Britishness is Dead, Long Live Britishness

Britain is not the country it used to be. It's once grand empire has shrivelled to a few sparsely populated islands here and there. It is no longer at the forefront of global commerce and its influence in international relations diminished as it played second fiddle to George W Bush's foreign policy for almost a decade. Ideals of Britain being powerful, home to the best race in the world, and the last bastion of civilisation no longer hold sway.

Add to this the ever-more globalised and consequently smaller world. The British, like everyone else, are discovering that their national identity isn't that much different from other national identities. Citizens of various countries share ideals such as justice, freedom, and compassion. The label "British" seems now to be almost without meaning.

For some it is not enough to share common ideals with other nations. They want to create a solidly unique national identity for their country to help them mark themselves out as superior to all other nations.

Nor is it enough to share a sense of belonging to a physical space. Britain's green and pleasant lands should be home only to the solidly British race. Homogeneity is the order of the day and all who wish to call themselves British must conform to the dictates of traditionalists, the tabloid press and white working class men who are told by the latter their country is changing irrevocably and that it's the fault of people who are different to them.

The ever-visible legacy of empire, millions of immigrants from former colonies, is not immune. As immigrants from Eastern Europe are increasingly despised and forced out of their homes for seeking basic human rights and a chance to earn a dependable living, suspicious eyes are being cast on the existing immigrant population.

It is in this context that Muslims are asked to adopt British values and integrate into wider society. Whilst Muslims have problems of their own such as extremism, deprivation and intergenerational conflict, calls for them to integrate, especially when put forward by the right-wing press, and those isolated from multicultural urban communities, are symptomatic of the failure to forge a forward-looking sense of national unity as the world becomes smaller and more inter-linked.

The 21st century's problems require global solutions. To tackle climate change, the arms trade, famine and disease people are required to put aside social categorisations of race, ethnicity, religion and nationality. What is needed is a sense of belonging to a world community and an appreciation of the fact we all share this earth that we live on. Rather than seek this route for the betterment of the world, many in Britain prefer to be ever-more inward-looking and seek refuge in ideals of nationalism long past and the consequent expressions of prejudice.

Comments

Would to go back home and not come back for a minimum period of time ever be an acceptable global solution?

It is surprising that the "inclusive" Spanish government has proposed something similar to what the BNP have in the UK with the major differences of time period to stay away (3 years Vs forever) and also over its nature (voluntary Vs less voluntary).

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

The British are the biggest "mongrel" race!
Saxons, Celts, Vikings, Romans

what does it mean to be a "pure race"
theres no such thing

I was reading the other day that the world population is genetically three races:

  • The Africans
  • The people of America/Europe/west asia with the boundary near the subcontinent
  • East Asians

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Erm so what exactly are "British" values? so what if Muslims are being asked to adopt them?

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE wrote:
Erm so what exactly are "British" values? so what if Muslims are being asked to adopt them?

For Muslims to be law-abiding citizens who play a positive role in their communities, respect their neighbours, and seek a stable future for their families is fine.

But I doubt that uniquely British values exist. Values such as respect for the law, tolerance and freedom are shared by people in many other countries. Even if such values are not promoted by govs like Saudi Arabia and North Korea, almost all people in the world want to be law-abiding, be accepted by society and be free to do what they want.

My point is that notions of Britishness are being formulated that deliberately seek to exclude rather than include ethnic and religious minorities. These are expressed by newspapers such as the Daily Mail, parties such as the BNP and other people who have failed to move with the times.

Muslims can adopt whatever their own notion of "British" values is. But they should do so without referencing the ever-shifting goalposts of the political right.

oh, ok thanks understood. Smile

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

I'm an Anglo-Canadian, have lived in the UK many years with my English husband but my ancestry is fifth-generation Canadian and I definitely don't have the worldview of the British. From the point of British values, while there are many which are shared by other countries (justice, freedom etc) there is one that stands out for me as particularly British. They are secular people - they have had for decades a deep suspicion of religion, especially the English.

Churches and cathedrals are places for heritage, beautiful stained glass and even lovelier choral music, but not places for serious worship. Even Church of England schools have the most watered down view of religion you could imagine. If you want to stop the conversation at the average white English party, start talking about going to a church/temple/mosque and about religion in general. About 5pc of Christians in the Uk attend church regularly, if that - unlike the USA, where more than half of Christians go every week. This intensely secular nature of the majority does put them into direct conflict with any faith where religion plays a more widespread part in life, such as Islam. It could be very difficult to square such a circle. These are just my observations, not my beliefs - and by the way, this is an interesting blog.

I think that you hit the nail on the head exactly Worldgirl. The indigenous English regard any religion that takes itself too seriously as dangerous and a threat. Like you, I'm not sure that there can ever be a satisfactory outcome to this issue as neither side is likely to change its point of view.

@worldgirl and frogmore - Yes Britain may be pretty athiestic, but that does not mean it was always that way. Go a generation or two back and things would have been different I think - otherwise there would not have been so many churches built.

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

You wrote:
@worldgirl and frogmore - Yes Britain may be pretty athiestic, but that does not mean it was always that way. Go a generation or two back and things would have been different I think - otherwise there would not have been so many churches built.

There are many reports of the high church attendance during Victorian times (there was quite a resurgence and many new churches built) being due to the way society was structured - it was more to do with 'not losing face' rather than sincere devotion.

Of course any claim like that is unverifiable.

On the other hand there were many philanthropists during the late 18th/early 19th century - lots of Britain's (and the world's) biggest charities today were started in that movement (and a huge proportion of those have a religious dimension).

But on the whole I think there haven't been strong religious beliefs (especially when it comes to state and church being connected) since the Tudor/Stewart times.

i.e. when ever few years the country changed from chopping off all the Catholics' heads to cutting off all the Protestants' heads every few years/new monarch.

Which is a reason that A) the Church of England has similarities with Catholicism in it's rituals and Dirol the government is now strongly secular (give or take a few bishops still left in the House of Lords).

Don't just do something! Stand there.