Last year, the government set up the Citizenship advisory group led by Professor Bernard Crick, and Betty Boothroyd MP, Speaker of the House of Commons. This has become particularly important as Labour devolves certain central powers to the new administrative structures it has created in Scotland and Wales. Various writers have justified this as the necessary accompaniment to devolution in Scotland and Wales. The government also plans to create nine new regional assemblies in England, but opinion polls found that just 11 percent of the population were in favour. Without doubt, the new citizenship subject to be taught in English schools will be directed along these lines.
Cultural differences are to be placed in their global and European context, the government claims.
As soon as one starts to explore the question, the entire premise breaks down. This has been a basic feature of the rightward shift that the Blair government has led in the erosion of democratic rights. Citizenship education must give people confidence to claim their rights and challenge the status quo while, at the same time, make plain that with rights come obligations. One of the best ways of putting the theories of citizenship into practice is through voluntary work in the community. But also having a learning experience in the community, the idea of having active citizenship rather than passive learning.