Rishi Sunak spoke yesterday of the need for the government, police and others to stand up against those who oppose British values. But, just what are those values? Based upon careful consideration of his governments, comments, conduct and legislation, it would seem that they include:
- Racism
- Discrimination, of all sorts
- A tolerance of :
- Misogyny
- Increasing inequality
- Climate change denial
- Wealth built upon slavery and colonial exploitation
- English nationalism to the exclusion of the Welsh, Scottish and people of Northern Ireland
- Economic exploitation
- Corruption
- Genocide
- Tax havens
- Hunting with dogs
- Undermining of the rule of law
- Vilification of public servants
- Vote rigging and gerrymandering
- A refusal to honour legal obligations
- A dislike of:
- Those who work for a living
- Social housing
- The young
- Those on low incomes
- Those with disabilities
- Single parents
- Any type of non-heterosexual orientation
- Intolerance of
- The SNP
- Plaid Cymru
- The Green Party
- Scotland
- Wales
- Northern Ireland
- Ireland
- The EU and all its member states
- State schools
- Libraries
- Theatre
- The arts
- The NHS
- Anyone claiming a benefit, including the state pension, unless they also have a significant private pension as well, when doing so is just fine
- Those who are members of:
- The National Trust
- RSPB
- Oxfam
- XR
- A Wildlife Trust
- Any faith but Christianity and Judaism, but with an honourable pass being given for Hindus right now
In contrast, it would seem that supporting the following are all clear indications of holding an opinion contrary to British values:
- Free and fair elections
- Proportional representation
- An end to discrimination in the right to vote
- An end to discrimination, full stop
- Respect for human rights
- Respect for the rule of law
- Justice
- A right to economic and social equality
- Free speech
- The right to protest
- Action to tackle climate change
- Support for the Green New Deal
- Religious tolerance
- Social tolerance
- National self-determination
- The right to have enough to eat
- The right to a roof over your head
- Speed limits
- Peace
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To me, it looks like Tory values are based on “Us and them”, whereas more left-wing values are “for the many, not the few”.
One is exclusive, the other inclusive.
I have lost count of the number of ways in which I am ‘one of them’ on this list.
Andy missed out so many things
The RNLI
Vegetarians and vegans
People who went to state schools…..
A very pithy summary. Excellent.
The destruction the Tories have wreaked on the UK in a few short years has been astounding in its breadth – with more to come.
Anyone who thinks Labour will behave any differently to the Tories, once in government, will find out smart-ish that that will not be the case. Labour has no principles either and cares nothing for the people. Their front bench MPs – in the main – appear to me to be concerned only with gaining power for themselves and how fat their wallets are for, like the Tories, they too have paymasters from outside the UK.
Starmer has already expressed support for the rambling incoherence that was Sunak’s speech yesterday. I believe he has also stated that he would not repeal the appalling laws already passed to control the peasants of this country.
I have now seen this
Totally shocking
He agreed Sunak was right to call for ‘unity’
I guess that was unified oppression he was talking about
I understand that Starmer called for “national unity”.
So – Scots everywhere – even thinking about independence from the UK state makes you an enemy of the British state and its “values”.
As for the Welsh, doubtless Tories and LINO would love to reduce the teaching of Welsh – after all that hardly conforms to “British values” – does it?
What an absolute pack of no-marks (the politicos).
Agreed
“He agreed Sunak was right to call for ‘unity’”
Translated: You’re either with us, or you’re against us.
— Attributed to the George W. Bush school of politics, and anyone who can not tolerate other people’s points of view.
Indeed Cindy, labour increasingly proving itself to be a non opposition. Whereas the LDs and SNP rightly said that it is the Tories who are, and have been, the cause of division in the UK.
Rochdale should be a warning to labour that they need to stop treating “their” electorate for granted. But as fast as I can see, labour are far more interested in tory voters and swing voters.
I worked as an invigilator after I retired from teaching. I saw these poster about ‘British Values’ in the school I worked in.
I question what is specifically ‘British’ about the values they listed? Democracy, tolerance, rule of law, toleration of difference? I would hope, at our best, we -or enough of us-stand for these but so do other countries. It irritated me but perhaps I’m just a grumpy old git.
I am happily grumpy
It would be interesting if Sunak and the Conservative head office could distinguish how ‘Btitish values’ are superior to other nations such as American, Dutch, French. Swedish, Norwegian New Zealand… just to name a few for comparison.
Bill,
Maybe when Sunak and the Conservative Head Office are busy showing the ‘superiority of “British Values” over those of other nations they could include Scotland, Wales and N Ireland among the other nations? It would be very useful for those of us in the Celtic nations to see where we’re going wrong.
Is this intended to be an ironic comment? If so, I have to confess to having a tin ear for irony.
If not, and serious (userious actually) what a desperately silly and unpleasant comment, with its implications about the motivation and thought-world of immigrants.
Some come EXACTLY because they admire Britain, or one of its component countries.
It seems highly likely that you are afflicted with what I call moronavirus, the virus that turns brains and consciences to moronic mush! “Hie thee to a physician” quickly, before you vanish in luff of smoke!
I have deleted the comment to which this relates – which I approved in error
This seems to me to be the deployment of what I call the “Tory double double standard” but now being push to extreme degrees.
That being so, of course, it is Sunak, his government, his Party, and anyone in the Westminster bubble (including vile Starmer, of course), and our puerile, “bought and sold” “embedded” useless and malign MSM, who are the extremists here!
As to to “Tory double double standard”, it rests on two foundations.
The first of these is the “argument from nature”. This says that “our politics and values are based on human nature, and so are natural. God-given, if you’re religious, but if you aren’t, then scientifically
validated.
From this it is simplicity itself to say “Your politics and values are thus deviant” (or the opposite of God-given or scientific = Satanic or unscientific), allowing Tories to say “So we’re allowed double standards, but you aren’t. Indeed you’re not allowed anything, because you’re deviant.”
Anyone who has been a Councillor while employed will have experience a version of this: if you’re a Tory Councillor, everything is taken as “normal”.
By contrast, if you belong to any other Party, you’ll be accused of “playing politics”, or “bringing politics into the workplace” = a major irony, given that Tory politics is the “hidden curriculum ” of most work situations, with everything drenched in Tody politics and its malign values.
The notion that the Tories are not political but somehow merely embody the natural order of things goes back a long way.
My father was a prominent member of the Catenian Association and was, for a time, the secretary of the local group. I well remember a very angry man who felt he had to resign from the association very loudly in person to my dad outside the church after Sunday mass.
Apparently inviting Stephen McAdden, the local Tory MP, to speak to the local group was OK, but inviting representatives of any other political party was “getting political” and not acceptable.
So true
There’s a very good series on iplayer called The State we’re In by Darren McGarvey. He compares three aspects of the state, prisons, education and NHS with similar things mainly in Scandinavian countries. Well worth watching, to see how down-at-heel this country has become compared to the equivalent in Norway, Denmark and Finland.
One very good idea is at Aarhus in Denmark where they have intergenerational housing. I remembered seeing something similar in Chester.
The Danish one is where all generations live. The Chester one is where they have a nursery in a carehome, so generations mix during the day.
The Danish pensioners pay £500 to £1000 a month. The Chester one is £1300 to £1500 a week!
“The State we’re In by Darren McGarvey”
Here’s the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001ws4g/darren-mcgarvey-the-state-were-in
The Tories are following the hard Republican policies, especially Steve Bannon’s of promoting the dismantling of democracy, claiming the great replacement in Europe is by Muslims ( in the US it’s by Hispanics), the deep state plot preventing the required “change”, protecting the primacy of Judaeo-Christian Europe ( but no mention of the progroms and the Holocaust).
Regrettably the BBC , ITV nor the Tory supporting press are likely to critique this policy.
Labour have not hinted that they will repeal the anti right to demonstrate laws, or the voting id requirements and so on.
It does not bode well for the UK.
Agreed
Labour’s attitude is very worrying, even frightening
It is important to know the history of one’s own country.
Fascism is as English as a cup of tea I’m afraid.
It has always existed here – sometimes in the background, sometimes lazily employed in political debate by all sides and of late, rampant.
It is about time this was recognised and accepted as true.
Then we might be in a position to do something about it if we care to.
With respect I disagree that it was wrong of Starmer to unite in a call for unity. My hope is that he will challenge the PM in the appropriate setting (I mean for goodness sake, what was all that podium nonsense about?) on members of the right of his party who are doing so much more to damage “unity” in this country than any number of protestors. Call me naive but I would urge people to listen to the interview with Tom Baldwin, Starmer’s biographer, with the Two Matts. As someone who is very close to despair and who holds opinions contrary to “British Values” apparently, and who no doubt, the way things are going, would eventually end up in front of a firing squad, I found it reassuring.
That’s his biographer
Starmer has simply expressed unity with Sunak without any nuance being supplied.
While I agree with your hope about Starmer, I am afraid it is forlorn.
If he meant to challenge the PM on the divisive and appalling behaviour of members of his cabinet and party, why did he not do it immedately as part of his ‘support for unity’? Perfect opportunity wasted, or not something he ever intended to raise?
Why would any labour member want support for unity with the most rightwing tory party there has been for decades?
The only thing that would be for would be to rescue both Starmer and Sunak from the ignominy of losing their seats at the next election.
I note that Andrew Feinstein is setting up a party so more independents can challenge those in power in both main parties. Hopefully we will get people with integrity standing. One of the first people I heard ask for this to happen was Ken Loach.
Precisely Cindy, all Starmer had to do in response to this drivel from Sunak was to respond “if the PM wants to know whose been spreading division and discord in our society all he has to do is look in a mirror and look round the cabinet table”.
Weak, pathetic and useless Starmer.
Ed Davey managed to do this. I suspect the truth is is that Starmer is a zionist and as such he has a dislike of Palestinians / Muslims. His approach to Khan is always negative and unsupportive eg over ULEZ It has been a total disgrace.
Dear Richard,
Ah, “British values”. Whenever I hear that phrase, I ask myself – are these different from French values or German values? What exactly are those specific “British values”?
The answer is, of course, that there are no British values, just human values – as exemplified by your admirable list of those values contrary to what seems to prevail right now, to which admirable list I fully subscribe.
Thank you.
All the very best,
Lawrence
Very well said Richard! Just when you think our leaders can’t sink any lower, another, quite frightening, speech hits the headlines. Our democratic right to speak truth to power through peaceful marches and demos, is now, according to Sunak, evidence that dangerous and violent mob rule is emerging. The Rochdale result has outraged Sunak and Starmer, clearly, in authoritarian Britain, it’s now unacceptable to express any opinions that contradict the establishment world view.
Very early on when politicians started spouting their hateful garbage about ‘Britishness’ and ‘British Values’ I recognized that classic British elitist tactic of ‘Divide and Rule’. Since time immemorial this has been applied domestically to suppress the working poor but, it has also been used to just as devastating an effect overseas, to conquer and exploit in the name of the British Empire. This brutal conquest and suppression was why the Union Jack was known as ‘The Butcher’s Apron’!
As I have already stated on this blog: “I honestly believe that the most effective way to sabotage the disgraceful efforts of the government, to seed intolerance and division for political gain, is by taking proactive measures to accomplish the exact opposite. I am proud to say that Oxford City, where I live, has always supported the rights of Palestinians and welcomed migrants from all over the world”. My projects to plant a Peace Tree and to promote St Clements and Cowley Road as a Global Village are designed to enhance existing community cohesion.
My suggestion to torpedo Sunak’s plans to seed disunity include another proposal that I revealed yesterday after admitting that Oxford, “comprehensively rejects the divisive language of certain disgraceful politicians, who despicably rely on ramping up racial hatred to score votes. We must refute the conflation of our peaceful calls for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza with ‘anti-Semitic hate speech’! This is part of a deliberate agenda to gag free speech against the Government’s blind support for continued conflict. Allies Do Not Let Allies Commit Genocide!”
I firmly believe in the validity of the solution I put forward that: “Instead we should be teaching and instilling tolerance by encouraging our school children to collaborate on the creation of a new set of really inclusive ‘Universal Values’ to counteract the othering and calous weaponization of nationality with hostile assertions of so-called ‘British Values’. Our ‘Universal Values’ might include: The courage to say “I’m sorry” and a genuine strong commitment to telling the truth, both sadly absent from the values of many politicians.”
Richard, may I suggest an addition to the section headed “A tolerance of…”? It seems to me highly important that the gross imbalance of the UK’s right-leaning Mainstream Media should be highlighted and understood more widely than it is. This imbalance is reflected notably in the BBC’s reliance on the headlines of “tomorrow’s newspapers” to structure its own News bulletins and topical discussion programmes, thus fortifying the right-wing bias. Leveson 2 might have prevented this bias had it not been scrapped by the Tories (for reasons which have by now become obvious).
I confess I’ve been sceptical about the concept of “British Values” since childhood, having been brought up by parents who had seen the rise of Nazism first-hand while living in Austria and Germany in the 1930s. My brother and I were brought up to think of ourselves as Scottish first, Europeans second, Citizens of the World third and British last, with the UK Passport being seen as one of the few real advantages of Britishness. As a result, I watch UK News with some peripheral interest, but regard most of it as “Foreign News”. Much of it relates to England (often mainly London and the South East) and the further one is from London, the less relevant it becomes.
If Sunak would like to classify Scottish demands for Scottish Independence a being “Anti-British”, I suspect all Scots would welcome it. The Unionists would imagine it as a valuable step towards elimination of the Independence Movement, while the pro-Independence supporters would see it as a boost to their aspirations and a very blatant (and useful) breach of the fundamental right of self-determination of both the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
My view? Bring it on!
I agree that my post is incomplete, Ken.
I write it in 15 minutes before going birdwatching
I missed several really quite important issues – vegetarians and the RNLI for example. You are also right.
Highlighting this stupidity is one way to attack them and Labour.
“British values” is nothing more than codewords for right wing English nationalism.
It would seem so
Sadly, I have become thoroughly ashamed to be British, especial now that the UK is complicit in Genocide. I certainly do not wave the British flag – ‘The Butcher’s Apron’! I consider myself a “Peaceful Patriot of the Planet”. This designation makes an excellent comeback when nasty Right-Wing, Fascists accuse me of being anti-British or unpatriotic.
When the tawdry ‘British values’ was pushed on schools, we had to do tutor education on them. With a sense of irony, I was chosen to deliver Year 11 (15-16 yrs), 6 classes, one every period in the day. With the help of a couple of dissident form tutors and a big bunch of thoughtful kids, the premise and many details were eviscerated.
Some topics are already verboten in school (climate change is discouraged, you can teach MLK but not link him, Du Bois and Critical Race Theory). You will be aware Gove wish to remove all foreign texts from English as well as authors such as Blackman. I am doing my best, through debate, to make our new voters in Year 13 aware of some of the issues in the UK. Facts are discovered and allowed to speak, such the level of poverty in the UK. It is an uphill struggle with the cohorts who get all their news from social media, and unlike their preCOVID predecessors are unaware of alternative and foreign news services. It is worth noting BTW that many teachers are Tory leaning, anti Union, or badly informed – trendy lefties, my arse.
Thank you
I overheard a conversation between some teachers recently and was shocked by how right wing they were
Then I realised they were from a private school, I admit
It’s simple enough the Conservative and Labour parties now take their cue from mainstream media owners who predominantly have fascist views.
The values of mutual tolerance, respect, trust and support need to be appreciated and understood and lived with. These values need to be nurtured from a very early age. The early education patterns for children need to accommodate this. Countries which have these values built in such as Finland and Japan made a conscious decision to shape children’s first communal experiences to give time for these values to become embedded.
Nursery school staff are highly qualified and well paid. Formal education is delayed until the age of seven. The children leaving secondary education in these countries do not seem to be less well educated or held back in any way. There is no national shortage of well qualified people.
These values cannot be successfully taught in the occasional “ chalk and talk” type lesson.
The latest of Lesley Riddoch’s Nordic films is about Denmark and it is no surprise that it begins with a section on this type of educational start as being of great value to the whole nation’s well being.
Properly done it is not a cheap alternative but well worth it.
There are many well tested examples to learn from. Why aren’t we adopting this?
Rishi’s speech was badly timed, being on a Friday evening, if he wished to reach Orthodox Jews.
It seemed a bad attempt to induce false moral panic. The ceasefire marches are thousands of people- if there were terrorist sympathisers chanting slogans we would have seen this on the news.
Is he preparing the way to impose more anti protest laws?
Democracy has to tolerate disunity in that folk disagree peacefully within it. Voting in George Galloway was done democratically.
You forgot the continuation of the large scale slaughter of one the last (protected!!) large mammals in the UK, badgers, for the appeasement of farmers/landowners.
I thought about it and added hunting instead
On Friday night there was a meeting at Newham Council. Apparently some people from the gallery hissed and booed when the Jewish Labour councillor stood up to speak. The gallery was cleared.
Overnight three people were arrested for anti-semitism. None of them booed or hissed.
Since when was booing and hissing an arrestable offence, ending in imprisonment?
One has to know why they were booing and hissing to know if it was anti-Semitic
But the people arrested weren’t. I never knew that booing and hissing was anti-semitic. Did everyone else on here know something I didn’t?
I only ever do it at pantomimes, by the way, usually when the wicked stepmother appears.
Sorry, but I think you are wasting my time and given that there a suspect booing and hissing – even talking – was not allowed I am not sure what point you are trying to make. I do nit think being disorderly in a public fakery does help and I would expect anyone being so to be thrown out. Elected representatives need to be observed, byt not abused when undertaking their work.
This thread is on Facebook, a group called Growing Resilient and Sustainable Communities.