citizenship

   Individual membership of a state, thereby creating a relationship between the government and the governed based on recognition of mutual rights and responsibilities. Interest inanddebate about citizenship increased during the late 1980s, in part because of a widespread concern among pressure group campaigners and opposition spokespersons – particularly of the Left – about the supposed erosion of rights and freedoms under the Conservative governments from 1979 to 1997. On the right there had always been more emphasis upon duties and obligations rather than entitlements, but towards the end of the century there was an increasing call from several commentators for people to play a more active part in their community, for instance by serving on school governing bodies and helping the police. There was also a widespread feeling that measures were needed to develop and improve political participation and in particular encourage voters to turn out on election day. Since the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty, citizenship has involved another dimension, for article 8 states that ‘every person holding the nationality of a Member State shall be a citizen of the [European] Union’. Some opponents of the treaty saw this as a further move in the direction of a European super-state, because citizenship is normally associated with the relationship of individuals to the state. This is not always the case, for it is commonplace to speak of citizens of the Commonwealth. In any case, the decision as to who is a member of a state is specifically left to the national law of the state concerned and citizenship of the Union only provides for a modest enhancement of personal rights – most notably that which allows for individuals to move and reside anywhere within the Union.

   See also: citizenship education, turnout