Manifesto Club Night/Citizenship Event

'Since November 2005, immigrants seeking British citizenship have had to sit an official test to prove their suitability. Earlier this year Gordon Brown proposed that immigrants should undertake community work before being granted citizenship, and that they should understand citizenship as a ‘contract’ entailing ‘rights and responsibilities’. But is being a good citizen really about (in)voluntary work, or learning a list of rights and responsibilities? Can a multiple-choice test define what it means to belong in and contribute to a country? The next Manifesto Club night on Thursday 27 September will give you a chance to sit the test, to show the kinds of questions potential citizens are expected to answer. The night is part of a larger debate we want to start on the meaning of citizenship – on how to forge bonds of common interest between people of all backgrounds.' Place: The Old Queen’s Head (upstairs in the Victorian Living Room), 44 Essex Road, Islington, London N1 8LN (nearest Tube: Angel). For venue details, see here. (NB If you are unfamiliar with the area, please note that there are a number of King's Head pubs, and other similarly named drinking holes in the area.) Time: doors open from 7pm; quiz begins at 8pm. So whether you are a British citizen born and bred, a recent beneficiary of British citizenship, or a more temporary visitor with objections to proving your personal worth and commitment through tick-box bureaucracy, join us for the Great British Citizenship Quiz. For further information email info@manifestoclub.com