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A new national day celebrating what is best about Britain is one of the
suggestions from Communities and Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly
and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne in a new Fabian pamphlet.
The Freethinking pamphlet, A Common Place, argues that we need to
"develop a more overt but inclusive sense of citizenship" in order to
counter Britons insecurity over their identity. It argues that the need
for a firmer sense of citizenship as economically, socially and
culturally Britain has never been more diverse. The paper also
calls for support for Muslim communities in defining a modern sense of
British Islam, emphasizing citizenship and loyalty to Britain as well
as one's faith. It adds: "We also live in the shadow of two forms of extremism which threaten to cut some small groups adrift from society." The
authors argue that there should be more backing for local leaders who
develop local plans for better integration, but with a passion and
drive for learning English. They underline that Britain's
commitment to a diverse citizenship, pointing out that it is one of the
most tolerant countries in the world, and a country where 86% of
citizens disagree with the statement "to be truly British you have to
be white". Read the pamphlet in Publications. |
