Everything about Britishness totally explained
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. She elaborates that at time of its development, the notion of Britishness was "closely bound up with
Protestantism".
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, and in this capacity is reported as controversial.
A range of responses and attitudes are attributed to Britishness, making a precise definition of the concept elusive. Historian
David Starkey has argued that it's impossible to teach Britishness because "a British nation doesn't exist."
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, 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. 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?
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's important that we also remember the values that we share in common".
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.
In November 2005 The Times’ Comment Central asked readers define Britishness in five little words.
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.”
Within the United Kingdom
Scotland
| Identity |
National Identity in Scotland from 1997–2003 |
| 1997 |
1999 |
2001 |
2003 |
| More Scottish than British | 38 |
35 |
30 |
34
|
| More British than Scottish | 4 |
3 |
3 |
4
|
people in Scotland are more likely than ever before to describe themselves as Scottish, and less likely to say they're 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.
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%). This conclusion was again put forward in 2002, with similar figures cited. 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. The report concluded that 73% of respondents saw themselves as 'only' or 'mainly' Scottish.[Further Information]
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