The concept of citizenship Citizens are members of a given State and are formally recognized by that State. The concept of citizenship is therefore legalistic. Citizens are individuals who have legal status within the state. They are given certain rights and in return must perform certain duties. The range and balance between the rights granted and the duties they are expected to perform vary from state to state and from time to time. For example, in times of war the rights and obligations of a citizen would be different from those of a citizen in times of peace. Natural Rights Natural rights are rights that political philosophers argue are universally applicable to all societies. The origin of these rights is said to be found in the essential nature of the human being or in the laws given by God. John Locke argued that before political societies existed, human beings existed in a state of nature in which there were laws and natural rights given by God. These laws and rights were to form the basis of the societies that would be created in the future. Locke argued that life, liberty, and property were natural rights. The problem with these rights is that it is difficult to prove that a state of nature ever existed. Positive Rights Some political philosophers believe that the only rights that exist are those granted to citizens by the state. Positive rights require actions from others. For example, the right to healthcare requires someone to act as a doctor. Human Rights in the United Kingdom Citizens of the United Kingdom are guaranteed a certain set of rights that define their existence as part of the State. Unlike the US and many other places, in the UK human rights… at the heart of the charter… are of the view that citizens have responsibilities. For example, when the Welfare to Work legislation was proposed, ministers emphasized that people had a responsibility to work because, by working, they would be able to make a valuable contribution to society. The Labor Party conceived the idea that citizenship awareness should be incorporated into education. However the practice of this has been strongly criticized by several groups. Labor designed the compulsory citizenship program for 110,000 immigrants who apply each year to become naturalized British. Immigrants can apply for citizenship after living legally in the UK for 5 years. The intention is that these courses will teach immigrants about citizenship and how to cope with life in the UK. Trials for this project began in eight areas of the UK in January 2004.