‘Britishness’ must be set in a democratic context, says Hansard Society - 25 Jan, 2007

Debate, not proscription, sustain the principles of democracy

The Hansard Society welcomes the review of the Citizenship curriculum and the debate on how best to encourage our young people to understand the theory and practice of democratic values in the UK and beyond and urges the debate to open up beyond narrow definitions of ‘Britishness'.

Clare Ettinghausen, Chief Executive of the Hansard Society, said: ‘The teaching of Citizenship must encourage debate and discussion about what it means for young people to be British, European and global citizens so they can gain the necessary skills and understanding to become informed, active and responsible citizens. The teaching of democratic values must be the overarching theme in which any discussion about ‘Britishness' takes place, supported by the appropriate training for teachers.'

For over 60 years, the Hansard Society has taught the values of democracy through debate and discussion:

• HeadsUp (www.headsup.org.uk) teaches young people how to debate with others who hold very different opinions
• Mock Elections (www.mockelections.co.uk) help young people understand the political process by which their views get heard
• The Democracy Series (www.democracyseries.org.uk) stimulates constructive debate on a range of issues central to the future of democratic politics.

For further information, contact Virginia Gibbons at the Hansard Society on 020 7438 1225 or 07812 765 552

Editors' Notes

• The Hansard Society is an independent, non-partisan educational charity which exists to promote effective parliamentary democracy. The health of democratic society depends in large part on the extent to which its citizens are politically engaged. Hence, the Hansard Society's guiding objectives are educating people of all ages about the basic principles of parliamentary democracy, and exploring ways to strengthen the links between citizens and representative political institutions.
• The Hansard Society's Citizenship Education Programme works with young people through schools and colleges to educate and inform them about parliamentary democracy and develop innovative ways to involve them in participatory democratic activities.