Encouraging Citizenship: Report of the Commission on Citizenship1
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2230.1991.tb00895.x |
| Published date | 01 May 1991 |
| Author | J.L. Murdoch |
| Date | 01 May 1991 |
REPORTS
Encouraging Citizenship: Report
of
the Commission
on Citizenship’
J.
L.
Murdoch
*
Citizenship, according
to
Bernard Weatherill, the Speaker
of
thc House
of
Commons,
has to be learned like everything else. Yet schools fail to provide even the most
basic instruction, and young people have little idea of their rights and responsibilities
as future members
of
political society. Those who do volunteer and take part in
community service
-
at whatever age
-
find hurdles to participation. Hence the
Speaker’s Commission was established to consider the encouragemcnt and develop-
ment of ‘Active Citizenship’ by first defining it, then reviewing existing initiatives,
and finally by considering devices for recognising its application. The first task
was eased somewhat by appointing
to
the Commission those who could be expected
to
know what they were looking for, since the prototype active citizen may have
much in common with the man on the Clapham omnibus beloved
of
lawycrs
-
both are more imaginary than real. Educationalists and industrialists made up the
majority of the
34
members of the Commission, with the remainder
of
the group
including a couple of bishops and a politician from each of the three main parties
(but no apparent token Scot; and many more men than women). ‘Active citizenship’
is a hybrid concept involving lofty ideals, part Palmerstone (the proud assertion
‘civis
Britunnicus
sum’
is again to imply protection against injustice and wrong),
part Roosevelt New Deal (the essential attribute
of
citizenship as the ability and
willingness to pull one’s weight). Knowledge,
skills,
opportunities and encouragement
arc all needed
to
get more of
us
involved both in political society and also in voluntary
work. That Active Citizenship is a Good Thing is taken as self-evident; it enriches
giver, recipient, the community and, ultimately, democracy. Gone are the days of
Bagehot and disdain and contempt for the lower orders; all are now equal partners
in the task of strengthening democracy and community life.
For twenty months the Commission contemplated citizenship. It sought guidance
and experience from a wide and possibly disparate group
of
organisations, including
the British Institute for International and Comparative Law, the Family Policy Studies
Unit and the Prince’s Trust. It held meetings and seminars, and undertook research.
Its agenda included discussions on the philosophy
of
citizenship, the constitutional
aspects of citizenship, citizenship and caring, the youth service and citizenship, and
industry and citizenship. Citizenship was explored, examined, probed and dissected.
At
the end of the day, though,
its
recommendations were
on
the whole more muted
than radical, more self-evident commonsense than dramatic iconoclasm. First, civics
training should begin in infant school and continue right through until university,
with certain occupational groups (including doctors, civil servants, police officers
and judges) receiving additional specific training. Second, the law should be made
more accessible both by codifying it and by improving access
to
it. Third, each
citizen should be able to ‘live the life
of
a civilised human being according
to
the
*Lecturer
in
Public
Law,
University
of
Glesgow.
1
London:
HMSO,
1990.
71~
Modern
Lrrw
Rcvitw
54:3
May
1991
0026-7961
439
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