The Guardian England, Scotland and Wales are at a turning point in their history. More and more people have multiple identities - they are Welsh Europeans, Pakistani Yorkshirewomen, Glaswegian Muslims, English Jews.
Diversity gives Britain important opportunities in world markets.
Yet the opportunity is in danger of being squandered through racism and exclusion. Aggressive hostility to Islam is expressed in ways unthinkable in relation to other beliefs. The state's attitude to asylum seekers sends a shiver down many spines. Stories of murders, injustices and outrages haunt many people's memories. People in Britain have many differences, but they inhabit the same space and share the same future.