Political Correctness?
You mean, "Spastic Gay talk"?
I don't care what the correct term is and a growing number of people feel the same way. I probably feel stronger than most because my family history is one awesome long line of Angeln, right the way back to the town they originally settled in, which still bears the same Anglo-Saxon name (also my surname) today. We're English. Come and have a go...
The biggest issue is that more people would recognise their Englishness, if only they knew what being English meant in a modern context. You can define any other nation by their icons - Characteristics, cooking, reputation, fashions, business and products, film styles, legends... we have a language that's been adopted and bastardised world-wide and that's about it. The rest is some leftover from foreign rule.
Even the flag of St. George commemorates a Turkish knight.
Are we, now?
It's true that the English love a fight. They were reknowned for it. But they kept to themselves for the most part. When they came to the British Isles, they were employed by Vortigern to protect the Roman Empire's citizens while the Romans themselves returned to bolster their falling empire. Once they'd done that, the Anglo-Saxons came to collect their payment off Vortigern, but were basically told, "Sorry - Empire collapsed, no money left".
As compensation, the AS people relocated to what became England.
There is no evidence of invasion either, as mis-told by schoolboy history. They travelled in parties of 3 boats, with about 40 to a boat. Can you really conquer a country 120 people at a time? Also, AS language, customs, currency, systems and culture spread across the Britons way faster than any army could manage, strongly suggesting peaceful migration.
From there, it was mostly setting up kingdoms and doing their own thing, until the Vikings and the Normans came to have a go.
It's a little acknowledged perspective that the English have been slaves to foreign power since 1066. A lot of the sins committed by "the English" and later the British Empire were at the behest of foreign rulers and have now been laid on the heads of the English, forcing shame to discourage national pride.
The choice was basically - Invade Scotland or be put to death. Invade India or be put to death. People were press-ganged into the military.
This is not a rant about foreigners, either - The English do have a reputation for being xenophobic.
Not the 'phobia' part - Fear. That's because every time we met a foreign power, they tried to invade us!!
Scots, Picts, Danes, Normans... We just wanted to be left alone to get on with our island