Broken Britain
Encyclopedia
Broken Britain is a term which has been used in The Sun
newspaper, and by the Conservative Party
to describe a perceived widespread state of social decay
in Britain
. The Sun has run frequent stories under the "Broken Britain" theme since 2007.
has referred to "Broken Britain" during his time as leader of the Conservative Party, and pledged to "fix" Broken Britain during the campaign for the 2010 general election. In September 2009, The Sun announced that it would back the Conservatives in the 2010 election, having supported the Labour Party
in 1997, 2001 and 2005, stating that Labour had "failed on law and order". Iain Duncan Smith
published two reports, "Breakdown Britain" and "Breakthrough Britain", dealing with similar themes, through the Centre for Social Justice
.
By contrast, The Guardian
ran a series of articles in 2010 questioning this theme, under the title "Is Britain Broken?". The Conservatives also came under criticism after publishing an inaccurate figure in a report on teenage pregnancy and crime rates.
After the 2011 England riots
, David Cameron alluded to many of these themes while speaking on the UK's "moral collapse". Under the banner of "Broken Society", he listed: "irresponsibility, selfishness, behaving as if your choices have no consequences, children without fathers, schools without discipline, reward without effort, crime without punishment, rights without responsibilities".
, Eden Lake
, The Disappeared
, Summer Scars
, Outlaw
, The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael
and Heartless
. The 2000 AD story Cradlegrave also played with similar "hoodie horror" themes.
General:
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper, and by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
to describe a perceived widespread state of social decay
Decline
Decline is a change over time from previously efficient to inefficient organizational functioning, from previously rational to non-rational organizational and individual decision-making, from previously law-abiding to law violating organizational and individual behavior, from previously virtuous to...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Sun has run frequent stories under the "Broken Britain" theme since 2007.
Associated social issues
The term has included coverage of several supposedly interlinked issues:- Child neglectChild neglectChild neglect is defined as:# "the failure of a person responsible for a child’s care and upbringing to safeguard the child’s emotional and physical health and general well-being"...
, particularly in the wake of the Baby P caseDeath of Baby PPeter Connelly was an English 17-month old boy who died in London after suffering more than 50 injuries over an eight-month period, during which he was repeatedly seen by Haringey Children's services and NHS health professionals...
and the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews - Binge and underage drinking
- Violent, gang, knife and gun crime
- Teenage pregnancyTeenage pregnancyTeenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...
Political usage
David CameronDavid Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
has referred to "Broken Britain" during his time as leader of the Conservative Party, and pledged to "fix" Broken Britain during the campaign for the 2010 general election. In September 2009, The Sun announced that it would back the Conservatives in the 2010 election, having supported the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in 1997, 2001 and 2005, stating that Labour had "failed on law and order". Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
published two reports, "Breakdown Britain" and "Breakthrough Britain", dealing with similar themes, through the Centre for Social Justice
Centre for Social Justice
The Centre for Social Justice is an independent, not-for-profit thinktank set up by the Rt. Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, to advance the education of the public in the subject of social justice and to promote the role of the voluntary sector...
.
By contrast, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
ran a series of articles in 2010 questioning this theme, under the title "Is Britain Broken?". The Conservatives also came under criticism after publishing an inaccurate figure in a report on teenage pregnancy and crime rates.
After the 2011 England riots
2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
, David Cameron alluded to many of these themes while speaking on the UK's "moral collapse". Under the banner of "Broken Society", he listed: "irresponsibility, selfishness, behaving as if your choices have no consequences, children without fathers, schools without discipline, reward without effort, crime without punishment, rights without responsibilities".
In popular culture
A number of films released from 2006 onwards have been identified as dealing with the fears stirred up by the idea of Broken Britain. They include Harry BrownHarry Brown (film)
Harry Brown is a 2009 British action drama film directed by Daniel Barber and starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O'Connell, and Liam Cunningham....
, Eden Lake
Eden Lake
Eden Lake is a 2008 British horror film, written and directed by James Watkins and starring Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender and Jack O'Connell.-Plot synopsis:...
, The Disappeared
The Disappeared (film)
The Disappeared is a British film directed by Johnny Kevorkian and starring Harry Treadaway, Greg Wise, Tom Felton, and Ros Leeming.-Plot:...
, Summer Scars
Summer Scars
Summer Scars is a British feature film produced and directed by Julian Richards in 2007 and is based on a hostage situation that Richards experienced during his childhood....
, Outlaw
Outlaw (2007 film)
Outlaw is a 2007 action-crime-drama film written and directed by British filmmaker Nick Love. Outlaw stars Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Bob Hoskins, Lennie James, Rupert Friend and Sean Harris.The film is set in the United Kingdom in 2006...
, The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael
The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael
The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael is a British-made independent film directed by first-time director Thomas Clay, and released in 2006. It features Daniel Spencer in the title role, with Lesley Manville and Danny Dyer in support.-Plot:...
and Heartless
Heartless (2009 film)
Heartless is a 2009 British horror film directed by Philip Ridley and starring Jim Sturgess, Noel Clarke, Clémence Poésy and Eddie Marsan.-Plot:Jamie Morgan is a troubled photographer with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face...
. The 2000 AD story Cradlegrave also played with similar "hoodie horror" themes.
See also
- Social structure of the United Kingdom
- ChavChavA chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
- Crime in the United KingdomCrime in the United KingdomCrime in the United Kingdom describes acts of violent and non-violent crime that take place within the United Kingdom. Courts and police systems are separated into three sections, based on differences within the judicial system of each nation: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.Crime...
General:
- Criticisms of welfareCriticisms of welfareThe notion, and the extent of, the modern welfare state has been criticised on both economic and social grounds, from both the Left and the Right of the political spectrum.- Libertarian & Conservative criticisms :...
- Social cohesionSocial cohesionSocial cohesion is a term used in social policy, sociology and political science to describe the bonds or "glue" that bring people together in society, particularly in the context of cultural diversity. Social cohesion is a multi-faceted notion covering many different kinds of social phenomena...
- Social disintegrationSocial disintegrationSocial disintegration is the tendency for society to decline or disintegrate over time, perhaps due to the lapse or breakdown of traditional social support systems. In this context, "society" refers to the social order which maintains a society, rather than the political order that defines its...