I found quite unique and interesting about this book was the author’s efforts to give colour to the towns and cities behind the myths. I was shocked to hear about Plymouth’s terrible poverty as the Royal Navy base attached to it grew in the days of empire, now to be faced with culture wars infecting it’s local politics. I was moved by Hull’s community uniting to protect a mosaic celebrating the fishing industry from being demolished. I found it reassuring that many of the successful initiatives tackling social problems were driven by the determination of local people to do good.
In conclusion I found this book frank, thoughtful and sometimes unexpectedly entertaining. The author’s make clear that their goal was not to simply shred the myths, but to give them vital context. As an avid reader of history, I entirely agree that providing context to history makes it more interesting. It isn’t a binary choice between loving our history or binning it. I would say as a point of obstructive criticism, that sometimes the authors seem more focused on myth busting than highlighting genuinely remarkable historical stories within those myths. While they are open about their political allegiances (they both worked for the Labour Party), there are times when they can occasionally be indulgent in making certain political points. However, I will say that despite that and to my knowledge they keep truthful.
What this book illustrates clearly is how the national myths obscure not only stark realities, but also crowd out the remarkable and resilient people that live within Britain. Because of this their stories are drowned out of the national narrative, to the detriment of England. Instead of celebrating the outlandish, perhaps there is something to be said for appreciating the normal. As a great person once said “be thankful for a normal day”.
What are the central myths that stand as England’s national narrative? How do the myths compare with the reality behind them? The answer is; it is complicated.
The theme of this book is that the author’s travel to different parts of the UK (mainly towns and cities with the exception of Runnymede which is basically a historical park) to discuss myths about England associated with them. Some of the myths in the different chapters are obvious, before they are even formally presented, like that of the first chapter that covers the myths around Magna Carta. The reality behind the myths are clearly stated by the authors, not in an attempt to hatchet job them but to give them a more realistic context. Their justification for this is that the myths are often ridiculous or set to high a bar for our country to ever meet again in the future, thus leading to the misery of unfulfilled expectations during trying times.
The variety of myths are varied enough to be interesting. These extend from England’s sense of moral mission following on from the legacy (heavily edit by myth it would seem) of William Wilberforce, to the wholesale and calculated “betrayal” of the Working Class as one singular group. The critique of these myths included some frankly stated facts. However, there is more than one occasion, quite suitably, some old English dry humour is directed against some of the bigger myth claims to make light of them.
What I found quite unique and interesting about this book was the author’s efforts to give colour to the towns and cities behind the myths. I was shocked to hear about Plymouth’s terrible poverty as the Royal Navy base attached to it grew in the days of empire, now to be faced with culture wars infecting it’s local politics. I was moved by Hull’s community uniting to protect a mosaic celebrating the fishing industry from being demolished. I found it reassuring that many of the successful initiatives tackling social problems were driven by the determination of local people to do good.
In conclusion I found this book frank, thoughtful and sometimes unexpectedly entertaining. The author’s make clear that their goal was not to simply shred the myths, but to give them vital context. As an avid reader of history, I entirely agree that providing context to history makes it more interesting. It isn’t a binary choice between loving our history or binning it. I would say as a point of obstructive criticism, that sometimes the authors seem more focused on myth busting than highlighting genuinely remarkable historical stories within those myths. While they are open about their political allegiances (they both worked for the Labour Party), there are times when they can occasionally be indulgent in making certain political points. However, I will say that despite that and to my knowledge they keep truthful.
What this book illustrates clearly is how the national myths obscure not only stark realities, but also crowd out the remarkable and resilient people that live within Britain. Because of this their stories are drowned out of the national narrative, to the detriment of England. Instead of celebrating the outlandish, perhaps there is something to be said for appreciating the normal. As a great person once said “be thankful for a normal day”.
November 17, 2025
Eminently readable, and while some arguments peter out a little or are tied up a little ineffectually, there’s a dedication to nuance and a celebration of complexity that’s to be applauded.
The overall conclusion that there is an imperfect ordinariness to Englishness certainly chimes with my lived experience. The overblown myths either excuse the abhorrence of much of our past or oversimplify the solutions. Look beyond the figures of the headlines and you see scores of ordinary folk trying to get by or, in many cases, trying to help each other. These people are everywhere, and they need all of our help.
The overall conclusion that there is an imperfect ordinariness to Englishness certainly chimes with my lived experience. The overblown myths either excuse the abhorrence of much of our past or oversimplify the solutions. Look beyond the figures of the headlines and you see scores of ordinary folk trying to get by or, in many cases, trying to help each other. These people are everywhere, and they need all of our help.
July 16, 2024
Overall, pretty original, interesting and very readable (bar a few sentences that needed some work).
I wasn't a fan of the final chapter, which tried to sum up the previous chapters and to do the "set them straight" part of the title in the most perfunctory and unconvincing of manners. I'd rather they'd just let the main chapters stand for themselves if they weren't going to really invest in that closing one.
I wasn't a fan of the final chapter, which tried to sum up the previous chapters and to do the "set them straight" part of the title in the most perfunctory and unconvincing of manners. I'd rather they'd just let the main chapters stand for themselves if they weren't going to really invest in that closing one.
July 22, 2024
A very interesting and thought provoking book that made me think and learn more. An excellent book if you are interesting in politics
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
July 15, 2024
Thoughtful, well written.
August 18, 2024
A decent enough book which looks to deflate the myths of England but the structure gets very repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews