by Nick Timothy
The rape gangs have revealed a disturbing undercurrent in Britain. Clan identity is rampant in our towns and cities, and it is incompatible with national citizenship
For most of us, our identity – and our loyalty – is clear. We belong to our families, our local communities, and our country. And our behaviour reflects this fact. We work hard and make sacrifices for our loved ones. We observe social norms and do what we can for our neighbours. And we respect the law, pay our taxes, and are willing to put more into the system knowing that others – our fellow citizens – may benefit more than we do. But we are not talking about a cold exchange of contracts. Identity, loyalty and citizenship are based on love – and a clearly recognised common culture.
This is why so many modern political conceptions of identity fall short. Those intimidated by the relationship between history and today and between ethnic and civic conceptions of identity often like to say our British identity is about “British values”. But while we might share some broad values, and reject others, this is of course nonsense. For in a large and complex society, the clash between different values and interests is never-ending. If we settle on those values about which we agree – democracy and the rule of law are usually given as examples – we would be no different to Belgium. And we are clearly not Belgium.
The other way modern politicians obfuscate about identity is by claiming we have always been a “country of immigration”, implying that our population has for a thousand years been in constant flux, and our true identity is about diversity and inclusivity. If this were true, we would be nothing more than a vacuum to be filled by others. And the claim is anyway quite obviously historically illiterate. Our population was, until Tony Blair, notable only for its stability. But since he was elected prime minister, there has been more immigration into Britain every single year than there was in the entire period from the Anglo-Saxons in the fifth and sixth centuries until the Second World War.