Introduction

In 2005, through Tony Blair, the UK focused on the agenda of respectful citizenry. In line with this agenda of enforcing respect, the government established the ‘Respect Task Force’ in September 2005 and launched the Respect Action Plan on January 2006. In this cross-departmental agenda, the aim was to secure respect, with a heavy emphasis on enforcing standards of behaviour. This book presents a collection of chapters that consider the question of who decides behavioural acceptability in the UK and what respectable behaviour is. The aim of this book is to consider the broader themes of the Respect Agenda such as: respectful city living; respectful young people and children; respectful families and parenting; and issues of diversity, values and identity. This book provides a critical account of a particular phase of government policy, but will have a longer-lasting and broader relevance to discussions of behavioural acceptability and accompanying moral and behavioural politics. In addition to discussing the content and focus of this book, this introductory chapter also discusses other broad themes of respect such as morality, mutuality, reciprocity and maintaining standards of behaviour in public spaces.