‘Traditional British values’ can’t stand alone, says Hansard Society - 15 May, 2006

Debate, not proscription, sustain the principles of democracy

The proposed introduction of ‘values of Britishness' into the citizenship curriculum raises questions about how best to teach theory and practice of democratic values in order to give people of all ages the necessary skills and knowledge to be informed, active and responsible UK citizens.

Clare Ettinghausen, Chief Executive of the Hansard Society commented:

"Debate and discussion are the keys to informed citizenship - from local issues to today's wider debate about the future of the Human Rights Act. The teaching of democratic values must be the overarching theme in which any discussion of ‘Britishness' takes place."

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.
• The Hansard Society's Democracy Series is a major new project focusing on fundamental concerns about the future of democracy at home and abroad.The Democracy Series draws together contributions from a range of experts and actively encourages people from all sections of society to voice their opinions via a moderated online debate at www.democracyseries.org.uk Debate is currently under way on the first topic - Democracy and Islam.
• HeadsUp (www.headsup.org.uk) was launched in June 2003 as a resource to promote political awareness and participation amongst young people under the age of 18. The site assists teachers in covering the political literacy strand of Citizenship education. The main feature of HeadsUp is a moderated online forum, where students deliberate on topical issues that relate to work in Parliament.
• The Y Vote Mock Local Elections aim to give young people the opportunity to learn about the political process and the issues affecting their communities in a fun and active way. Pupils are encouraged to stand as party candidates, to take part as speech writers and canvassers as well as follow the process of the election from registering to vote right through to the count. (www.mockelections.co.uk)