Transference of pariahdom

There were a few comments around the blogosphere about the CEP's decision to have a go at the Scots ABE "joke" Many thought it OTT and a waste of time and that humour shouldn't be constrained by the use of the blunt instrument of the law. Wonko defends the actions of the CEP quite adequately here though.
The problem as I see it though is that there is a transference going on from British to English. At one time the British were seen throughout the world as the "enemy" still are in Hollywood movies where the bad guy is frequently a Brit, something to do with the accent. However, Brit usually meant English, the terms were interchangeable to a greater or lesser extent. Scots were Scots and Welsh were Welsh, but the English were (and are) British. Pre 1997 because we only had one parliament to rule us that was acceptable and the English got on with the odd nationalist sentiment from Scotland and Wales with an occasional raised eyebrow. However after the Scots and Welsh gained a measure of political independence it became apparent to the English that they were being sidelined by the process, Scottish and Welsh MP's forced legislation on the English that a majority of English MP's had voted against. Some sought to justify it by pointing out Thatcher's foisting of the poll tax on Scotland when a majority of Scottish MP's voted against it, whilst conveniently forgetting that we had one parliament at the time for all the UK as well as the fact that it was Willie Whitehall (a Scotsman) who encouraged Thatcher to do so. Still again since when have 2 wrongs ever made a right? Justifying something because of a past wrong is in the end both petty and demeaning and there are certainly enough past wrongs to go around. As Sir Terry Pratchett puts it "Remember the atrocity committed against us that will forgive the atrocity that we are going to commit today! And so on! Hurrah!" That's the mindset that a certain type of nationalist has, from past military defeats right back to imagined slights and includes to some the "anyone but England" joke. To some including many English it is funny, but to others it's deadly serious and anti-English racism has seen kids attacked for wearing an England tee shirt, women attacked for their accents or people forced out of their homes because they are English. It's not just a Scottish thing though as evidenced by Obama's attack on British Petroleum causing a rise in anti-English (note not anti-British) sentiment in the States.
This is one of the reasons why England is trying to re-assert its own identity, to look to its own history and disentangle itself from Britishness. Despite the best efforts of politicians and other unionists, Britishness is a tainted brand and that's why it is no longer accepted by many of the English as a description of themselves. When eventually the UK breaks up (and it will) perhaps the intense rivalry felt by the minor constituents in the Union will recede and it will become more like England/France which is humorous on both sides and perhaps we can simply get on with things without recourse to the more extreme nationalism that rears its ugly head from time to time.
However the days of the English accepting the sins of the British are going now and the other components of the Union will find themselves reminded of their part in the overall sins. We were all British once.