Middle England

The title of this article is ambiguous. For the 2008 novel by Jonathan Coe, see Middle England (Roman) ; for the English Midlands see Midlands .

Middle England is a political sociology term that generally refers to middle or lower middle class people in England who are shaped by more traditional beliefs.
The term is also used in overlap to designate the geographical region of the English Midlands , as well as by the title Middle England of the novel of the same name by the English author Jonathan Coe .

Typical English activities such as cricket games correspond to the image of Middle England in popular belief

Origins

The origins of the term "Middle England" are unknown. The writer Ian Hislop noted that the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury used the term in 1882, but the term was not used at that time. The modern use of the term is attributed to Margaret Thatcher , who, according to historian David Cannadine , introduced this term as a political catchphrase, adopting Richard Nixon's concept of " Middle America ".

Usage today

The views of the population that make up Middle England, such as Euroscepticism , are considered very influential.

The women's organization Women's Institute is closely linked to the concept of Middle England.

The main meaning of the term today is a political or sociological one, as is the case for the terms "American middle class" or "Australian middle class". It mainly describes the middle class or lower middle class of rural England, but also has echoes of " Deep England " (see the corresponding term in English Wikipedia). John Major's 1993 speech is often quoted as evoking romantic images of rural cricket games , ale , suburban gardens, and "spinsters pedaling through the morning mist to Holy Communion " "referring to a quote from George Orwell related.

Although Middle England does not refer to a specific geographic region in the sense described here, it can be understood as a reference to the suburbs in southern England and the Midlands , which are characterized by small towns, as well as the metropolitan area, the suburbs in north-west London that are covered by the Metropolitan Line of London Underground . The BBC described the town of Tunbridge Wells in Kent as the "spiritual home" of Middle England, with particular reference to the popular characterization "Repelled by Turnbridge Wells", the symbol of an imaginary, angry letter writer (similar to the angry German citizen ). Emphasizing the lack of a geographically identifiable location, the writer Nick Inman pointed out the affinity of Middle England to JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth : "We know everything about it except where it is".

Individual references of the original article in the English language Wikipedia

1. ↑ Jack O'Sullivan: What is Middle England? . In: The Independent , August 29, 1998. Retrieved October 29, 2012. 
2. ^ Peter Cole: Why middle England gets the mail . In: The Guardian , August 19, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2012. 
3. ^ Ian Burrell: Linda Grant: The 'Mail' turns on the charm . In: The Independent , May 21, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2012. 
4. ^ Stuart Maconie: Stop knocking Middle England . March 19, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
5. ↑ Simon Kuper: Heroes reconquer nation for Middle England . August 2, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
6. ↑ The Rise of English Regions , ed. by Irene Hardill, Paul Benneworth, Routledge Verlag, 2006
7. ^ ^{A b} Richard Reeves: Middle England. They're nicer than you think . October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
8. ^ Mark Easton: In search of Middle England . October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
9. ↑ Tunbridge Wells: The spiritual home of Middle England . April 13, 1999. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
10. ↑ Nick Inman: Politipedia: A Compendium of Useful and Curious Facts about British Politics ( en ). Harriman House Limited ,, ISBN 9781905641338 , p. 192 (Retrieved February 4, 2017).