The BreakUp of Britain Crisis and NeoNationalism

<b>The classic text, with a new introduction by Anthony Barnett </b><br><br>In this classic text, first published in 1977, Tom Nairn memorably depicts the “slow foundering” of the United Kingdom on the rocks of constitutional anachronism, its fall from empire and the gathering force of civic nationalism. Rich in comparisons between the nationalisms of the British Isles and those of the wider world, <i>The Break-Up of Britain</i> concludes by reflecting on the Janus-faced nature of national identity. Postscripts from the Thatcher and New Labour years trace the political strategies whose upshot accelerated the demise of a British order they were intended to serve.<br><br> As a second Scottish independence referendum beckons, a new introduction by <i>openDemocracy</i>’s Anthony Barnett underlines the book’s enduring relevance.