The Anglo-Saxon Tribe

Hardcore Brexiteers, a minority within the Leave camp, clung nostalgically to the idea that Britain would find her rightful place within a renewed Anglosphere—namely, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States; that it would go from being an ordinary European Union member state to a modern version of the old imperial Mother Country. This chapter argues that the Anglosphere already exists in many fields, but that it is invisible within the political atmosphere, and can hardly be turned into something more institutionalized, as claimed can be done by Leavers. All the rather impressive forms of collaboration in intelligence, diplomacy, education and security among these countries do not imply the establishment of a more structured political community. It is precisely the lack of political integration that likely prevents these countries from clashing over thorny issues, giving the impression of a relatively cohesive grouping.