Author, Member of Parliament and magazine editor asked the question what are the values of the new Britain, what is it to be British now. In this book, he sets out the answers and how this society differs from the one there was before and how its citizens wish it to develop. In recent years, there has been a considerable discussion on what is the British way of life. There are citzenship lessons, there is a citizenship ceremony when people get their British papers, there are serious articles on the British hooligan and loss of the British stiff upper lip on British worship of heroic failure and natural talent for self-deprecation. Some politicians claim that Britishness consists of tolerance and fair play : others state that we have no need at all to define Britain or Britishness. Many aspects of the country seem to have changed in the last decades. Firmly in Europe, there are now devolved institutions in Scotland and Wales and plans for more regional assemblies. In many urban areas the arrival of immigrants from numerous countries coupled with those expected to come from the new Europe raised questions on what it is to be a British citizen. Boris Johnson has travelled through the United Kingdom, talking and listening; himself the grandson of an immigrant and passionate about Britain he is the perfect guide for us all about what we should celebrate about being British.

Author Biography

Boris Johnson is the Member of Parliament for Henley-on-Thames. He is a journalist and author of Lend Me Your Ears, Friends, Voters and Countrymen and a novel, Seventy-Two Virgins. He lives with his wife and family in London and Oxfordshire.