Would a new sense of 'Britishness' really stop terrorism?...
by Rachel Briggs
In the light of the London bombings, the debate about Britishness and identity has really hotted up. How could four men who apparently passed the Norman Tebbitt cricket test blow themselves up, and take 52 innocent fellow-citizens with them? And why do there seem to be so many more waiting in the wings?
This article from Scotland on Sunday highlights the government's institutional response - citizenship classes, pledges of allegience and the like.
But can these types of responses really foster a greater sense of attachment and overcome the underlying causes of terrorism and suicide bombing? Will they really reach the marginalised and detatched or serve to reinforce the separation further?
Last month Demos published Hearts and Minds which set out an alternative approach to tackling the factors that drive cycles of violence. In the coming months Demos will be doing more work on how to foster the type of cohesion, integration and resilience that seems to be lacking in so many of our communities. We would welcome your thoughts on how we take this agenda forward.