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November 02, 2005
So they’re citizens – but are they British?
As the BBC reported this week, Britain now has a citizenship test. If you want the passport you will have to pass the official national test, be accepted as speaking sufficient English and then attend a special public ceremony held by a local registrar. The 45-minute test – covering government, society and practical issues and costing £34 – came into force yesterday. People seeking to become British will take the test at one of 90 centres across the country, before taking part in a formal citizenship ceremony. The ‘Life in the UK’ test is the last of a series of changes to how people become British brought in by the former Home Secretary David Blunkett, now also the former Work and Pensions Secretary.
It is good to see that the government has decided to raise the bar slightly on immigrant naturalization by making some familiarity with Britain a prerequisite. But is it enough?
Well, no, not really. For a start, it is altogether too easy to have rote knowledge but not an internalised understanding of the answers for a test. Candidates will be asked where Geordie is spoken without needing to understanding of the dialect, for instance, and although you might know the answer to the question ‘what should you do if you spill someone’s pint in a pub?’ that doesn’t mean you won’t just thump them. The questions are not only trivial, but while potential citizens must answer 75% of the questions correctly to pass, they are allowed to retake it until they pass. Conversational English does not in practice seem to be necessary and it’s difficult to see what these tests will do to foster a shared identity within the population.
Perhaps you think I’m being churlish, but as immigration Minister Tony McNulty said: ‘This is not a test of someone's ability to be British or a test of their Britishness.’ What is it, then? What are we asking of them, coming into a place called Britain, asking to belong to it and be given British passports, other than to assume a British identity, albeit perhaps as one of a range of identities? It also seems extraordinary that unlike America there will be no history component. It is far from easy to appreciate the benefits of being in this country – a free society enjoying the rule of law and run as a parliamentary democracy, etc – without understanding how they have developed, the sacrifices that have been made and battles that have been waged in order to secure them.
Posted by Nick Seddon at November 2, 2005 11:53 AM
Comments
They are doing it because they cant help themselves.
Addicts is another word id use addicted and overdosing on power-corruption, they are always on the prowl to see what they can steal, to find the next bunch of mugs to suck dry and restrict.
Posted by: stinky at November 16, 2005 02:16 AM
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