Date: 4 January 2014
It shouldn’t come as surprise that people’s anxieties about immigration aren’t eliminated by being told it’s good for the economy, argues Sunder Katwala.
Date: 29 December 2013
More than two-thirds of Britons say that Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants who work hard, pay taxes and fit in to the community should be welcomed to the UK.
Date: 17 December 2013
On 1st January 2014, Britain opens its borders to Romania and Bulgaria. It is a moment being greeted not with fanfares of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, but with the more reluctant mantra ‘we have no choice’, with a heated public debate polarising around two viewpoints.
Date: 3 December 2013
2014 will be the Year of Identity, argues Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, in his Ralph Miliband memorial lecture at the London School of Economics. Addressing the theme ‘Is there a progressive case for national identity?’, Katwala looked at how identity will help to shape key choices about the future of the United Kingdom, Britain’s place in Europe, identity and immigration. Below is the full text of his lecture.
Date: 26 November 2013
Englishness is on the rise. On Wednesday 20th November a wide range of people came together to debate this question in Manchester as part of the Festival of Englishness, co-hosted by British Future, IPPR and the Social Action and Research Foundation. Listen to what various speakers at the event had to say.
Date: 20 November 2013
One million British Muslims support wearing a poppy to mark Remembrance Day, showing just how marginal the views of “anti-poppy” extremists like Anjem Choudary are, writes Steve Ballinger.
Date: 19 November 2013
The Discovery Museum in central Newcastle was full with over 100 engaged local people who had travelled from Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough on a cold night to debate what – if anything – it means to be English in the 21st Century north-east, writes Matthew Rhodes.
Date: 18 November 2013
Anthony Clavane’s most recent play – Playing the Joker – which performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, once again addresses the themes of identity and belonging, northerness and class, framed within the context of the game of Rugby League, writes Matthew Rhodes.
Date: 18 November 2013
The issue of northern identity has resurfaced recently. Since the deindustrialisation of the 1980s – and with social mobility reversing at a disturbing rate over the last 30 years – the gap between north and south has grown bigger. With London’s rise as a political and cultural superpower, what are the chances today of another Eddie Waring breaking through and rising to the top, asks Anthony Clavane.
British Future reports examine public attitudes and make recommendations for change on topics ranging from future immigration and integration policy to how communications can help combat prejudice."
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