Historian David Starkey has delivered a powerful critique of what he describes as the left's worldview, particularly focusing on how the concept of citizenship has been fundamentally altered. In his remarks, Starkey argues that citizenship has been reduced to "merely a declaration" rather than something rooted in cultural heritage or ancestral connection.
Starkey suggests that traditional understandings of national identity based on birth, cultural immersion, and a sense of historical continuity have been abandoned in favour of a more bureaucratic approach.
"We have decided that what makes you native isn't being born here, isn't ancestry, isn't cultural immersion," Starkey stated on GB News, challenging what he sees as a profound shift in how belonging is defined.
According to Starkey, the concept of citizenship has been redefined to disregard historical and cultural connections.
David Starkey spoke out against the left on GB News
GB NEWS
"But instead merely a statement of citizenship. You know hundreds of people like you stood there before from generation to generation who decided none of that actually matters and instead, merely a declaration," he explained.
He argues that this shift represents a fundamental change in how we understand belonging to a nation.
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Steve Edginton spoke to David Starkey on GB News
GB NEWS
In his critique, Starkey laments that citizenship has been reduced to "a piece of paper" rather than something that connects individuals to a shared heritage and history.
This redefinition, in his view, has profound implications for how society functions and understands itself.
Starkey argues that this redefinition of citizenship has deeply unsettled the political left. "It is this the left is so outraged about. Its entire world view has been undercut," he remarked.
He characterises the left's approach as prioritising rhetoric over substance. "The idea that words take precedence over everything. The left and the soft right is basically a magical exercise," Starkey stated.
Starkey said citizenship has been 'reduced to a piece of paper'
GB NEWS
In his assessment, this emphasis on language reflects a fundamental belief system. "It believes that words, new words, change things," he explained, suggesting that progressive politics often focuses on changing terminology rather than addressing underlying realities.
This linguistic focus, according to Starkey, has become central to how the left engages with social and political issues.
Starkey's critique extends to how language has become weaponised in contemporary discourse. "This is why cancellation has become so important," he explained, connecting the emphasis on words to the rise of cancel culture.
He points to seemingly minor linguistic distinctions that can have severe consequences. "The mere uttering of the slightest wrong phrase, like saying a coloured person rather than a person of colour," he noted.
According to Starkey, these verbal missteps can have devastating personal consequences. "The sufficient to destroy a person's career is exactly this," he stated, suggesting that language policing has become a powerful tool for social control.
This focus on linguistic conformity, Starkey argues, represents a fundamental shift in how society operates.
