'Britishness' and citizenship
The idea of ‘Britishness’ has grown on the political agenda as part of a range of policies on multiculturalism and social cohesion, driven by politicians such as Blunkett and Brown. It has emerged, partly due to increasing negative public opinion towards recent increased immigration, partly to move away from identity politics and partly as a way of reclaiming ‘Britishness’ from far right parties. Britishness has been played out in policies, for instance, with the introduction of citizenship ceremonies and citizenship tests for new and potential citizens.
What are the implications?
- An increase in policies that focus on ‘Britishness’ and citizenship for both existing and potential citizens.
- A risk that the rights of those who aren’t categorised as British are restricted, especially if procedures like citizenship tests become conditional to receiving services. (See policies on active citizenship and volunteering)
- The risk of emphasising shared values at the expense of diversity.
- Continued debate about what it means to be ‘British’.
- A risk of excluding or alienating people who don’t fit within defined characteristics of ‘Britishness’, and further negative attitudes and hostility towards these groups. (See attitudes towards ethnicity)
- Increased pressure for all British citizens to learn English.
- Increasing media coverage that favours citizenship as a method of exclusion.
- Risk of increasing support for nationalist and far right groups (see rise in radicalism).
- Increased debate between those with polarised political viewpoints on this issue.
Moving forward
- Can your organisation influence the debate around the rights of all groups in society, including those that may be alienated or marginalised by the debates on ‘Britishness’ and citizenship?
- Does your organisation have a role in bringing together diverse communities that might be divided by such policies?
- What is your organisation’s position on compulsory citizenship tests? Do you want to develop one?
- Are your users at risk of not being defined as British? What impact might compulsory citizenship tests have on who your services are delivered to?
Want to know more?
A review of the civil renewal and active citizenship debate
Published by:NCVO
Date:2008
Format:Word
What is it? A report that reviews the civil renewal and active citizenship agenda and considers how it has changed since the first NCVO report was published in 2005.
How useful is this?
This report provides a background and exploration of current debates around citizenship. The report analyses the key concepts on which the citizenship agenda is built on; de-mystifying some of the current rhetoric, jargon and policies being promoted by the main parities as well as analysing the government’s aims and looking at how these might play out in the future. The appendixsection summarises policies and practices that have been put in place since 2005 in order to explore whether they implement the aims of the agenda .The second part of the report considers how the agenda has shifted over the last three years, challenging the concepts on which the agenda is built and drawing out the tensions apparent in the agenda as a whole.P29 summarises some of the tensions and challenges linked to the creation of a British identify.
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