James Cropper

Appreciate that! A complex topic like you say that is hard to navigate as it touches upon a lot of emotive feelings, just like many areas of contemporary society. It can create a strange sentiment where something feels so obvious yet is simultaneously hard to articulate as it's the result of the unprecedented societal change we're living through. Exploring the causes behind these feelings is what I'm trying to do with my writing.

@JamesCropper95 We had a chat about the footy & then I came to check your profile... I'll be sticking around after hearing your take on this. It's a very complex matter that most people fail to recognise but you've just articulated it brilliantly!

Many people arriving into Britain have a completely different perception of the economic conditions required to have children compared to the existing population. This is why a traditional political framework will go round in circles trying to solve the issue of child poverty. The existing population sees their economic conditions getting worse, therefore don't have children. Falling birthrates show this. However, those arriving view the exact same economic conditions as an opportunity to improve their own. Therefore they have children. Birthrates rising amongst nationalities that make up a large percentage of recent arrivals show this. Yet this puts those children into the economic conditions that the existing population still consider as poor. This paradox occurs in the exact same economy. It is because completely seperate perceptions of economic conditions exist.

Definitely being rewarded now! Hard to believe after all those rough National League awaydays as I'm sure you'll understand! That great to hear there's some Belfast Latics out there, defo more connections than we tend to consider! I'm lucky enough to live in England so his commitment is even a level above my own. Fair play! But yeah, a football club for me can become more than just about the team if you didn't grow up in the city where it's based/your family originate. It's like an outlet that keeps that part of your identity going. Have to admit being round the corner from a bit of Lech Poznan sounds great as well!

@JamesCropper95 @PED7 That's impressive! Your loyalty is being rewarded now ey? We have a Belfast Latic that grew up there, still lives there but goes home & away (when he can) in the same way you have & do. I agree, once the family link is explained no matter the size of the club it shouldn't matter

Spot on Danny. Voice of a generation!

Family connection makes a huge difference imo - I grew up in Belfast but my Dad's from Lincoln so got brought to games quite a bit as a kid. Still support the Imps home and away. Still blows peoples' minds that I do. Given we're doing so well now, I'd actually thought about the same question r.e 'glory hunting' claims. But once the family connection is mentioned most people get it. So wouldn't worry about that. It's the heritage that drives the passion for a club even if life took the family elsewhere! But if someone supports another club it's no big deal to me really.

@PED7 I live in Poznan, spent 25 years in Oldham Oldham fan through and through, should my kids be Oldham or Poznan? If Oldham suddenly became PL like Luton did, would they be glory hunters or just following their Dads team? Serious question #oafc

56% of new homes in Dublin were purchased by companies, funds and institutions, a new CSO report has revealed, with just 44% of new homes bought by household buyers: gript.ie/dublin-56-of-n…

Politics based on identity quickly mimics the norms of the playground. When a topic that touches upon identity is raised, notice how even rational criticism is quickly felt as an attack on the group associated with it. Responses then become: 'that’s not fair' or 'only we get treated like this.' This is often followed by claims that 'other groups do not receive such unfair treatment.' These are often emotional responses that prevent reasoned debate from taking place. Just as a child might feel unfairly treated in the playground, even when the evidence suggests otherwise. What is rarely seen in these moments is self criticism. A more productive thought process might be: 'perhaps there are things we do as a group that do not fit well in the shared spaces of wider civic society.' Instead, we see defensiveness. People feel compelled to commit their energy to defending their group, rather than discussing how society might move forward together. The logic often promoted in Britain, that emphasising our differences somehow creates commonality, only feeds into this. Rather than building a shared identity that looks beyond difference, it puts us into an endless cycle of feeling our sense of belonging is under threat. The result is political stagnation.

It is true that many emigrated from Ireland throughout history, especially in search of better economic opportunities. However, they weren't leaving an island that was simultaneously viewed as a place of economic opportunity for a world's population. Especially those from countries that dwarf its own population and hold different cultural norms. This is an entirely new phenomenon in Irish history. To apply a moral framework based on emotional sentiment of times gone by is to turn your eyes away from such an important distinction. That doesn't mean shut the doors or not be welcoming. But just because Irish people travelled abroad in the past doesn't mean you need to create an absolutist approach to immigration. A small nation like Ireland cannot maintain such a post-national position. When young Irish people stand at the departure gates now, they will see others making their way through the arrival gates. That is the significant difference our generation is experiencing.

Even the opening of a new bakery is enough to stoke up religiously driven sectarian discourse in London. Does this suggest we're building a shared society or a divided one?

This is exactly what I define as an Inner Conflict. It is the difficulty in being born or raised in a country that has a history you feel directly conflicts with your heritage. It is two sides of a person's identity rubbing against each other. It creates the internal question: where do you truly find a sense of belonging with two differing heritages? It is a situation I can empathise with. I grew up as an English born Catholic kid in East Belfast. Symbols of Britain often felt hostile to my own identity while simultaneously representing a core part of my heritage. When the lad here references Britain being associated with the 'National Front', he is highlighting historic hostility towards his own identity. The internal debate is therefore: how can I associate myself in a group that feels opposed to a key part of my identity? The result is we see him completely reject being 'British'. Despite having presumably grown up here. My guess is this has been heavily influenced by a feeling of obligation to represent the other side of his identity. This is something I often did with my Irish side, choosing to completely reject my 'British' identity. These were debates happening internally. Now consider this. In 2024, 40% of children in England were born to at least one foreign-born parent. How then, could such internal questions shape our society and politics in the future? It is the inner conflicts in the minds of people like we see here that are shaping society's wider internal debate on what being 'British' actually means.

Between 2023 and July 2025, 62,894 Indians applied for PPS numbers in the Republic of Ireland. This being its close equivalent to a UK National Insurance number. With Ireland’s population of about 5.4 million, that represents roughly a 1.16% increase. This is equivalent to adding a city the size of Waterford, its fifth-largest city, in just two years. For India, however, the departure of 62,894 people represents a decrease of only about 0.004% of its population. To find a city comparable in India to even Ireland's 3rd largest city of Limerick, you would have to go down to roughly its 300th largest city. Not all Indians arriving will adhere to Modi's 'India First' stance. But as the country's elected leader, his is obviously a shared ideological viewpoint. It raises the question: if people from a country of this size continue to arrive on Ireland's shores in search of opportunity, then what is the limit of its capacity? When does the demographic reality of Ireland's population being a world minority consume the country's self-perception of being in the economic majority?

The Boomer and Gen X political mindset of the 1990s and 2000s has been drunk on optimism. How could it not have been foreseen that people moving to Britain wouldn't suddenly abandon their heritage, cultural practices, and ties to their homelands, especially in relation to how their nations of origin operate? The result has been the emergence of a post national political sphere based on an immigrant society model. Yet unlike the United States, this has developed alongside, rather than replacing, the political sphere rooted in a traditional nation state society. The United States knows what it is and sets a framework of integration around core principles. Using it as a reference to shape British society shows a lack of understanding of such societal models. So when Stewart or others speak of the “national interest”, the question arises: what exactly is the UK national interest when we cannot even agree on a shared identity and moral framework for society? Now is the time to sober up and discuss the complexities of the political and social landscape that we find ourselves within. Rather than the hit and hope mindset of old.

Great piece here from C4 that provides clear evidence of what many in Britain sensed has been happening.

Insightful investigation with @HenryRiley1 and the team. Hidden in innuendo, you’d barely believe what children on TikTok are being exposed to. youtu.be/-r4p-o9Opi4?si…

When politics is based on identity, economic issues become of secondary importance. This is one reason why British politics feels so upside down now. The Greens, often called “left-wing”, can end up promoting policies akin to open borders, which are a dream for capitalists looking for low-skilled, cheap labour. Hardly a traditional left-wing viewpoint. Whereas Reform can promote economic ideas that would align with a traditional left-wing framework. For example, stricter “British workers first” policies. This is why the “left” and “right” models we use to analyse our politics are quickly becoming outdated.

If you came out with such sectarianism in Belfast you'd get told to wise up. Elements of both sides of the Old Firm might do well to realise this. Not surprising to hear fans of other Scottish teams saying they are fed up with their antics.

When politics and religion are mixed into football, this is where it can lead. We see it time and again among elements of the Old Firm support. Some blokes here run around wearing tricolour balaclavas, while others fly military flags referencing dark moments in Irish history. All of it is done to antagonise through a form of sectarianism that goes beyond the rivalries that make football so entertaining. The irony is that many of these fans have probably never spent more than a weekend on the island of Ireland. Yet they’re happy to cosplay as characters shaped by our divided past, using this history as a tool to provoke others. It is the introduction of religiously influenced politics that drags football away from being a shared experience and instead helps to create scenes like these. Plenty of top clubs in Scotland seem to be able to enjoy the victories and take the defeats that come with supporting your football club without bringing this level of sectarianism into the stands.

Once again, a society based on religious toleration works both ways. If you take part in a shared experience like football, it shouldn’t be expected that people of other beliefs alter their experience to accommodate the practices of one religion. Clubs and football authorities know there are often more sensible ways to handle situations like this. They might say the intention is to be inclusive. Yet sometimes these decisions can have the opposite effect, making the experience feel less inclusive for people who don’t feel connected to the religious norms in question. The success of inclusion in football comes from keeping politics and religion separate. When many fans have been attending matches for decades, it is the expectation that they must now suddenly adjust to accommodate the religious practices of a small number of players that risks creating unnecessary frustration. If there are more boos when this match takes place, let us take that time to take a step back and think how avoidable division was once again created.

Is being born in England what makes someone English? If I showed my birth certificate without speaking, people might assume I’m English. But if I spoke first in my Belfast accent, the assumption would probably change. In this first article in a series on identity, I explore why 'Englishness' can be more complex than it appears. As the heritage of the country and Britain's population as a whole becomes increasingly mixed, similar questions will be important to explore. open.substack.com/pub/innerconfl…