Kieran Yates releases second issue of British Values zine

Date
20 October 2016

In a 2014 article for the Daily Mail by then Prime Minister, David Cameron wrote: “I believe we need to be far more muscular in promoting British values and the institutions that uphold them.”

“We are making sure new immigrants can speak English,” he went on, “because it will be more difficult for them to understand these values, and the history of our institutions, if they can’t speak our language.” Two years later, in a post-Brexit world, both Cameron’s article and the phrase “British values” set alarm bells ringing in warning of what was then to come.

“This year has been wild,” print zine British Values’ editor and journalist Kieran Yates tells It’s Nice That. “In issue one of British Values, Theresa May was our cover star, a dystopian imagining of where the world was going following her aggressive stance towards immigration. Now, she’s our prime minister, we’ve voted to leave Europe, hate crimes have shot up, and the phrase ‘British values’ has never felt more redundant and sinister.”

Issue one of British Values told the stories of immigrants to the UK, from the responses of a young British Iranian woman to the country’s difficult beauty standards to Prince Rapid of Ruff Sqwad talking about the impact of West Africa on the grime scene. Issue two continues along the same lines with cover lines such as “Snog, Marry, Deport” and “Colonial Porn!”

“This issue is about continuing to celebrate who we are, what we do and just showcase the world around me that is so different to the one being projected," says Kieran. “It’s about celebrating South Asian women and their role in Unionisation, challenging Churchill, thanking mums for our lunch boxes and picking some of my favourite people to share their thoughts on the world.”

Featuring work from Oswin Tickler (owner and creative director of graphic design company Smallfury), New York-based designer Amad Ilyas, Ruth Pearson, Sundari Anitha and illustrator Elena Gumeniuk, British Values knits together the personal and political, all the while waving a resolute middle finger in the face of Teresa May.

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British Values: Ruth Pearson and Sundari Anitha

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British Values

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British Values

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About the Author

Bryony Stone

Bryony joined It's Nice That as Deputy Editor in August 2016, following roles at Mother, Secret Cinema, LAW, Rollacoaster and Wonderland. She later became Acting Editor at It's Nice That, before leaving in late 2018.

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