Gordon Brown's government attempted to create a shared British identity based on values. The project was dismissed as too top down by the Conservatives. But now they too are advocating state-directed measures to inspire patriotism: Education Secretary Michael Gove has called on schools to teach traditional British history as a means of reinforcing a sense of British identity, with British Empire expert Niall Ferguson to guide them. Historian John Bew asks whether such a strategy can really be a force for social cohesion."Analysis" on Radio 4 tries to answer the question here.
Dr John Bew is lecturer in War Studies and deputy director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King's College London.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
"And if you know yer history, It's enough to make your British Identity go woooooahhh!"
If you teach children *traditional* British history, does it increase their patriotism?
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2 comments:
Teaching children properly about British history would certainly increase patriotism.
It has always annoyed me how little is taught and celebrated about the acts of union. There was almost no celebration in 2007 to mark the 300th anniversary of the union and a a few days later the SNP took power. Had people celebrated the 300th anniversary like it is our nations birthday in the way the Americans do, i doubt so many would have voted for the separatist SNP and let them in to power.
May 1st is a bank holiday in the UK, yet we ignore it and make it about "labour day", its the birthday of our union which should be celebrated every year.
If only the political elite would take defending our nation a bit more seriously. Shame on them!
"Had people celebrated the 300th anniversary like it is our nations birthday in the way the Americans do, i doubt so many would have voted for the separatist SNP and let them in to power"
On Brown and Labour's previous form the only compulsory holiday would have been in England. Those of us proud of our collective nation are more often than not forgotten at times like that.
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