"Shared values" the key to a modern Union
25 March 2008
The shared values of the Union of the United Kingdom have created "bonds of belonging that make us all feel part of a wider Britain," the Prime Minister said this morning.
Writing in the Telegraph newspaper today, Mr Brown said people in the UK share "common values" rooted in liberty, fairness and tolerance, in enterprise, in civic initiative and internationalism.
The PM said:
"These values live in the popularity of our common institutions from the NHS, the BBC, to the Queen - and even more recently in UK-wide support for the Olympics, Children in Need, Comic Relief, Make Poverty History and action on climate change.
"It is precisely because these shared values are so important and continue to flourish that it is possible to reconcile English, Scottish and Welsh pride with the progress of the Union - because the Union succeeds in combining recognition of separate national identities with the ideals and common values that reflect our wider Britishness."
The PM added that Britain is based on a "covenant" that binds England, Wales and Scotland together and that there is no distinction between being proud to be British and being proud to be Scottish or Welsh as devolution "acknowledges" dual identity.
The Union works to the benefit of all by tackling transnational challenges ranging from terrorism and security to foot and mouth disease, avian flu and climate change, he said. Moves to adopt a British Bill of Rights were being accompanied by a consideration of the relationship between the nations and regions of the Union.
Image copyright: Reuters
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