Campaign Seeks 50 Objects to Redefine Englishness
Billy Bragg, Sarah Lucas, and Kojo Koram are among those encouraging people to share cultural artefacts that represent English identity.
For some, Englishness is symbolized by a Morris Minor; for others, it might be a beach windbreak, chicken tikka masala, or the Magna Carta.
A new initiative aims to gather 50 objects that encapsulate Englishness, seeking to shift the debate away from simplistic disputes such as whether to display a St George’s flag.
Supported by Green party politician Billy Bragg, musician and campaigner Billy Bragg, and law professor Kojo Koram, the A Very English Chat campaign intends to address England’s increasing social divisions and political polarization by inviting people to share five objects that define their Englishness in 2026.
Cultural artefacts may include objects, places, people, or anecdotes. Contributions also encompass music, food, and nature—anything that conveys individuals’ feelings, stories, and connections, or lack thereof, with England.
These contributions will be compiled and used to create items such as decks of cards, posters, T-shirts, and tea towels for St George’s Day on 23 April.
Andy Green, founder of the campaign, which is funded by donations, explained that the goal is to "take the heat" out of divisive conversations about Englishness, which often center on disputes over displaying the St George’s flag.
“Our country is tearing itself apart – [similarly to] what we’re witnessing in America – and we urgently need to take action to avoid sleepwalking down the same path,”
“With St. George’s Day approaching we want to create a richer, inclusive way of responding to what will be another focal point for our divided identity.”
Green aims to foster a nuanced, broader, and more generous discussion about the elements—from historically significant to seemingly incidental or amusing—that connect English people and tell a larger story.
The initiative is supported by the Jo Cox Foundation’s More in Common Network and other social campaign groups, including Grow Social Capital, which assists communities in telling their collective stories from the grassroots level.
For Sarah Lucas, author of Another England, a book exploring English identity and how the country’s underlying narratives fuel division, one cultural artefact that encapsulates Englishness is the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
She stated that the project “could not be timelier and more important.”
“With the UK more divided than ever, by bringing individuals and communities together to share their own reflections on national identity, we can discover far more compelling and inclusive stories of who we are and who we can be,”
Billy Bragg, who selected Marmite and George Orwell’s The Lion and the Unicorn, commented:
“Patriotism is about giving a shit about your country. Identity is always contested. We’ve seen that with the arguments about flags on lampposts. But what do those symbols mean? This project to bring Englishness into focus could not be more timely.”
Kojo Koram remarked:
“At a time when conversations about identity can so easily become polarised or exclusionary, this initiative offers something generous, open and unifying. England has always been shaped by layers of history, culture, creativity and dissent. To explore that richness through shared reflection, feels both necessary and hopeful. It reminds us that England isn’t just something that is but something we can continually make.”
