Fabian Society - The New Britishness

Could a New Britishness Unite Us?

The Fabian Society has been central to a significant public debate over how a new Britishness can provide the 'ties that bind' a diverse society together. Our work in this area explores how we maintain the strong sense of collective citizenship, which is necessary for Britain to share common projects, such as a drive to narrow inequalities.

The Britishness debate links together several major 'identity questions' in contemporary British politics, which are often considered in isolation from each other: the Union after devolution; diversity, multiculturalism and integration; the role of religion in a multi-faith and secular society; Britain's ambivalence over its place in Europe and role in the world; and how a new constitutional settlement could contribute to democratic renewal.

The Fabian New Year Conference in January 2006 saw over 750 people debate 'Who do we want to be? The future of Britishness'. The event and Gordon Brown's keynote speech sparked an immense amount of public and political discussion. The conference was previewed by the Fabian Review Britishness Issue (December 2005) which set out a series of practical policy proposals for strengthening citizenship.

Fabian publications and events continue to explore practical ideas to foster a strong sense of collective citizenship, with a particular focus on how the themes of Britishness, democratic renewal and equality need to be linked together. John Denham and Sadiq Khan are leading a Fabian project on the role of government in fostering citizenship and integration, seeking to reframe government policy and public debate around British Muslim communities in particular, which will report in 2007.

To discuss working with the Fabian Society in this area, please contact Sunder Katwala, General Secretary or Hannah Jameson, Editorial Manager.

Research