Come off it Pip - the English people were oppressed by their 'betters' for centuries. I'm also an academic historian (as I assume you are)and not a left wing one but have always been conscious that the problem (in all countries) lies with the nature of the ruling class. More English people emigrated to North America (and elsewhere) in the 18th and 19th centuries than the Irish or Scots, but that's not good for the myth.