Historians: Commons leader's new vision of British history 'hypocritical'
Jack Straw [leader of the House of Commons] was accused of "sheer hypocrisy" last night after calling for multi-racial Britain to unite under a new vision of national identity.
Historians said his idea to write a common "British story" that would reflect the major events and themes of the country's past was "too little, too late" following a decade in which the teaching of history in schools had become increasingly marginalised.
The comments came after Mr Straw, Leader of the Commons, said that Britain should mimic America by retelling historic stories of how the country was formed.
Children should be aware of key events such as the Magna Carta, the Civil War, the Bill of Rights, the fight for votes and the Second World War to shape their understanding of Britain -- and unite different racial groups, he said.
But the claims provoked anger among historians who accused the Government of allowing British history to be eroded in schools.
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Historians said his idea to write a common "British story" that would reflect the major events and themes of the country's past was "too little, too late" following a decade in which the teaching of history in schools had become increasingly marginalised.
The comments came after Mr Straw, Leader of the Commons, said that Britain should mimic America by retelling historic stories of how the country was formed.
Children should be aware of key events such as the Magna Carta, the Civil War, the Bill of Rights, the fight for votes and the Second World War to shape their understanding of Britain -- and unite different racial groups, he said.
But the claims provoked anger among historians who accused the Government of allowing British history to be eroded in schools.