WHEN I came to England in the 1960s as a man who had left a rigid and nasty system of government in South Africa, I saw Great Britain as a free, just, tolerant society, where democratic accountability, fairness in its health service and a new attempt to bring in fairness in education, were part of the warp and woof of this country.

Self-deprecation, a sense of irony, neighbourliness, fair play in sport were all characteristics.

We were beginning to deal with racial injustice, the rights of women were being campaigned for, and the rule of law was one of the canons of our society.

Of course, there were areas where these attributes did not apply but by and large England was a pleasant place.

Now, though,in the second decade of the 21st Century, parts of our nation are beginning to behave very differently.

The pro-market individualism, the vengeful nature of the right wing press and scepticism of the state and distrust of the public realm has begun to change us into a nation that looks after ourselves as individuals, rather than seeing ourselves as part of a community.

Justice (where legal aid has been radically reduced), equity and tolerance are all in retreat and a more-selfish and mean society is beginning to emerge.

The understandable concerns over immigration are changing to concern about any immigrant or foreigner, which too often verges on racism.

Beloved institutions, like the BBC, the NHS and the welfare state as a whole are under constant attack by the right-wing press for shortcomings and this hostility becomes the excuse for attacking the entire existence of these great institutions.

The Human Rights Act, which is indispensable in protecting the vulnerable, is also criticised and is in danger of disappearing.

There are obviously still many examples of the society I marvelled at in the 1960s and I know of many people who are selfless and caring in their dealings with others, particularly with others who are vulnerable, but I would urge our government to pause and consider what we will lose if the changes it seems to want to bring in become a move to remove something special and precious in British society.

We must fight to keep Britain a country we can all be proud of.

Brian Oosthuysen

Stroud