Can/should we define British values
28 September 2007
This collection of thoughts on British values from 50 writers and intellectuals in Prospect Magazine this month attempts to respond to the government’s “Governance of Britain” green paper. Can we define them empirically? Do we need to? Are there any that are exclusively British? Or are civic and political values more important? Notable contributions come from:
Bikhu Parekh – ‘we can have a British statement of values…but not a statement of British values’
John Lloyd – ‘British citizenship needs to become more difficult to acquire…for the population as a whole’
Timothy Garton Ash – ‘A statement, in plain English, of the rights and duties of British citizens is what we need’
Kenan Malik – values emerge ‘not through consultation but through collective, fractious struggles to define and create a better society
Robert Colls – ‘National identity is different. It is an historical relationship, not a set of values’
Read the rest for yourself. This Guardian column also has a go.
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