What does it mean to you to be British?

Question

Children at schools in England should be taught "British values" to help create community cohesion, Education Secretary Alan Johnson said on Thursday.
He told BBC radio that schools needed to find time in the curriculum to teach the "values we hold very dear in Britain: free speech, tolerance, respect for the rule of law."

Answer 1

To be British means to sit shivering in front of a single bar electric fire, looking out the window at dog turds in the pouring rain. The pavements are festooned with discarded chewing gum.

To continually have to apologise to muslims, lesbians etc for being who we are.

Thsi is the essence of Britain as we know it - a land fit for heroes eh!

Answer 2

Fist of all free speech. Look whats happened to Jade Goodie,Try to protest outside Westminster,and what about the old chap at the labour party conference
Next tolerance,It means putting up with,ie:all the new legislation from the government,The high tax rises,failing schools, a poor health service,immigration,and most of all Tony Blair
Respect for the rule of law.This means that if the government doesn`t like something they will bring out a new rule to keep us all in line.This is like something your mums and dads did when you where kids and i bet you either rebelled or left home like so many British people are doing by going abroad to live.Look at ASBOs there`s no need for this law,they could use a breech of the peace,any violence comes under assault,and grey areas are covered by intent,To many laws smacks of nanny state syndrome its how dictatorships work by suppressing the masses
Even a change of government does`nt change all the previously done damage because they all work in the same system.

Answer 3

Yes we have freedom of speech etc but I'm not sure I'd call those 'British values'. What are British values? Bad food, binge drinking and moaning about the weather?

I think we should ALL have the opportunity to discuss the importance of tolerance and respect for each other (and I suppose the law) at school, but perhaps British values could be improved by looking at the values of our ethnic minorities?

I do quite like British food, pints and moaning about the weather tho... Wasn't it mad last week with the wind?!!...and now its just freezing...

ps I believe that everyone who wants to live in Britain permenantly should learn some English. Just like all those pink ex-pats in Spain should learn a bit more Spanish than 'Ther-veyfa senyoray, cheers.' ; )

Answer 4

I'm Welsh but also see myself as British.

I feel proud of traditional British values - tolerance, fair play, good manners, courage, sense of community, friendliness, self-depreciation, good sportsmanship, hard work, freedom of speech and belief, respect for your elders, love and support your family, support for the underdog etc.

Any Brit can share these values regardless of their colour race religion etc. I know that other cultures have these values as theirs as well.

I feel proud of the great contributions British people have made to art, sport and history. I feel proud of the brave Brits (like my late dad) who fought fascism with such courage in WWII.

I feel proud of British spirit, Hitler tried to crush it in the Blitz on London and failed. People picked themselves up from their bombed out houses, dusted themselves off and went on as normal!!! In 2005 Brits showed the same courage after the cowardly Al-Quaida attack on London.

My baby son is half Welsh half English and he will be taught to be proud of British history and taught British values.

PS:

Some of you need to learn the difference between "Values" and "Culture". Binge Drinking, football hooligans, moaning about weather etc are not British "Values" they are a sad, sorry part of a horrible Chav CULTURE that has taken over Britain in the last few years. It can be overcome!!!

Answer 5

I feel very angry that he could say these values are defined as British.There are thousands of intolerant and disrespectful members of the British population.I am all for teaching our youngsters how to live good and respectful lives but don't make out this is a reflection of typical British society.There are global cultures that could claim ownership of such values over the British and could truly teach us a thing or two.I am British by the way but it means absolutely nothing to me.I feel the world is to big a place to belong to such a tiny piece of it.

Answer 6

thats just it, children in ENGLAND are to be taught Britishness. theres no mention of Welsh, Scottish or N Irish kids...whether or not the government like it, we are quickly becoming a divided society.

Here's a wee example...take Andy Murray at Wimbledon last summer...any time he was winning, the commentators referred to him as British, but after he lost he instantly became described as Scottish....

the government need to make a decision - we cant be two different nationalities at the same time. I, for one, feel a lot more Irish than British, and would never describe myself as British, except when asked for my nationality as stated on my passport (which i plan to change to an irish one!)

Answer 7

Are those the same "British" values that we took into Iraq when we mounted our illegal military coup there? What a twit he must be. There is no such thing as "British values". Two individual white citizens of the same faith, living in the same area, could have completely different views on morality and society.
I suppose what he really means is the values of The Sun newspaper, which are anti-truth, anti-education and counter-productive to every citizen of this country.

Let's see shall we? Free speech - Fine providing you aren't a Muslim expressing an opinion.
Tolerance - Fine, providing you have a white skin.
Respect for the law - Fine unless you are one of the white majority of criminals.

These are the real "British values" in this surreal society.
Johnson is talking like a 1980s Tory.

We are NEVER going to progress are we?

Answer 8

Being screwed on tax when you open your pay packet, put petrol in the car, and every consumer product we get screwed on when we spend. Spend to much and your morgage goes up. But at least its paying for the iraq war and supporting all the assylum seekers. Hu, we are muggs, Embarressed

Answer 9

All these come from Christian values and foundation, something Alan Johnson cannot get his head around!

Answer 10

It sounds like the government is trying to brainwash the next generation with national pride while screwing them up by taxing everything that moves.