British Values and Brexit

I had to write the following article for our in work magazine. I tried to make is as balanced as possible – which was quite the task. I think the fact that I am a remainer is hardly noticeable at ALL. LOL

British values if applied well could mitigate some of the negative fallout of Brexit. We saw an outbreak of xenophobia in the months after Brexit and we are still witness too an ongoing schism in society about what Brexit will mean and how it will affect our local learning communities within a geo political and economic landscape.

Depending on your view, Brexit was the biggest embrace of democracy we have ever witnessed, or conversely, it was a cynical distortion of the democratic process, using fact free rhetoric to manipulate and drive the voter to make decisions based on key levers that were not any part of fact based decision making. Post Brexit there are several risks to democracy that we need to ensure our leaders mitigate. If we have a second referendum this may disenfranchise some communities who voted to leave the European Union. However, from a different perspective, voting to confirm the outcome of the Brexit negotiations that have been undertaken reinforces the democratic mandate of the people. This demonstrates two very different interpretations of what democracy means, and could lead to ongoing civil unrest, particularly if the short and medium term effects of Brexit cause significant harm in already marginalised communities.

The rule of law will be hugely important in a post Brexit Britain for a number of reasons. As discussed above there is potentially a risk to civil order if the predicted economic effects of Brexit come into play. In addition, we know that Brexit and the formation of new laws to replace those instituted by the European Parliament, have been widely perceived by some parts of the United Kingdom as a power grab from the centre. We are entering a potentially risky period wherein we know that there are 1000’s of laws that need to be replaced and the resource and scrutiny to do this effectively and ensure the rights of the population are upheld are currently unclear.

When we look at the people we work with and the learners we teach we cannot help but be concerned about the potential impact of Brexit on their individual liberties. Although reassurances have been made to our European friends and colleagues that they will receive settled status in the United Kingdom, there is still a lack of clarity around this for the individuals most effected. While some embrace the rule changes that will distinguish the liberty of a British individual from that of a none British citizen, we potentially run the risk of seeing the introduction of two tier system that could subjugate the rights of colleagues and we must guard against this if British Values are to remain vibrant and cohesive.

I always find it amusing that a nation that has a state church, is fundamentally geared towards an outward looking philosophy when it comes to matters of individual faith. Much more so than some other nations that do not have a prescribed state religion. However, currently we are seeing a rise in the far right, wrapping themselves in banners of swords and crosses, declaring us a Christian nation and themselves the defenders of the faith. There are clear links to the rise of this rhetoric, with some clearly having been emboldened by the Brexit result. For some pushing for a hard Brexit, they have embraced this rise in temperature. We saw Andrea Leadsom, just this week stated in the Houses of Westminster that allegations of Islamaphobia, and a strengthening of the definition of Islamaphobia, should be led by the Foreign Office, implying British Muslims are really foreigners. We need to ensure that we are challenging such divisive language wherever we hear it if we really hold British Values dear.

What do you reckon? Could I have been anymore neutral given the circumstances?!?!?!