What are British values?

GibbosEmpire

GibbosEmpire

Well-known member
The migrant thread got me thinking, British values, what is it? Humour? Queuing? Stiff upper lip? Is everyone meant to adhere to British values? Do British people even know what British values are? If they don't follow them are they kicked out? I'm British and mid 30s, and I couldn't tell you what British values are.
 
This is a great question, it was the first that came to mind when I read the migrant thread.

Irreverent cynicism - not sure it’s a value bits it’s certainly something that seems ingrained in most.
Fairness
Courage
Humour.
 
When I hear things like "British values" I don't take it as meaning a list of definable virtues. I see it as our shared understanding of the world and the way we communicate with each other without explicitly saying something. Anyone that has spent time with people that speak the same language as you like Americans, Australians, Canadians etc and they've not understood jokes or stories will know what I mean.

I've got good friends that are Dutch but have lived here for years and they speak perfect English, have had kids here etc but when in a group there are certain things that they miss, or misunderstand and it's clear that while they are almost "one of us" they are still different.

You have to modify your language/behaviour so they aren't excluded and while it is completely harmless to do so I can see why people are unhappy about having to do that. Everyone has their own level of comfort, way of being etc that they experience in their own home and when you have guests over you have to modify that somewhat. It can feel like you aren't fully comfortable in your own home. Having people migrate here and having to adjust what is natural to you can be a similar sort of feeling.
 
I find it hard to identify with the concept of 'Britain' anyway. Not in an anti-Scottish/Welsh way, but we've never quite managed to work out a national identity because we're a unique collaboration of 4 countries trying to get the 3 smaller ones to identify with us, when they by and large don't (although they do accept there are economic benefits).

For me, the UK/GB is a load of colonial tosh. I appreciate identifying as 'English' has connotations with being a 'Little Englander' but I don't even know what English values are either really. That GB News clip from yesterday certainly doesn't capture how most people feel about it, I don't think.

That said, I do of course like England, relatively speaking its a decent country to live in. Since coming back from Canada, I can't get the idea out of my head that there are a handful of countries that are probably better to live in, though.
 
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