Information about Britishness

Britishness is a a term referring to the common culture and national identity of the British people. In the present day, the term is often associated an instinct to develop or more often define what it is to be British. The term may also be associated politically with appealing to patriotism, nationalism or British unionism.

A range of responses and attitudes are attributed to Britishness, making a precise definition of the concept elusive.^[1]

Britishness and the United Kingdom Government

Most recently the search for an understanding of Britishness has been associated with Prime Minister Gordon Brown's attempts to initiate debate on British identity,^[2] Brown's speech to the Fabian Society's Britishness Conference proposed that British values demand a new constitutional settlement and symbols to represent a modern patriotism, including a new youth community service scheme and a 'British Day' to celebrate.^[3] One focus can be seen in terms of celebrating the best of Britain. That is to stress that what unites Britain is stronger than the issues dividing it, such as support in Scotland for Scottish independence, World Cup loyalties or the suggestion of some distaste amongst the English public regarding the distribution of funds to Holyrood.

One of the central issues identified at the Fabian Society conference was how the English identity fits within the framework of a devolved Britain. Does England require a new constitutional settlement for instance?^[4]

A tangible expression of Her Majesty's Government's initiative to promote Britishness was the inaugural Veterans' Day which was first held on 27 June 2006. As well as celebrating the achievements of armed forces veterans, Browns' speech at the first event for the celebration said: "Scots and people from the rest of the UK share the purpose – that Britain has something to say to the rest of the world about the values of freedom, democracy and the dignity of the people that you stand up for. So at a time when people can talk about football and devolution and money, it is important that we also remember the values that we share in common".^[5]

Critics have argued that Gordon Brown's sudden interest in the subject is more to do with countering English opposition to a Scottish MP becoming Prime Minister and the unresolved issue of the West Lothian question.^[6]

Britishness and Multiculturalism

In 2005 the Commission for Racial Equality published a report entitled Citizenship and Belonging : What is Britishness?, to examine the way in which British people of different ethnic backgrounds thought about Britishness. The Commission reported that:

“As White people involved in the study were asked to talk about Britishness, many immediately and spontaneously changed the topic of discussion slightly talking instead about a perceived decline in Britishness. This happened in all focus groups with White people. They attributed the decline to four main causes: the arrival of large numbers of migrants; the ‘unfair’ claims made by people from ethnic minorities on the welfare state; the rise in moral pluralism; and the failure to manage ethnic minority groups properly, due to what participants called political correctness.”

And that:

“Most White participants were distressed by this perceived decline in Britishness. They felt victimised and frustrated and many anticipated that social unrest would become inevitable.”^[7]

See also

• Briton (British people)
• British nationalism
• Cool Britannia
• National colours of the United Kingdom

References

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