Being British – VC contributes to collection of work

The volume of essays, Being British, The Search for the Values That Bind the Nation, is introduced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who came up with the idea for the book.

It offers an insight into, or snapshot of, how Britons today see themselves and their place in the world, highlighting how divergent our society is.

There are 35 accounts, with a diverse range of contributors who represent a cross-section of Britain’s cultural landscape, including Ian Rankin, Dylan Jones, Stephen Fry, George Carey and Piers Morgan.

Professor Gipps has written a viewpoint entitled Living in Twenty-First Century Britain: A Generational View, in which she emphasises the importance of tolerance.

She discusses the importance of not trying to define being British too narrowly.

To conclude, she says: “Being British in the twenty-first century is a lot to do with being who you are and proud of it, being allowed to be a number of things without censure, but similarly not being intolerant or jingoistic towards others.

“Above all, it is being somebody who subscribes to a view of tolerance: tolerance in what people believe, tolerance in what people may say and tolerance in how we run our individual lives.”

The collection is edited by Spectator editor Matthew d'Ancona and published by Mainstream Publishing. All royalties go to Sarah Brown’s charity PiggyBankKids, supporting charitable projects for children and young people.

Further information

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