ABSTRACT
This chapter serves to demonstrate the flexibility and malleability of Unionist and Loyalist identity as refracted through the prism of international football, with particular reference to rivalry with England. It demonstrates that far from being a compliant partner in the 'United Kingdom of football', Northern Ireland and its supporters have often been among the most adversarial of the home nations in terms of their attitudes towards England. In January 2016 Toby Perkins, the Labour MP for Chesterfield, presented as a Ten Minute Rule speech in the House of Commons the idea of England having its own national anthem. The chapter seeks to explore attitudes in Northern Ireland toward England, as viewed through the prism of sport. In this regard the relationship between Northern Ireland and England in footballing terms has been almost symbiotic. The chapter also seeks to explore the symbiotic nature of that relationship and the manner in which politics, culture and simple sporting rivalry have defined it.
