British Values

So what are British Values? 1.We can vote in the people who govern us. 2.We have laws that protect us. 3.No one is above the law. 4.We have the freedom and protection to choose and hold the belief / faith we want. 5.We accept that other people have their own faith / belief / opinion, and that this is tolerated and not be the cause of discriminatory behaviour. 6.We stand up for people who are treated unfairly

We can vote in the people who govern us. This means being able to vote for a Government in elections that are free and fair. Anyone can be an MP as long as they; – Are over 18 – You can find 10 people in the constituency to support you – Pay a deposit of £500 – Are not a Policeman, judge, Bishop or Lord – Are not currently bankrupt – Have not committed a criminal offence where you were in jail for more than a year

Because anyone can try to be an MP, lots of people do – even if they have no hope. That’s being British!

We have laws that protect us. We have laws in place to protect the rights and freedom of all citizens. This also includes some pretty weird ones;

It is illegal to have a pigsty in front of your house that can be seen! It is illegal to sing a rude song in the street It is illegal to play ‘knock-door-run’ It is illegal for a landlord to allow anyone to become drunk in their pub In London, you can not fire a cannon or any weapon larger within 300 yards of a house And you are no allowed to drive cattle through any London street between 10am and 7pm - but you can after And you are not allowed to use a taxi, the bus or the tube if you have the Plague Only the Queen can eat a Mute Swan It is illegal to be drunk and in charge of a cow in Scotland No person may enter the wreck of the Titanic without getting permission (despite it being more than 3 miles under the sea) Polish potatoes are banned from the UK And finally, it is illegal to cause a nuclear explosion – (Definitely a British response to a dangerous situation – that’s what it is to be British!)

No one is above the law. The idea being that the rule of law can not be corrupted by the Government in power, and no- one, despite how wealthy or powerful they are is above the law

Wesley Snipes, actor from films such as Blade and Demolition Man was jailed for 3 years for tax evasion, despite trying to pay a portion of what he owed to avoid jail Tory peer Lord Hanningfield was jailed for nine months in 2011 after being convicted of falsely claiming nearly £14,000 in parliamentary expenses. His defence was he did nothing wrong, only what everyone else was doing – Definitely a British response to being found out; blaming someone else!

We have the freedom and protection to choose and hold the belief / faith we want. You can be what you want to be and believe what you want to believe – and no-one has the right to tell you that you can’t. Even if this goes against what we personally feel and what we personally believe, we have to uphold this

You might not like them – but it’s a very British Value to accept they have the right to exist

We accept that other people have their own faith / belief / opinion, and that this is tolerated and not be the cause of discriminatory behaviour. Everyone is treated the same regardless of sex, colour, creed or sexual orientation BUT Not only must your ideals be tolerated, but you have to tolerate other people’s ideals as well, as much as you might not like them

Letting all these people say what they believe in public is definitely a British Value – something they may not show themselves

We stand up for people who are treated unfairly This is our ‘British Sense of Fair Play’. This is where we stand up for the little guy, the oppressed, the minority. This is where we say no to bullies. This was the value that took us into two World Wars. This was the value that led us to abolish slavery over 200 years ago, long before most western powers

So how do I keep British values in this academy? – Use your Student Council to make sure your views are heard. – Feel safe that there are laws that protect you – Recognise that the rules apply to everyone no matter who you are! – Believe what you want - it’s your right – Accept people can say what they like in a free society – However, if it is offensive and threatens any of the values presented today, make a stand against it – Support anyone who is being treated unfairly by another student. Simply put, do your civic duty, treat others like you want to be treated, and stand up for those that are pushed around