England: seven myths that changed a country – and how to set them straight

Contributor(s): Dr Marc Stears, Tom Baldwin | 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. But England - written by Tom Baldwin, the best-selling author of Keir Starmer's biography, and Marc Stears, influential think tank head - unravels seven myths that have provided so much ammunition for charlatans or culture warriors from both left and right.