In his book, The Shortest History of England, James Hawes masterfully provides a profoundly insightful overview of England’s and Great Britain’s history in a remarkably concise format. One of his key arguments is that:

The division within Great Britain wasn’t a national one between England and Scotland, but an economic and cultural one between Southern England and the rest. This remains so to the present day.

Hawes, J. (2020). The shortest history of England. Old Street Publishing, p. 178.