WHENEVER I come back into Britain after a holiday abroad I enjoy seeing again those familiar sights and sounds that announce you are again on English soil.

The thought goes through my mind 'I'm home'. It can be anything from the W H Smiths shop outlet or the sound of a familiar accent.

Like many others I am proud to be British. It is hard to pin down exactly what it is but most of us know it when we see it. Ask anyone to list what is we like about Britain and the answers will come back with great variety ranging from fish and chips to the Royal Family. Nations have identities and we clearly do.

Generally we celebrate these characteristics of our identity. We like being us and are happy for others to be themselves. There is room for friendly and measured rivalry such as when we meet in a football or rugby match.

Undergirding all of this are characteristics such as tolerance, fair play, freedom of expression and neighbourly good will.

However there is a danger.

When all is well, it is perfectly reasonable to celebrate and accept difference but when identities or communities come under threat there can be a drift towards seeing the other not simply as different but as threat to our own existence. Difference moves from celebration to fear and from welcome to division.

It goes without saying that in various parts of the world today pressure and turmoil are undermining communities. Where harmony existed for generations acceptance is disintegrating into hatred. Social cohesion is crumbling and giving way to social displacement.

Our own nation and society is not immune to these pressures.

Ensuring that difference is welcomed and not used as a means of promoting fear and division remains a challenge. How we treat the other is of vital importance.

Promoting British values may be of help but only if they are clearly defined and more importantly used positively and not divisively. One of the problems in promoting such values is in making sure that there is not a confusion between what are more generally recognisable characteristics and what are truly lasting values.

Habits, fashions and indeed public opinions change. Even what is deemed right and fair as defined by law is subject to revision and change.

In a society as complex as ours there are no easy answers in ensuring we stand on solid ground.

Religion and faith can be judged as part of the problem. It need not be so by insisting we build on love, forgiveness, trust and a recognition of the dignity of all.