6 March 2007
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A unique Citizens' Assembly convened on our Talbot Campus at the end of February could be the launch pad for a new British Bill of Rights. |
The assembly, lead by singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg, attracted students, staff and people from the surrounding community.
The discussion centred on which values held by society are truly ‘British’ and which freedoms should be included in a legally-binding Bill of Rights.
“A British Bill of Rights should be a set of laws on which we should all live,” Bragg told the audience.
“We, the people, should write these rules ourselves and then ask the politicians to plan them firmly in our constitution.”
“There is no document that expresses what British values really are so we’re looking to define the principles that we feel our society should be based upon,” he continued.
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The BU Citizens' Assembly is the first of what Bragg plans to be a national series of debates and discussions with a variety of groups. |
The resulting ideas expressed from each assembly will be drawn together at a constitutional convention and published in the form of a Declaration of Rights, which will then be presented to the political parties.
“Liberty is freedom tempered by responsibility, and holding a citizens' assembly is the best framework for having the difficult debates on which freedoms to protect or include in a Bill of Rights.”
Anyone wishing to engage in the ongoing discussion on ‘Britishness’ and the new Bill of Rights can write to Billy Bragg at billybragg@bournemouth.ac.uk
Listen to Billy:If you're having difficulty listening to these quotes, please visit our "Billy Bragg Transcript" page.
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