Britishness

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Britishness is a term referring to a sense of national identity of the British people, and common culture of the United Kingdom.

Britishness only became synonymous with a national civic identity with the formation in 1707 of the united Kingdom of Great Britain, which became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and in turn, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the secession of what became the Republic of Ireland. Historian Linda Colley argues that following the 1707 Act of Union, it became common for the people of the Kingdom of Great Britain to have a "layered" identity, that is, to think of themselves as simultaneously British and also Scottish, English, and Welsh.^[1] She elaborates that at time of its development, the notion of Britishness was "closely bound up with Protestantism".^[2]

In the present day, the term is often associated with a desire to develop the sense of British identity for political reasons by appealing to British patriotism, British nationalism or British unionism,^[3][4] and in this capacity is reported as controversial.^[5]

A range of responses and attitudes are attributed to Britishness, making a precise definition of the concept elusive.^[6] Historian David Starkey has argued that it is impossible to teach Britishness because "a British nation doesn't exist."^[7]

Contents 1 Britishness and the United Kingdom government 2 Britishness and multiculturalism 3 Within the United Kingdom 3.1 Scotland 3.2 Identity and politics 4 References 5 See also

[edit] 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,^[8] 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.^[9] 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, Home Nations football loyalties or the suggestion of some distaste amongst the English public regarding the distribution of funds to Holyrood (see Barnett Formula).

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?^[10]

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".^[11]

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.^[12]

In November 2005 The Times’ Comment Central asked readers define Britishness in five little words.^[13]

[edit] 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.”^[14]

[edit] Within the United Kingdom

[edit] Scotland

Identity	National Identity in Scotland from 1997–2003[15]
	1997	1999	2001	2003
Scottish not British	23	32	36	31
More Scottish than British	38	35	30	34
Equally Scottish and British	27	22	24	22
More British than Scottish	4	3	3	4
British not Scottish	4	4	3	4

There is evidence that people in Scotland are more likely than ever before to describe themselves as Scottish, and less likely to say they are British. A study by social scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh, Dundee, St Andrews and Lancaster shows that more than eight out of ten people in Scotland see themselves as Scottish. At the same time, there has been a long-term decline in Scots defining themselves as British.^[16]

[edit] Identity and politics

In a 1998 poll, 37% of Scottish National Party voters stated themselves to be "Scottish, not British", the rest demonstrating some form of British identity, with the most popular choice being "More Scottish than British" (41%).^[17] This conclusion was again put forward in 2002, with similar figures cited. ^[18] However, the British Social Attitudes Survey of 2007 found that only 21% of Scots saw themselves as 'Equally Scottish and British', with less than half choosing British as a secondary identity.^[19] The report concluded that 73% of respondents saw themselves as 'only' or 'mainly' Scottish.^[19]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Briton (British people)
• British Day
• British nationalism
• Cool Britannia
• Culture of the United Kingdom
• National colours of the United Kingdom
• Who Do We Think We Are - Exploring Britishness diversity and identity

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