THE barons at Runnymede had a list of concerns and objectives
when they drew up Magna Carta in a meadow next to the Thames in
1215. It would be safe to say that establishing a set of British
values was not among them. Their document is regularly cited, none
the less, as a set of precepts to which all are invited to adhere,
few of which appear on the original document. In lieu of a written
constitution, Magna Carta has been a magnet for libertarian
aspirations through the ages to the present day. Liberty can be
taken too far, however, and recent initiatives to assert British
values have stemmed from the opposite impulse: to restrict and curb
rather than encourage and set free.
Nothing is more telling than that the drive to instil British
values in schools started with the 2011 Prevent strategy, clearly
aimed at combating the spread of radicalism among young Muslims.
Various bodies, among them the C of E Board of Education, are
challenging the process being promoted by the Government. It is one
thing to teach citizenship, trying to inform young people about
their opportunities and responsibilities to engage in the
democratic process at local and national level. It is another for
OFSTED inspectors to attempt to judge a school's success in what
is, essentially, an exercise in changing students' opinions.
Schools can and should govern their students' behaviour. Whether it
is within their remit or ability to alter opinions is another
matter.
A new document was released this week, a sort of British values
for adults, by the Maranatha Community, a loosely based
inter-denominational organisation founded by Dennis Wrigley and
backed by Lord Alton. It begins well: "We affirm the fundamental
British Values of democracy, rule of law, equality of every human
being before the law, freedom of speech, and the rights of all men
and women to live free from persecution." Our only quibble is the
description of these as "British Values" (their capitals). The
document ascribes these values not only to Britain but to its
"Judaeo-Christian foundations", stating: "British history clearly
authenticates the role and benefits of Christian teaching and
practice."
An election looms, in which, thanks to the threat of UKIP, all
the main parties will be attempting to look as "British" as they
can. We believe that the Churches should resist this where they
can, and certainly resist this loose talk of national "values". In
a video on the Maranatha website, Mr Wrigley laments the "emphasis
on rights" over responsibilities prevalent in the UK. But it is
only in recognising the rights of others that we are confronted by
our responsibilities. The United Nations' 1948 Declaration of Human
Rights is a key document here, although routinely ignored by those
who believe it applies only to other countries. Its purpose is to
establish that people do, indeed, have rights, whatever the values
of their surrounding culture; and that these are universal human
rights, not national ones.