Patriots: still a bit nuts in the head
It seems to me that Lord Goldsmith’s idea about an oath of allegiance for school leavers summons up the spirit of the age as ushered in by New Labour. Namely, cheap talk and empty promises.
I ….. swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.
I’m making sure my kids believe in neither God nor Monarchy, so on a strictly rhetorical basis and if I’m honest, I’d have no problem with them making a pledge like this. You might as well ask them to swear by Mumm-ra the Ever-living to be faithful to Queen Galadriel of Lothlorien.
Come the day, they’ll gabble the words and be back outside bumming fags and consorting with unsuitable boys before the echo of their hollow vow has died away. And I doubt they’ll be the only ones.
Still, like rolling out ID cards to students, this will be a useful pilot scheme. We can then roll it out to the rest of the population. It’ll make for easy identification of dissidents and the politically-challenged in need of correction. Don’t want an ID card? You’re a trouble-maker. Don’t want to swear allegiance to the head of a family of pampered chancers? You’re a traitor.
I’ve been giving some thought as to what gives us a sense of belonging in Britain today (’patriotism’ doesn’t seem to have been mentioned in the course of this debate). Or, rather England and Wales, with Northern Ireland and Scotland being exempt from Goldsmith’s kite-flying. If you freeze Britain in a second of time, what catches the eye in that snapshot?
Is it our sanguine acceptance of war criminals as our leaders, their corruption and contempt? Is it our willingness to be banged roughly from behind by businessmen and not even expect to be paid for the pleasure? Is it our worship of topless models, lip-syncers and wife-beaters over writers, artists and scientists?
Is it out veneration of a ruling family who have earned their position via no more effort than the fortunate convergence of sperm and ovum? Is it our refusal to take care of the sick, the elderly and the disabled properly?
You see, I’ve nothing really against patriots as such. I just don’t like seeing them anywhere near the levers of power. It’s just that, if they love their country so much, why are they happy (or at least acquiescent) in seeing it languishing as a fifth-rate mediocrity? Us athiests, republicans and so-called fifth-columnists show more love for Britain.
Update: Lord Goldsmith speaks on Radion 4:
There has been a diminution in national pride.
Yes, thanks to the likes of you, you war-rubber-stamping bastard.
And get a hold of this:
John Humphreys: You could see a republican swearing an oath of allegiance to the institution that they want to get rid of?
Lord Goldsmith: Well, I don’t see why you shouldn’t do that.
I mean, what? What? This man is one of Britain’s foremost legal minds, for crying out loud. Another reason to be patriotic, I suppose, allowing verifiable idiots to run our legal system.
Is it any wonder that Iraq is a smoking ruin? Christ, was Lionel Hutz busy or something?
Posted on March 11th, 2008 at 8:43 am
It sure is rough for God believing Republicans like me. I will encourage my youngsters to boycott any such ceremony.
I only caught a small bit of the interview, the bit where the good lord says he doesn’t see why republicans would have a problem swearing allegiance to the institution they want to see abolished.
I might’ve thought I’d miss heard him if the chap in the background hadn’t spluttered his tea into the microphone.
They could always do a Tony Banks (RIP) and keep their fingers crossed.
It’s a bit lame, isn’t it. No-one has explained what Britishness means, and like yourself I suspect that any definition these days would have to include some unsavoury aspects of this country.
http://lettersfromatory.wordpress.com
Are our leaders really so very bored?
Just how much more of this fucking nonsense do they expect us to take? Only last week the treasonous wankers voted to give away our national sovereignty without the promised by-your-leave and now they want our kids reciting mantras like good little North Koreans? Why are we not dragging these traitors through the streets of London? Why are we not cheering in Tyburn Fields?
Because we are more level-headed and less foolish than you?
Er….. isn’t that pretty much the definition of perjury?!
So is his official title now “The Perjury Advocate” or something*? I’ll bet there’s some pretty fancy wigs, breeches and court shoes to wear when your role is so integral to the national character.
* I was going to suggest “Perjurer-General”, but that might have been misinterpreted to mean that I thought we couldn’t trust a word he said.
[...] Justin McKeating on what it means to be British: I’ve been giving some thought as to what gives us a sense of [...]
Maybe we should have an oath of allegiance more in keep with our basic cultural norms, something along the lines of -
“I swear allegiance to Eastenders, Big Brother, and the Holy Journal of Saint Rupert, that which is known as the Sun. I affirm my readiness to shop and my undying faith in the Catalogue of Argos.”
Heh, St Rupert. It seems only fair that people who want to sell stuff here should swear allegiance to the Queen as well, no?
Pledge of allegiance to queen and country? How quaintly 19th century? Surely everyone knows that in the modern 21st century allegiance is given to ones’s Company?
The affairs of humans have long baffled this particular lobster. How an American style ceremony is going to make someone feel more British is such a mystery. Other ideas which were apparently ruled out were performing a haka before school sports day, and goosestepping around the playground during breaks.
a few secs for an oath? Why not - it’s easy - picture here.
Hopefully it’ll have the same impact as (speaking from experience) sending the kiddies to religious school - it’ll turn them against it completely when the grow up… If so, I’m all for it!
I second this motion. A religious education turned me anti-religion. A eurosceptic Tory upbringing turned me pro-EU and if not Labour, at least anti-party.
Especially while a teenager, if anyone told me to do something I’d have done precisely the opposite.
In other words, this is precisely the sort of initiative you traitorous republican bastards should be supporting wholeheartedly, and is probably an indication of yet another devious EUSSR-inspired “NuLabour” plot to further undermine the sovereignty of this once great nation* of ours.
* for variable definitions of nation
[...] to swear an oath of allegiance to the monarch will lead to more than just howls of derision and mockery (as fun as such responses can be), but a real debate on British [...]
Howls of derision and mockery indeed to Brown, New Labour, Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors…
It seems to me that they are trying to re-model the idea of British/English identity on some dodgie American style red-neck, flag waving idea.
Pity New Labour are conveniently sweeping under the carpet that the Union Jack and the Royal Family represent hundreds of years of oppression, war, domination, exploitation and aggression.
The real issue is of accepting collective guilt for the crimes of Empire “Where the sun never set and the blood of the natives never dried”.
Forward to the three Independent Republics of Wales, Scotland and England!