BRITISH SOCIETY

When you think of Britain and the British, what stereotypes come to your mind ? Make a list of as many elements you can think of.

Follow the link below to find out about what people around the world think British stereotypes are.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/stereotypes.htm

Britain is trying to find a definition that reflects the reality of its itinerant population

Mark Rimmer is in the throes of party planning. Anyone who has organized a wedding understands the balance he is trying to create – between celebration and ceremony. He wants people to enjoy themselves, so he’s thinking of having Asian dancers or steel drums. But he’s keeping the menu simple, perhaps “a cup of tea and a bun.” Most of all, Rimmer says, he wants everyone who attends what will be Britain’s first-ever public citizenship ceremony to regard it as a “dignified, important event.”2. Rimmer is expecting quite a crowd on Feb. 2nd. The north London Borough of Brent, where he is director of registrars, is one of Europe’s most diverse communities. More than 100 different languages are spoken there. Fifty-two percent of the population of 250,000 is Asian or black; 10 percent were born in Ireland. About 3,500 people apply to become British citizens each year, which, Rimmer calculates, will soon mean holding two or thee ceremonies a week for groups of about 30 immigrants to pledge “loyalty to the United Kingdom,” and promise “to uphold its democratic values” and fulfil their “duties and obligations as … British citizen(s).” In a year or so, Britons-in-waiting will also have to pass a citizenship test – which should help spell out just what those duties and obligations are.

A new approach to citizenship3. This represents an entirely new approach to becoming British, which until now has been a matter

of submitting paperwork and swearing a quick oath of allegiance to the Queen.4. The new rituals, as well as compulsory citizenship classes in school, have been prompted by Britain’s burgeoning populations of wannabes and has-beens – immigrants who are naturalizing in unprecedented numbers, and citizens like me who live all or part of the year overseas and may or may not move back. With such a mobile citizenry, people have begun asking, what does it mean to be British? Or Dutch? Or French, for that matter?5. Britain is trying to find a definition of British that reflects the reality of its itinerant population. According to the National Office of Statistics, about half a million people arrive each year to live in Britain for 12 months or more. Annually, about 120,000 become citizens. In addition, more than 300,000 people – 155,000 of whom are citizens – leave to live abroad, and many others choose to spend months overseas.

Unsure of who they are6. About half a million Britons own property in France, lured away by warmer climes and bargain prices, and bringing back not only wine and cheese but a taste for doing things differently. These numbers may not sound large, but they represent a cultural mixing of the kind Britain has never experienced, though it is the lifeblood of such countries as Canada, Australia and the United States.

7. In some ways, however, the New world melting 11. Hence the government’s effort to engender

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pots provide an unsatisfactory mold for the Old World. While newcomers can make a nation of immigrants “more or less American,” as President George W. Bush once put it, it’s difficult to make that case for countries that grew out of common ground, common history and even common genes. Britain has no constitution, no founding values around which to group its populace.8. The British seem decidedly unsure these days of who they are and what they want to become. That uncertainty has launched a new industry of national navel-gazing among academics as well as a flurry of pronouncements by politicians attempting to capture the essence of Britain and Britishness.9. Former Conservative prime minister John Major was roundly ridiculed for his misty-eyed vision of “warm beer, invincible green suburbs, (and) dog lovers.” But it was no less absurd than current Labor leader Tony Blair’s euphonic but ultimately meaningless little jingle, “Cool Britannia.” Asserting that “British identity is shaped by poetry” the BBC recently launched a competition to find a “Poem for Britain”, the results of which reflected, to paraphrase Wordsworth, the awkwardness of a nation undetermined to what course of life it should adhere.10. But part of the problem is linked to multiculturalism, which happened to Europe before many of its member states had developed a philosophy to accommodate it. The United States told immigrants how to be American by requiring them to learn about the country’s history and government, and about the values of liberty and justice enshrined in its founding documents. Nothing of the kind has ever been done for prospective Britons. It’s as if they were expected to wake up the morning after their assignation with the solicitor and announce, “By Jove, I’m British.”

“common values and a sense of belonging” by defining the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Citizenship classes are now part of the curriculum from elementary school onward.12. In one sense, becoming a good “British” citizen should be easy. Unlike “Dutch” or “French”, “British” is a catch-all term. Jowlishly Churchillian though the British bulldog may look, he is and always has been a mongrel, bred to create political unity out of the islands’disparate indigenous cultures. Immigrants have long recognized the benefits of such a political identity. You’re much more likely to come across somebody in Edinburgh or Cardiff who calls himself Bangladeshi-British than Bangladeshi-Scottish or Bangladeshi-Welsh. Immigrants tend to cling to this more elastic notion of Britishness. It doesn’t, after all, require eating haggis or singing in the Eisteddfod choir.13. But that very lack of cultural specificity also leaves Britishness open to interpretations, as I discovered when I did a quick survey of British travellers at London’s Heathrow airport. Recent immigrants tended to talk about human rights, freedom of speech and justice. Those who had lived here for generations made references to Sunday lunch, country walks and other humdrum comforts of home.14. Though the values expressed by the recent immigrants are infinitely more important, there’s nothing specifically British about them. Those citizens could just as easily have been referring to the Netherlands, France, or, most of all, the United States, where such values are part of the national creed.15. That leaves Britain and other European countries facing their own conundrum: To welcome their many immigrants, they must put universal values before tradition. The United States made this transition more than a century ago, when its immigrant influx began. Is Europe ready to do so now?

Article by Frances Stead Sellers, published in the “Washington Post”, 2006

Warming up activity

How much do you know about British life ? Are you ready to become a British citizen ? Follow this link and then try to answer sample questions taken from the citizenship test applicants have to answer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4099770.stm

I. Read the text “The Meaning of British” given above and then do the following exercises.

a. After reading the text carefully, classify the words underlined according to their parts of speech.

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b. Then match the words above with the definitions below

Nouns : petit gâteau ; nombrilisme ; bâtard ; officier d’état civil ; angoisse/affres ; maladresse ; percussions (sur des bidons de pétrole) ; rafale, tourbillon (ici débauche) ;

dilemme ; manque ; refrain/slogan ; officier de justice (cumulant les fonctions d’avoué et de notaire) ; avantages - citoyenneté ; arrondissement ; aspirants, candidats

Adjectives : super, génial et aussi branché ; mélancolique/larmoyant ; euphonique/qui sonne bien ; ennuyeux/banal/routinier ;

Verbs : déclencher/susciter ; rencontrer ; lancer ; maintenir ; promettre solennellement/jurer ; enchâsser/sceller (ici exalter)

Adverbs : sans ambages/ sévèrement ; finalement/en fin de compte ; jusque dans les bajoues 

c. True or false ? Answer the questions rightly justifying your answer with the adequate quote(s) taken from the text.

1. Mark Rimmer wants to become a British citizen.2. He is used to preparing ceremonies like this one.3. An awful lot of people of different origins live in the Borough of Brent.4. It has always been rather difficult for a foreigner to become a Briton.5. Fewer people are attracted by British citizenship now than in the past.6. About half of the people who arrive to live in Britain each year become British citizens.7. A vast number of British tourists bring back new habits and ideas from the places they visit, thus

changing gradually the British lifestyle.8. The British policy of immigration is identical with the American one.9. According to the author of the article, John Major and Tony Blair’s view of Britain are both

absurd.10. British students have always had to learn about their rights and responsibilities at school.11. An immigrant who lives in Scotland will preferably be called “British” than “Scottish”.12. New immigrants come to Britain because of specifically British values.

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I. Origins: migration to BritainIf we go back far enough in time, almost everyone living in Britain today may be seen to have their origins elsewhere. They are a nation of immigrants – able to trace their roots to countries throughout Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. In the past immigrant groups came to invade and to seize land. More recently, people have come to Britain to find safety and in search of jobs and a better life.Britain is proud of its tradition of providing a safe haven for people fleeting persecution and conflict. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Protestant Huguenots from France went to Britain to escape religious persecution. The terrible famine in Ireland in the mid 1840s led to a surge of migration to the British mainland, where Irish labourers provided much of the workforce for the construction of canals and railways.Between 1880 - 1910, large numbers of Jewish people went to Britain from what are now Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus to escape the violence they faced at home. Unhappily, in the 1930s, fewer were able to leave Germany and central Europe in time to escape the Nazi Holocaust, which claimed the lives of 6 million people.

II. The native British

Regional loyalties

The United Kingdom consists of four nations, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, each with its own special character. Welsh and Scottish people feel their national identity very strongly, and value their cultural heritage. In Wales the Welsh language is used alongside English, and in Scotland over 75,000 people speak Gaelic. There are also many people of Asian, West Indian and African origin living in Britain, who retain some of their former loyalties and cultural traditions. Until recently British politics tended to be dominated by England, but both Wales and Scotland now have their own political assemblies, as well as continued representation in the British parliament. In Ireland nationalism has been complicated by religious and political loyalties. Pressure for Irish independence grew during the 19th century and finally led to independence for the south of Ireland in

cheaper housing. Northerners are also said to be more cheerful and friendly than southerners. Rural north Wales tends to be more traditional than the industrial south, where English influence is stronger. In Scotland, Highland people traditionally regarded people from the Lowlands as untrustworthy people and weak. Lowlanders believed Highlanders were more aggressive and less civilized. Perhaps the greatest unifying factor between the two has been a dislike of “Sassenachs” (i.e. English people).

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1921. Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom, a cause of the recent troubles. After many years of violence a Northern Ireland Assembly was set up in 1998. Although people move around the country to study or find work, national and regional rivalries based on traditional stereotypes can still be found. The most significant is the North-South Divide. It is primarily an economic division between the richer south, particularly the area around London and the poorer north. Some Londoners dismiss the whole of England north of London as the provinces where, they believe, there is little culture. The south likes to think that it is more sophisticated and more outward-looking. But the north can claim many positive things, such as beautiful countryside, a less pressured lifestyle and often

.For many British people the ideal place to live is a village set in attractive countryside. To those living in towns villages conjure up images of peace, a slow pace of life, pretty cottages and a country pub. But living in a village may be inconvenient, especially for people without a car, as many village shops have been forced to close and

transport services are limited. Most people now live in towns, in city suburbs or in larger villages which have become dormitory communities for nearby towns.

III.Ethnic identity: the non-native British

Try to complete the following text with the appropriate word(s) or expression(s).

The long centuries of contact between the peoples of the four (1)____________________ of the British Isles means that there is a limit to their significant differences. With minor variations, they (2) ____________________ the same, (3) ____________________ the same language, (4) ____________________the same food, have the same (5) ____________________heritage (Christianity) and have the (6) ____________________ attitudes to the roles of men and women.

The situation for the several million people in Britain (7) ____________________ family roots lie in the Caribbean or in south Asia or (8) ____________________ in the world is different. For them ethnic identity is more than a question of deciding which sports team to (9)____________________Non-whites (about 6 per cent of the total British population) cannot, as white non-English groups can, choose when to advertise their ethnic identity and when not to.

Most non-whites, although themselves born in Britain, have parents who were born outside it. The great wave of immigration from the Caribbean and south Asia (10)____________________ between 1950 and 1965. These immigrants, especially (11) ____________________from South Asia, brought with them different languages, different (12) ____________________ (Hindu and Muslim) and everyday habits and attitudes that were sometimes radically (13) ____________________from traditional British ones. As they usually married (14) ____________________themselves, these habits and customs have, to some extent, been preserved. For some young people brought up in Britain, this mixed cultural background can create (15) ____________________. For example, many young Asians (16) ____________________ the fact that their parents expect to have more control over them than

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most black or white parents expect to have over their children. Nevertheless, they cannot avoid these experiences, which therefore make up part of their identity.

As well as this 'given' identity, non-white people in Britain often (17) ____________________ in their cultural roots. This pride seems to be increasing as their cultural practices, their everyday habits and attitudes, gradually become less distinctive. Most of the country's non-whites are British (18) ____________________. Partly because of this, they are on the way to developing the same kind of division of loyalties and identity that exists for many Irish, Scottish and Welsh people. Pride can increase as a defensive (19) ____________________ to racial discrimination. There is quite a lot of this in Britain. There are tens of thousands of racially motivated attacks on people every year, including one or two murders. All in all, overt (20) ____________________ is not as common as it is in many other parts of Europe.

Here is some information to help you fill in the gaps.

1. noun2. verb3. verb4. verb 5. adjective6. adjective7. relative pronoun8. adverb (compound)9. verb10.verb

11. demonstrative adjective12. noun13. adjective14. preposition15. noun16. verb17. expression containing a verb and a noun18. noun.19. noun20. noun

Note : If you still can't complete all the blanks, your teacher will give you the definitions corresponding to the words.

Exercise. Use all the information above to induce the right definition of the term “British”.

According to Wikipedia, in a modern context the term “Briton” is used as a synonym for “British” and has three different senses. You have here six different suggestions. Tick the correct ones.

1. A resident and/or citizen of the United Kingdom2. A person who has lived in England for at least 10 years.3. A person who lists their ethnic group as British. 4. A person who is about to get British citizenship.5. A person native or indigenous to Great Britain. 6. A person native of Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

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For centuries a rigid class system was part of the British fabric. Is it still the case now? Read the following information to find out about it.

a. Listening exercise. Fill in the gaps with the right answer.

Historians say that the class system has survived in Britain because of its _________________ .It has always been possible to buy or marry or even work your way up, so that your children (and their children) belong to a __________________social class than you do. As a result, the class system has never been swept away by a __________________ and an awareness of class forms a _________________ part of most people's sense of identity. People in _________________ Britain are very conscious of class differences. They regard it as _________________ to become friends with somebody from a different class. This feeling has little to do with conscious loyalty, and nothing to do with a positive belief in the class system itself. Most people say they do not _________________ class divisions. Nor does it have very much to do with_________________ or _________________ affiliations. It results from the fact that the different classes have different sets of _________________ and _________________. Typically, they tend to eat different food at different _________________ , they like to talk about different _________________ using different _________________ and _________________of English, they enjoy different pastimes and sports, they have different values about what things in life are most important and different ideas about the correct way to _________________. Stereotypically, they go to different kinds of _________________. An interesting feature of the class structure in Britain is that it is not just, or even mainly, relative_________________ or the appearance of it which determines someone's class. Of course, wealth is a part of it - if you become wealthy, you can provide the conditions to enable your children to belong to a higher class than you do. But it is not always possible to _________________ reliably the class to which a person belongs by looking at his or her clothes, car or bank balance. The most obvious and _________________ sign comes when a person opens his or her _________________, giving the listener clues to the speaker's attitudes and interests, both of which are indicative of class. But even more _________________ than what the speaker says is the _________________that he or she says it. The English grammar and vocabulary which is used in public speaking, radio and television news broadcasts, books and newspapers (and also - unless the lessons are run by _________________- as a model for learners of English as a foreign language) is known as '_________________British English'. Most working-class people, however, _________________ lots of words and grammatical forms in their everyday speech which are regarded as 'non-standard'. Nevertheless, nearly everybody in the country is _________________ of using standard English (or something close to it) when they judge that the situation demands it. They are _________________ to do so at school. Therefore, the clearest indication of a person's class is often his or her _________________. Most people cannot change this convincingly to suit the situation. The most _________________ accent in Britain is known as '__________________________________' (RP). It is the combination of standard English spoken with an RP accent that is usually meant when people talk about 'BBC English' or '_________________ English' (referring to the university, not the town) or the ' _________________English'.

b. Language: Standard English. Read the following text and then answer the questions below it.

RP is not associated with any particular part of the country. The vast majority of people, however, speak with an accent which is geographically limited. In England and Wales, anyone who speaks with a strong regional accent is automatically assumed to be working class. Conversely, anyone with an RP accent is assumed to be upper or upper-middle class. (In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the situation

is slightly different; in these places, some forms of regional accent are almost as prestigious as RP.)

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During the last quarter of the twentieth century, the way that people wish to identify themselves seems to have changed. In Britain, as anywhere else where there are recognised social classes, a certain amount of ‘social climbing’ goes on; that is, people try to appear as if nobody wants to be thought of as snobbish. The word ‘posh’ illustrates this tendency. It is used by people from all classes to mean ‘of a class higher than the one I (the speaker) belong to’ and it is normally used with negative connotations. To accuse someone of being posh is to accuse them of being pretentious.Working-class people in particular are traditionally proud of their class membership and would not usually wish to be thought of as belonging to any other class. Interestingly, a survey conducted in the early 1990s showed that the proportion of people who describe themselves as working class is actually greater than the proportion whom sociologists would classify as such! This is one manifestation of a phenomenon known as ‘inverted snobbery’, whereby middle-class people try to adopt working-class values and habits. They do this in the belief that the working classes are in some way ‘better’ (for example, more honest) than the middle classes.In this egalitarian climate, the unofficial segregation of the classes in Britain has become less rigid than it was. A person whose accent shows that he or she is working class is no longer prohibited from most high-status jobs for that reason alone. Nobody takes elocution lessons any more in order to sound more upper class. It is now acceptable for radio and television presenters to speak with ‘an accent’ (i.e. not to use strict RP). It is notable that, at the time of writing, none of the last five British Prime Ministers went to an elitist school for upper-class children, while almost every previous Prime Minister in history did.In general, the different classes mix more readily and easily with each other than they used to. There has been a great increase in the number of people from working-class origins who are house owners and who do traditionally middle-class jobs. The lower and middle classes have drawn closer to each other in their attitudes.

________________________________________

7. Where do people speak RP?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What association is made with people who speak with an RP accent?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. a. What does the word 'posh' mean?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. What kind of connotation has it got?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________

c. What does the expression 'being posh' mean?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. How do working-class people feel about their own class?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Explain the phenomenon known as 'inverted snobbery'.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Give three examples to show that the segregation of the classes in Britain has become less important than in the past.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. In conclusion, what can you say about the contact between the different classes in Britain nowadays?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. Britain’s changing aristocracy

For decades the rowing races in this charming riverside village have been and indispensable element of The Season – the dizzying summer whirl of sporting events, balls and parties where Britain’s titled gentry always gathered in long, white tents to partake of Champagne and strawberries with their upper-crust peers. 2. In the 21st century, the long tents still line the Thames for the Henley Royal Regatta. The Champagne still flows freely and at other checkpoints of The Season, such as the tennis championships at Wimbledon, the horse races at Royal Ascot and the Chelsea Flower Show. Today, though, the parties are given not by Viscount This or Baroness That, but by banks, law firms and corporations. 3. The stars of the social circuit are no longer debutante daughters of the great families but rather CEOs 1, athletes and TV personalities. The Season has become a celebration of a new British class system in which

1 Chief Executive Officer : PDG

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status is earned, not inherited. “You see a whole new aristocracy at the Champagne-and-strawberry events,” said a BBC producer, Nick Guthrie, who studies social dynamics here. “And that’s part of the overall revolution in the class system. In Britain today, it’s not so much your family that matters – it’s what you’ve achieved, and of course how much money you’ve got.” 4. Drusilla Beyfuss, an author of guidebooks on social protocol, said: “A title still has some impact, but much less than it did in my parents’day. Obviously, if a John Browne shows up at your party” – that is, the chief executive of BP, Britain’s largest oil company – “that means more than anybody with a title.” 5. Like most revolutions, the change in the rules of hierarchy and status stems largely from economics. As many of the titled gentry have seen their fortunes disappear, their role in national life has diminished. It has become commonplace for distinguished families to open their country homes to visitors – for a price. This helps pay the bills, but necessarily reduces the social stature of the duke or baron collecting the admissions fee on his pillared front porch. 6. “Nobody pays

deference to the upper classes anymore,” said a television broadcaster, Joan Bakewell. “And why would you, when they’re reduced to selling tickets for tours of their gardens?”

7. Among those dependent on the stately home tourist trade is Charles Spencer, formally the 9th Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana. After Diana’s death in a Paris auto accident a few years ago, Spencer arranged for her to be buried at his

massive country estate, Althorp. He charges up to $1.50 per ticket for people who want to pay their respects at the grave. People come by the busload every summer day. Spencer says that running the tourist operation and the gift shop is his full-time occupation. 8. At the same time, some of the traditional honors accorded the upper class are being snatched away. Under a two-year-old law, titled families can no longer pass on seats in parliament by inheritance. Hundreds of “hereditary peers”2, many occupying seats that had been in their families for centuries, have been thrown out of the House of Lords. Today, seats in the upper chamber of Parliament are given only to “life peers,” that is, people who are appointed because of achievement in some area of life, with no right of family succession. 9. Corporate and charitable boards used to be routinely sprinkled with members of titled families. “There was a feeling that it couldn’t hurt to have the odd duke or marquis on the board,” said an executive recruiter, who asked not to be named ”so as not to injure anyone’s feelings.” But today, the recruiter said, “the emphasis is on candidates who have achieved something in life.” 10. As Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer3, noted: “You see the new Britain clearly on corporate boards. Titles are out, for the most part. Today it’s not who you are, but what you have done.” While the traditional British establishment, based on money, athletic prowess or celebrity, commands the respect and deference once paid to the great families. 11. There was a striking instance of the change this spring, when Buckingham Palace announced that a knighthood was to be conferred on a loyal subject name Michael Philip Jagger. Among those expressing surprise at the honor was Mick Jagger himself, who has long entertained the nation with exploits involving drugs, drink and women. “Does this mean I’m part of the establishment?” Sir Mick asked. The media answered immediately: Mick Jagger, with his global reputation, massive wealth and elegant country estate, is clearly part of the British 2 Cf « British Institutions » in the next chapter3 Ministre des Finances

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establishment today. Even The Daily Telegraph, the most conservative of the major papers, strongly backed the knighthood for the famous rocker. “It suggests that a nation honors achievement”, the paper said. 12. But there are still areas of British life where old families, old money and the old school tie make a difference. Traditional class divisions still influence basic elements of daily life – language, diet, schools, even the news business. Certain newspapers, such as the multimillion circulation tabloids, are aimed directly at the working class, while broadsheets such as The Daily Telegraph and The Times are targeted directly at executives. 13. “When Brits go to America for the first time”, said Jonathan Freedland, a columnist for The Guardian newspaper, “one of the things they always notice is that everybody in a given city reads the same newspaper. The chauffeur has the same newspaper up in front that the guy in the back seat is reading. You wouldn’t see that happening over here”. 14. One area of British life where the concept of inherited privilege is still flourishing is the royal family. Although Queen Elizabeth II has personal assets estimated in the billions of dollars, British taxpayers still cough up about $50 million per year to subsidize the monarch’s palaces, travel and entertainment. 15. Polls show that large majorities of Britons admire the queen and strongly support tax-funded aid. An estimated 1 million people gathered June 4 outside Buckingham Palace, in nearby parks and Trafalgar Square to celebrate the queen’s 50th year on the throne. “The lesson of this Jubilee,” said The Daily Telegraph, “is that support for the monarchy runs deep in the British soul.” And the deference paid to the royals is still reflected somewhat in a level of respect, albeit diminished, paid to members of other titled or traditionally honoured families. 16. “You can’t say that Britain is a fully open society yet, “said Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. “There are still pockets of national life where a title helps, to be frank. But the changes have been really dramatic – in the business world, in admissions to universities, in politics and government. The old class system is not dead. But it is much weaker than ever before, and it is eventually going to wither straight away.”

Article written by T.R. Reid for The Washington Post, USA, 2003 Speaking points

- How do you feel about the whole system of knighthood? Do you think it should exist?- In your opinion should stars have access to knighthood? If yes, what criteria should be taken into consideration? Which stars would you knight if you had the power to do so?

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Parliament

Parliament is the most important authority in Britain. Parliament first met in the 13th century and its powers developed gradually.Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws:

1215: the nobles forced King John to accept Magna Carta;

1264: the first parliament of nobles met;

1689: declaration of Rights. Mary II and William III became the first constitutional monarchs. They could rule only with the support of the Parliament;

Since then the power of Parliament has grown under a number of Acts of Parliament. Technically Parliament is made up of three parts: the Monarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The Monarch

The UK is a constitutional monarchy which means that the sovereign reigns but does not rule4.

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Follow the link and find information about the present British monarch and then find the information required below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II_of_the_United_Kingdom

1. How old is the Queen?2. Mention non-European Commonwealth Realms.3. How long has she been Queen?4. Why can she be said to be the most powerful Head of State in the whole world?5. In practice is it so?6. When Elizabeth was born she was only third in the line of succession to the crown. Yet she

became Queen. Explain why.7. Why wasn’t she sent to Canada during World War II, as was suggested?8. Where did she stay during the war then?9. Explain what is happening in the following picture :

10. Did she get married or become Queen first? Explain.

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The House of Lords

The House of Lords comprises about 1,200 peers5 including hereditary peers, life peers, lords of appeal6, archbishops and bishops. The House is presided over by the Lord Chancellor.

The House of Lords has no real power but acts rather as an advisory council for the House of Commons. In fact, the Lords can suggest amendments to a bill7 proposed by the Commons but after two rejections8 they are obliged to accept it. As well as having legislative functions, the Lords is the highest court of appeal.

Figure 1 The House of LordsThe House of Commons

5 noblemen6 judges7 proposed law8 refusals

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The House of Commons consists of Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected by the adult suffrage9 of the British people in general elections which are held at least every five years. The country is divided into 650 constituencies each of which elects one MP who then holds a seat in Parliament. The Commons, therefore, has 650 MPs, of whom only 6.3 per cent are women. The party which wins the most seats forms the Government and its leader becomes Prime Minister.

The functions of the House of Commons are legislation and scrutiny of government activities.The house is presided over by the Speaker who is appointed by the Government after consultation with the leader of the Opposition. The government party sits on the Speaker’s right while on the left sit the members of the Opposition.Unlike the members of the House of Lords, all members of the House of Commons are paid a salary.

Figure 2 The House of Commons : Big Ben

Exercise. Make questions corresponding to the following answers (referring to the information above)

a) In the 13th century.___________________________________________________________________________b) Of three parts.___________________________________________________________________________c) Just once.___________________________________________________________________________d) He cannot make laws, impose taxes, spend public money or act unilaterally.___________________________________________________________________________e) Queen Elizabeth II.

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___________________________________________________________________________f) For nearly 50 years.___________________________________________________________________________g) 1,200.___________________________________________________________________________h) After two rejections.___________________________________________________________________________i) Every five years.___________________________________________________________________________j) 650.___________________________________________________________________________k) 93.7 per cent.___________________________________________________________________________l) All of them.___________________________________________________________________________

Now follow the links and then find the right information.

http://www.explore.parliament.uk/Parliament.aspx?id=7Visit the different Houses of Parliament.

http://www.parliament.uk/about/images/people/speaker.cfm1. Is the speaker of the House of Commons the same as that of the House of Lords?2. What political power has the speaker got?3. Who are they for each House?4. Who is the current Prime Minister?5. And the current Leader of the Opposition?

In this chapter we shall consider some of the most important social issues which are relevant to Britain in the 21st century. These include the welfare state, young people, women's rights and multuculturalism.

Pre-reading questions

1. Is government financial support available for people in difficulties in your country? Is it sufficient in your opinion? What kind of people are targeted?2. Apart from the obvious advantages of helping poor people, are there any ways in which state benefits might have some disadvantages? Think of moral and psychological aspects as well as the more obvious financial ones.3. Do you feel that in your country 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer'? Is it inevitable?

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A. Health and welfare

The welfare state

After WWII the Labour administration implemented a series of measures designed to protect the poor and needy 'from cradle to the grave'. For some time these measures were justly regarded as something to be proud of, something which truly protected the less well-off, or those who were in temporary difficulties. However, over the years, some of the initial enthusiasm began to wear off, particularly on the government's part. After the economic boom in the 1960s, there followed the oil crisis of the early 1970s, and public spending cuts became the order of the day. Cuts in education, health and welfare became increasingly commonplace, even under Labour administrations, and despite Conservative assurances that the welfare state was safe with them, the trend over the last 15 years of Tory government was towards the drastic reduction of spending in this area, indeed to the near-privatisation of the health service. John Mayor, the current10 Prime Minister and Conservative leader, is not quite so intransigent as his predecessor Margaret Thatcher (now Baroness Thatcher), and has introduced the idea of a Citizen's Charter, which should guarantee basic minimum standards in public services, but the cuts continue. So what is left of the Welfare State? It basically consists of three main areas: the National Health Service (NHS), the personal services and social security. The aim of the NHS is to provide a full range of medical services which are available to all residents, regardless of their income. Personal social services are run by the local authority and give help and advice to the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill and children with educational difficulties or otherwise in need of care. Social security is aimed at guaranteeing a basic standard of living to those in financial difficulty, by means of benefit to families with low incomes or who incur costs caring for a disabled person. The NHS is undergoing reforms introduced with the NHS and Community Care Act passed by parliament in 1990, which moves towards a more flexible system, where local health authorities have substantial financial autonomy and the right to opt out of the system. This is undoubtedly a step towards the privatisation of the health service, which is resented by many. The Patient's Charter is a declaration of the rights of the patient within the NHS, and guarantees detailed information on local health services, including quality standards and maximum waiting times, admission for treatment no later than two years from the date of being placed on a waiting list, and the right to have any complaint about the NHS investigated. Social security accounts for nearly a third of government spending. It includes retirement pension, statutory maternity pay, unemployment benefits, income support payable to people whose income is below a certain level. There is also housing benefit which helps people pay their rent, and can reach 100 per cent of the figure involved.

Comprehension questions

1. How long has the welfare state existed? Thanks to whom does it exist? What was its aim?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Do people feel the same about it now as they did in the past? Explain.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________________________

3. Give the point of view of the two leaders mentioned in the text as regards the welfare state.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Explain the way the welfare state is organized in your own words.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5. Do you think it is a good system? Why (not)?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For more information about the welfare state at present go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/asguru/generalstudies/society/30welfare/index.shtml

The NHS: pride and despair

Read the following text and then answer the questions below it. The National Health Service (NHS) is a very emotive subject for the British. It looks after them “from the cradle to the grave”. But they despair about is apparent decline and inability to cope with demand. Politicians profess an almost religious faith in the NHS: “We founded it,” say the Labour Party. “But it is safe in our hands,” say the Conservatives. There are constant arguments about how best to run it, but no-one ever proposes to scrap the whole thing and replace it with something else.

The British system is special in a number of ways. Its most distinctive feature is that it is universal, and free at the point of use: everybody can use it, and they do not have to pay when they use it. Unlike most systems in other countries, it is funded from general taxation, rather than being an insurance scheme. This has two great benefits: it is simple to administer, and it gives people peace of mind – they do not have to worry about money when they are sick. Another unusual feature of the system is the role of the GP, the general practitioner. When you are ill in Britain, you normally go to your GP in a small surgery near your home. You are registered with that practice, or team of doctors, and they keep your medical records. Each GP has about 2,000 people on the books. If you suffer from a lot of illness (or are hypochondriac11) your own doctor will know you personally. If you need specialist care from, for example, a dermatologist, an ophthalmologist or an obstetrician, the GP will refer you to a hospital. All specialists work in hospitals, and you cannot see them without a letter from your GP. The advantage of this arrangement is that the specialist’s time is not wasted by inappropriate inquiries, as the GP acts as a sort of gate keeper. Also the patient does not have to make difficult decisions about which specialist to go to. GPs are able to deal with the great majority of problems themselves; if you have a cold, you do not need an ear-nose-and-throat specialist to tell you to go home and keep warm. And GPs are more likely to take a holistic approach, having knowledge of the patient’s character and lifestyle.

11 A person who continually worries about their health, usually when there is really nothing wrong with them

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The origins of the present NHS system can be traced back to the beginning of the 20 th century. The national health insurance, which was introduced in 1911, gave benefits to 16 millions workers. By stages, access to doctors was extended to more of the population, and in 1946, the newly-elected socialist Labour Government passed the National Health Service Act. There were many obstacles to this great reform – in particular the doctors themselves were against it. In return for their co-operation they had to be allowed to continue seeing private patients, and they had to be offered lots of money. The founding father of the NHS, Aneurin Bevan said that the “stuffed their mouths with gold”. It was assumed in the early days that the system would be expensive at first, and then become cheaper as the whole population became healthier and used the system less. As it turned out, this optimism was unrealistic. In fact, expectations increased, creating massive new demand. So vaccination brought about a reduction in measles, tuberculosis and rubella. But people began to expect to have their failing sight improved by eye operations, and their damaged hips replaced with metal implants. Often new technology is highly efficient and cost-saving. For example patients with kidney stones 12 used to be cut open and then kept in hospital for a week, but now a device called a lithotripter breaks up the stones with high-energy shock waves, and the patient can go home hours later. However, some of the new machines are very expensive indeed, and they do things which in the past were simply not done. A Royal Commission report said in 1979: “The demand for health care is always likely to outstrip13 supply, and the capacity of health services to absorb resources is almost unlimited.” As a result, the system is chronically under-funded. There are long waiting lists for surgery; when there is a flu epidemic (which happens quite often) there are not enough beds in hospitals, nurses are underpaid, which inevitably leads to a shortage of nurses; hospital food is often disgusting. There is always a debate about a regular dilemma faced by the free NHS; which non-essential treatments to offer? Should people expect the right to tattoo-removal, or sex changes, or fertility treatment? And does the tax payer have to fund all essential treatment – for example, should the tobacco companies pay for the treatment of smoking-related diseases? Certainly the UK spends less on health than most comparable countries. This can be explained partly by the cost-effective14 structure of the NHS. For example, the United States’largely private system is wasteful, with much duplication of services and competition in high-tech equipment between neighbouring private clinics. But it is also a result of the British public’s unwillingness to pay higher taxes. In surveys, people always say they are prepared to pay more for a better service, but when it comes to an election, they vote for the party that promises tax cuts. As an alternative to the NHS you can use the private healthcare system. Many people now take out private health insurance, or receive health insurance as a benefit of their employment. If you use private healthcare, you will probably be able to get an appointment to see a specialist much more quickly than with the NHS.

Health problems

Two statistics stand out in comparisons between Britain and other European countries. Heart disease and cancers, in particular breast cancer, seem to be bigger killers here than elsewhere. What could be the reasons? In the case of breast cancer there is one clear factor – there is less screening and fewer regular checks. Heart problems are made worse by various aspects of lifestyle: diet, lack of exercise, stress, smoking and drinking. Of course, the British are famous for getting drunk, especially on holiday or after football matches, but the statistics do not support this negative image, and in reality, the British drink less alcohol per person than in any European country except Sweden and Finland. About 28 per cent of the adult population smokes and that is very close to the European average. So perhaps diet is the key: it is often said that the British eat too much unhealthy food like sugar and animal fat, especially compared to the healthy Mediterranean diet. This argument is supported by

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comparative statistics within the UK, which show more heart disease in the north of England and in Scotland than in the south-east – Northerners and Scots eat more sausages, chips and chocolate. Another remarkable fact emerges from the statistics: in spite of more than half a century of socialist-style medicine, health differences between the social classes are as great as ever. Almost every health indicator tells the same story – you are much more likely to die early from disease if you are working class. A poor unemployed woman is a staggering seven times more likely to die of cervical cancer0 than a well-paid professional woman. One common measure of public health is the infant mortality rate: that is, how many babies die within their first year. Amazingly, this rate still shows huge differences between the social classes in Britain. There are all sorts of explanations for these class-based differences. Again, one obvious factor is lifestyle: working-class people smoke much more, and their diet is more unhealthy. It also seems that doctors pay more attention to richer people, and take their illness more seriously. But there are real problems in interpreting the statistics; for example, if your health is bad, you are more likely to become unemployed, and so you will go down the class ladder. In this case, class status is the result of illness, not one of its causes.

Social protection

What happens when people lose their jobs, or retire, or do not make enough money to support themselves and their families? There are welfare benefits; some flat rate, which provide the same amount of money for everybody who claims them, and some means-tested, meaning they vary according to the needs of the individual person. Among the former are unemployment benefit (now under the more positive name of Jobseeker’s Allowance), child benefit and the old age pension. So everyone in Britain receives child benefit for their children and a pension when they are 65 years old. The state pension, at around £70 per week, is a very modest amount of money, and in fact most people make sure that they have another pension so as to avoid poverty in old age. As they work, they put money into pension funds arranged by their employers – some of these pension funds contain billions of pounds and are very important players in the British financial system. For those who are unemployed for a long time (the Jobseeker’s Allowance stops after one year), or whose pays is too little to live on, there are means-tested benefits such as Income Support and Family Credit. To get these, you have to prove that you need them and that you do not have a lot of savings hidden in a bank.

Comprehension questions

1. Who founded the NHS and why?__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. In what ways is the British system special?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the advantages of the system?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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4. Why were doctors against the National Health Service Act at first?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why was it assumed that the NHS would become cheaper after some time?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is the important question that the NHS has to face regularly?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. How do you explain that the UK spends less on health than most comparable countries?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Is there an alternative to the NHS?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Is it true that the British drink more alcohol than in the rest of Europe?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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B. AccommodationI. Health and welfare: homelessness

Homelessness has increased dramatically in recent years. A visitor to London today cannot help seeing people lying in the street in sleeping bags or wrapped in newspapers. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 homeless people in the capital city, and of course many more across Britain. The Big Issue is a magazine sold only by the homeless, who keep the profits. It has been a great success in practical terms and in giving homeless people a sense of identity and dignity.

a) Work in pairs and answer these questions :1. Have you or anyone you know ever been homeless ?2. What would upset you most if you were homeless?3. For what reasons do you think people become homeless ?4. Is society or are individuals themselves to blame for homelessness ?5. In which ways does a magazine such as The Big Issue (cf listening) help ?

b) Listen to the article entitled « An interview with John McFadzean » and anser the questions below.

John McFadzean is called Kiwi John. He left his native New Zealand fourteen years ago to come to Britain. After losing his job and becoming homeless, he wandered the streets of London for four years. Now, he works with The Big Issue.

1. John, how did you become homeless ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What was it like to literally have no home ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What was your first night like, do you remember ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. But when you were homeless what did you think would happen to you eventually, or did you not think about the future at all ?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Then what happened ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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6. What is the Big Issue magazine ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. So what exactly happened ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. How did you overcome homelessness ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Why do you think homelessness has become such a fact of life in modern Britain ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. What do you think society should be doing to help ? Is enough being done ?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

II. Squatters

a. Speaking

1. How do you feel about squatters? Are you in favour or against squatting?

2. What kind of people squat, do you think?

3. Have you ever squatted, even for a short period of time? If yes, talk about it.

4. Would you consider squatting - if necessary - or is it out of the question for you?

5. Do you know any squatters? Can you talk about their experience(s)?6. If you were a rich man with a flat you don’t use, would you be ready to let squatters use it? Why

(not)?7. “No house should be let empty when other people have no place to live in”. Discuss this statement.8. Why are squatters often badly considered by many residents, do you think?

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b. Reading

Here are two texts about squatting. Read them both and then do the exercises.

UK to avoid cripplingly high rents in urban centres

Françoise is a well-groomed young French woman who works part-time in fashion PR in London, pays her taxes and shares a cottage with friends in north London. She pays no rent though, because she is one of thousands of people across the UK who is squatting. "Many people who squat are working in low-paid jobs and simply cannot afford to pay rent, particularly in London," she says. "We want to do something creative with our lives, not just working behind a bar or on a building site. If you don't have to pay rent on top of all your other living expenses it can mean the difference between having time to live and merely surviving."

People from all over the world are now squatting in empty 'des res'0 properties in the city. She wants to see a more pragmatic arrangement between owners of empty properties and squatters, so squatters can move in and take care of buildings until the owners need them. "The laws around empty properties don't have much humanity," she says. "If people have a home and some food to eat, they can make progress in life. Without these basics it is very hard to move forward. I used to pay rent, but in London it's so expensive. There are many beautiful buildings around and they should be recycled."

Part of nature

She says she has learnt to get by on less since she started squatting a few months ago. "Hot water and electricity are my basic minimum requirements in a squat, but I don't mind if there are rats. After all, they're part of nature."

Françoise, 30, is typical of the new generation of squatters in London and other urban centres across the UK. In the 1970s and 1980s, squatters were usually English and often squatted as part of an "alternative" lifestyle involving environmental protests, a vegan diet and a sharp critique of capitalism. These squatters are still part of the scene, but squatting has diversified enormously in the last five years as a result of globalisation and new patterns of migration. And many squat not to make a statement against what they regard as the failures of an affluent society to house everybody, but because they are impoverished.

Migrant workers from Poland putting in 12-hour days on building sites, or Slovenian waitresses earning a pittance, simply cannot afford rents in cities such as London, where even the dingiest single room can cost £100 a week or more.

According to the Empty Homes Agency, which campaigns to bring empty properties back into use to meet housing need, there are 689,675 empty homes in England, so squatters have plenty of choice when they seek out free accommodation. But squatting is a precarious way of life; most stays last between a few weeks and a few months. Even the most determined squatters are usually evicted in the end, but some have become legal experts and represent themselves in court.

Evicting squatters used to be a civil matter, but the 1994 Criminal Justice Act gave police the powers to evict squatters. However, the spectre of police vans drawing up outside squats at dawn to drag out sleeping squatters has not materialised.

Steve Kennedy, squatter and trainee lawyer, says: "Officers have told me and others that they have better things to do." He agrees that the squatting scene has evolved since the early 1990s. "People

0 Des Res is the abbreviated form of « Desired Residence »

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who weren't squatting out of necessity then have moved on and there has been a large influx of people from places like, Spain, Italy and eastern Europe," he says. "People squat because they have nowhere else to live and because local authorities have so little social housing provision."

Marcello, 43, an Italian who has been dubbed "the squatters' estate agent", helps match homeless squatters with empty properties all over London. He says: "I have 1,200 numbers stored in my phone of people involved in squatting. They call me when they need a place to live and let me know when they find empty properties." He tries to find accommodation for people in the area of London they want to live in, and money never changes hands. "Helping people without expecting anything in return is a good feeling," he says.

Although many squatters are single and in their 20s or 30s, Marcello is sometimes contacted by families. "I found a place for a mum and two kids the other day," he says. "The council was supposed to provide her with bed and breakfast accommodation, but there was a five-day gap when they were left with nothing.

"It makes sense for an owner to let us live in an empty property for a while. We look after the buildings and prevent them from being vandalised and used by drug addicts. It means the owner doesn't have to pay for security on their building, and if something leaks we fix it."

Increasingly international

His current squat is a modern council flat in south London, complete with washing machine, fitted kitchen and comfortable rooms. He says squatting is increasingly international and that at least 10,000 people are squatting across London. "Italians, Spanish and Brazilians get along together because we're all Latins," he says. "We love sitting at the table talking and eating for hours, and we're all fanatical cleaners."

Hackney and Mayfair top his list of London areas with the most potential for squatting. "Sometimes we go into empty homes in Mayfair just for a party," he says.

Jonathan Ellis, chief executive of the Empty Homes Agency, says that while he understands why people feel the need to squat, he hopes that new legislation will lead to far fewer empty homes. Part IV of the 2004 Housing Act is due to come into force and will allow local authorities to issue empty dwellings management orders to bring the properties back into use. "A home is a fundamental human right and having empty properties in a neighbourhood is bad news," he says.

Marcello welcomes the new law and hopes more will be done to provide homes for people who need them, but doesn't expect the supply of housing for squatters to dry up any time soon. "I plan to carry on squatting for the next 20 years and then I'll retire to a house on the beach and grow zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes."

Article by Diane Taylor published in The Guardian, Wednesday October 26, 2005

a. Multiple choice questions about vocabulary. Circle the best answer.

1. The word “crippingly” in the title refers to a … idea.a. positive b. negative c. neutral2. “well-groomed” (line 1) is an adjective that refers to a. physical appearance b. personality c. intelligence3. “move forward” (l.12) meansa. go ahead b. gesture c. move house4.…. is a synonym for “get by”(l.17)a. get out b. put money aside c. manage4. “sharp” (l.23) in this context can be translated into French bya. sévère b. tranchant(e) c. pointu(e)6. An “affluent” society (l.26) is a society thata. is wealthy b. has a lot of problems c. has very few problems

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7. “the dingiest” room (l.29) means the … room.a. most beautiful b. ugliest c. most miserable8. Marcello has been “dubbed” (l.48) the name “the squatters’estate agent” means a. he has started to call himself that way

b. he hates being called that way

c. he has been given this name

b. Find a synonym or explain the following terms in your own words .

1. on top of (l.6)2. to house (l.26)3. to be impoverished (l.26)4. to evict (l. 35)

5. an estate agent (l.48)6. to prevent (l.60)7. to fix (l.61)8. to top (l.70)

c. True or False? Justify your answer by quoting the line(s) concerned.

1. Françoise doesn’t pay any rent at all because she doesn’t earn a living.2. She has recently got used to living more simply than in the past.3. In London the squatters’origin hasn’t changed much in the last thirty years or so.4. An effort is made by at least one agency to use empty homes in a more useful way.5. Squatters have always squatted for the same kind of reasons.6. Now the police have the right to force squatters out of their squats.7. The police only occasionally move into squats to drag squatters out of their bed very early in the morning.8. Few families actually get accommodation in squats thanks to Marcello’s help.9. According to chief executive Jonathan Ellis, you have no right to use a home if you can’t pay its rent.

d. Comprehension questions

1. Mention two categories of foreign workers who can’t pay for their rent in London.2. Have squatters got a restricted or a wide choice of houses? Explain!3. In what way does Marcello help homeless squatters? Explain the way his activity works.4. According to the text, how do Italians, Spanish and Brazilians get on? What have they got in common?5. In what way will the 2004 Housing Act change the situation on the housing market? Explain!

e. Multiple choice questions. Circle the best answer.

1. According to Françoise, most squatters don’t pay rent because theya. find it inhuman to have to

pay rent.b. couldn’t move forward in life

if they did.c. want to protest against the

high prices in London.

2. An apartment must at least have … for Françoise to move into. a. rats …, because she is a rat

lover.b. electricity and hot water c. rats, electricity and hot water

3. Françoise’s ideas about squatting are a. typically those of the former generation of squatters (1970s –

1980s)

b. typically those of current squatters

c. atypical

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4. Squatting is a precarious way of life because squatters will finallya. end up at court b. have to leave their squat c. end up having to be legal

experts

5. According to Marcello it isa. the owners’ duty to help

match homeless squatters and empty houses.

b. much to the owners’benefit to let squatters live in their

homes when they are empty.

c a drawback for the owners to let squatters live in their homes

when they are empty.

Camden Council has served a noise abatement notice on the property.

Since they took over the property in Primrose Hill two months ago, residents have complained of all-night parties attended by hundreds of people. Neighbour Kitty Massey said it was "exceedingly noisy" and the police and council seemed powerless to act. The owner of the building in Radlett Place has now served an eviction notice on the squatters. Environmental health officers from Camden Council visited the property on Sunday after complaints and issued a noise abatement notice. It makes party-organisers liable for prosecution if any excessive noise continued. A Camden Council spokesman said: "The council's only powers relate to noise complaints. It's a private property so the owner is responsible for evicting any squatters." Litter is still strewn around the property and garden, graffiti has been scrawled on walls and the windows have been boarded up. Ms Massey told BBC London the parties would start at 10pm and go "all the way through the night" throughout August. "It was basically every Saturday night, this is what we have had to contend with," she said."You wouldn't like it if someone kept you up all night after you have worked hard all week. "I think this was a very well planned operation and the next available house they see they will do exactly the same thing again...The only person who gets punished is the homeowner." Primrose Hill is one of north London's most exclusive areas - popular with celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Sadie Frost and Jamie Oliver. Party organisers have denied that drugs and alcohol were being served at the property. The squatters have assured local people that they will obey the

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Kitty Massey

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eviction notice and that the mansion will be cleared up before they leave on Monday.

9. What kind of place is Primrose Hill?__________________________________________________________________________________

10.How long have the squatters occupied the place?__________________________________________________________________________________

11.Is Ms Massey the owner of the place?__________________________________________________________________________________

12.Why does she complain then? Mention all her complaints.__________________________________________________________________________________

13.Have the police intervened?__________________________________________________________________________________

14.Will the squatters be prosecuted?__________________________________________________________________________________

15.Can the police make the decision to evict the squatters? Whose responsibility is it then? Why?__________________________________________________________________________________

16.According to Ms Massey, is the law any good?__________________________________________________________________________________

17.Do the squatters agree to eave?__________________________________________________________________________________

B. Young people in Britain

a. Speaking

1. Do young people in your country have specific attitudes and behaviour ?

2. Would you say that young people in your country have enough freedom ? Too much of it ? To dress as they wish, listen to the music they want, live an independent life ? What social and economic factors determine this freedom or lack of it ?

3. What stereotypes of British young people exist in your country ? Have you had any personal experience of football hooligans, or any of the many musical or other « tribes » that seem to characterise Britain and/or America (punks, heavy metal, goths, rockabilly, skinheads, rave music) ? Would this kind of behaviour be possible in your country ?

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b. Complete the following text with the appropriate word(s) taken from the box.

steady - Europeans – among- world (twice) – job - fashion – leave – age – Western – against – breakdown – public – permissive - élite

It is almost impossible to keep up with the trends _____________________ (1) British young people. A peculiar mixture of (relative) economic freedom, and the hangover from a _____________________(2) society, together with the _____________________(3) of family, religious and institutional ties has given Britain one of the most bizarrely varied youth cultures in the _____________________(4) at least to foreign eyes. Perhaps it is as a reaction _____________________(5) a social environment which in the past has been excessively rigid and unemotional, or a politicial world still dominated by an _____________________ (6) from « Oxbridge » and the top _____________________ (7) schools – sociologists have never managed to agree on the causes. But the fact remains that Britain seems to offer a more heterogeneous lifestyle than many _____________________ (8) countries, and the combination of students’grants and income support (now gradually being cut off for most young people) have made it possible for Britain’s youth to _____________________ (9) home at an early _____________________ (10) and enjoy a relatively carefree life before they settle down with a regular_____________________ (11), a mortgage and a _____________________ (12) girlfriend/boyfriend.Of course the media exaggerate the real situation – society is not to be judged by its extreme characteristics – and most British young people lead their lives in a similar _____________________ (13) to other Western_____________________ (14 ), with similar problems to those in the rest of the developed _____________________ (15).

C. Women in Britain’s history Many women would argue that there is a different half of the nation which gets less than its fair share of power, freedom and wealth : the female sex. In spite of the considerable change in social attitudes since

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1945, and particularly since the feminist revolution which began in the 1960s, parity has yet to be achieved even if women have entered employment in increasing numbers.

Read the following text and then answer the question below it

a) The changing role of women

In 19th century Britain, families were usually large and, in most households, men, women, and children all contributed towards the family wage. Although they were economically very important, women in Britain had fewer rights in law than men. Until 1857, a married woman had no right to divorce her husband, and until 1882 a woman’s earnings, along with any property or money she brought to the marriage, automatically belonged to her husband.

2. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an increasing number of women campaigned and demonstrated for greater rights and, in particular, the right to vote. However, the protests and demonstrations were halted during the First World War, as women joined in the war effort and took on a much greater variety of work than they had done before. Women (over the age of 30) were finally given the right to vote and to stand for election for Parliament after the War had ended in 1918. It wasn’t until 1928 that women in Britain received voting rights at the same age as men.

3. Despite these improvements, women still faced discrimination in the workplace. When a woman married, it twas quite common for her to be asked to leave work by her employer. Many jobs were closed to women, and women found it very difficult to enter university. The 1960s and 70s saw increasing pressure from women for equal rights and, during this period, laws were passed giving women the right to equal pay and prohibiting employers from discriminating against women because of their sex.

b) Women in Britain today

4. Women in Britain make up 51 per cent of the population, and 45 per cent of the workforce. Girls as a whole, leave school today with better qualifications than boys, and there are now more women than men at university. Employment opportunities for women now are much greater than they were in the past. Although women continue to be employed in traditionally female areas, such as health care, teaching, secretarial, and sales, there is strong evidence that attitudes are changing and that women are doing a much wider range of work than before. Research shows that today very few people believe that women in Britain should stay at home and not go to work. 5. In many households, women continue to have a major share in childcare and housework, but here too there is evidence of greater equality, with fathers taking an increasing role in raising the family and household chores. Despite this progress, many argue that more needs to be done to achieve geater equality between women and men – particularly in the workplace. Women in Britain do hot have the same access as men to promotion and better-paid jobs, and the average hourly rate of pay for women is about 20 per cent lower than it is for men.

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After reading the text above compare the situation of women in Britain to that of women in your country.

http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/jobmarket/women_employment.htm to find out about the percentage of women working in UK

D. Multiculturalism1. Introduction: Equal rights and discrimination.

It is against the law in England and Wales for employers to discriminate against someone at work because of their

Sex Nationality, race, colour, or ethnic group Disability Religion, or Sexual orientation

At the moment it is not against the law to discriminate against someone because of their age, although this is likely to change soon. There are a small number of jobs where the discrimination laws do not apply. Discrimination is not against the law, for example, when the job involves working for someone in their own house.Almost all the laws protecting people at work apply whether people are in a full or part-time job.

2. Read the following article to find out about multiculturalism's many challenges:

« Britons Rethink Their Approach to Community » by Frances Stead Sellers

Just weeks after homegrown Muslim terrorists attacked London, the British people affirmed their support for multiculturalism, according to a MORI poll for the BBC. It was heartening evidence that Britons have overcome the racism of their colonial past and learned to appreciate the carnival of color I joined when I took the Tube across central London shortly

after the bombings.

But multiculturalism means more than better food and brighter festivals. It involves the trickier challenge of building community out of disparate populations with disparate traditions and disparate beliefs, all the while preserving and celebrating those disparities. That's what European countries are having a hard time coming to grips with -- and

understandably so, because multiculturalism swept into Europe before its member countries had developed a philosophy to accommodate it. British author and psychologist Kenan Malik

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puts it more starkly. "Multiculturalism as lived experience enriches our lives," he has written. "But multiculturalism as a political ideology has helped create a tribal Britain with no political or moral centre."

Unlike America, where every new immigrant can make America more American (as President Bush once argued), and where the founding philosophy and civic rituals were designed to create a citizenry out of the masses, European countries were established less deliberately -- largely on shared traditions, shared languages, shared histories and even shared genes.

Recognizing the resulting deficit in civic ritual and the potential for a repeat of the kind of racial unrest that shook northern England four years ago, Britain's Labor government has been making a belated effort to engender "common values and a sense of belonging." Just 18 months ago, Britain held its first naturalization ceremony, in the London borough of Brent, publicly marking the moment the foreigner crossed the threshold to become a Briton. There, each citizen-in-the-making officially pledged "loyalty to the United Kingdom" and to "respect its rights and freedoms" as well as to "fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen."

More recently, just a few weeks before the bombings, the Home Office announced that, from November onward, prospective Britons will have to take a citizenship test to demonstrate some knowledge of the nation's past, an appreciation of its institutions, and an awareness of its customs and laws. The test is the product of a government-appointed panel led by the political theorist Bernard Crick, who has indulged in much soul-searching about just what it takes to be a modern multicultural Brit.

Is it important to know exactly what goes into the Christmas pud, for example, or how to get a new telephone installed? Should a prospective Briton understand how to use the National Health Service or know what happened in 1066 and all that?

This uneasy balance of cultural, practical and historical know-how has been widely ridiculed, but Crick's work represents an important if imperfect step toward establishing what it means to belong. And the need for heightened civic awareness isn't only among newcomers. Citizenship classes have already become a compulsory part of the school curriculum. For my niece in Cheshire, "citizenship" meant learning about the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (though when I spoke to her she didn't know what that had to do with being British); and for one of my nephews, it meant working on a building for children in the Cornish town where he grew up.

Now there is talk of some sort of coming-of-age citizenship ceremony for 18-year-olds, as well as a national "Citizenship Day" to celebrate the bonds of Britishness (probably without parades and sparklers, which might be, uh, a bit too brash).

Old hat, Americans (or Australians) may say. But it's an essential new approach to belonging that is being developed in the Old World in response to what the New World knows well -- mass migration. Other European countries would do well to emulate it. After the bombings, Tony Blair said that "staying here carries with it a duty. That duty is to share and support the values that sustain the British way of life." The trouble is, those values have never been enshrined in the Old World's founding philosophy, leaving only the anything-goes message of multiculturalism.

Or almost anything. In its handbook for newcomers, "Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship," Crick's panel offers handy hints on how to act like a true Brit: In a pub, for

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example, "If you spill a stranger's drink by accident, it is good manners (and prudent) to offer to buy another."

The very hardest thing to understand, you see, may be the British sense of humor.

Published in The Washington Post, August 2005

http://www.britkid.org/ : Play the game « Britkid » to understand more about race, racism and life in Britain.

The End !

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