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| No | 78% | 166 votes | Total: 213 votes | |
| Yes | 22% | 47 votes |
No
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Add to FavoritesSince the 7/7 London bombings in 2005, and the subsequent realisation that the bombers were 'home-grown', criticism of the government's attachment to multiculturalism has been growing whilst calls for greater integration of Muslim communities, in particular, have also been getting louder. Lord Goldsmith has proposed that getting children to pledge an oath of allegiance will create a greater sense of belonging, a greater sense of unity and of Britishness', but this idea is wholly flawed. Just saying that you intend to be loyal to Queen and country does not necessarily make it so. Even worse, pledging allegiance to the monarch may have the opposite effect of that intended, as regional and political divisions make their presence felt. It is therefore ridiculous to expect children to pledge allegiance to a person who is hardly symbolic of twenty-first century Britain.
Since Labour came to power in 1997, a greater sense of regional identity has been fostered in Scotland and Wales, as devolution was granted to them. Consequently, calls for independence have been growing louder, particularly in Scotland, to the extent that the First Minister of Scotland is a member of the Scottish National Party. The government does not want Scotland to break away from the United Kingdom, and so rather than addressing the grievances that Scots may have, it prefers to pretend that we can all be unified around the institution of the monarchy. Scotland is known for its progressive, republican, tendencies, so this is clearly a step in the wrong direction. There are republicans throughout the United Kingdom, too, who will resent any attempt to make them swear allegiance to an institution which they do not believe represents them.
Most Britons seem to take pride in the fact that they do not have to wave a flag to be patriotic, and find the American flag-waving a bit too in your face' for their liking. Obviously there is a place for trying to unite a divided Britain, but there will have to be a much more fundamental shift in society to achieve this; simply getting us to swear loyalty to the Queen will not have much impact. History is fundamental to understanding our past as a nation, and can be used to explore the role that immigration has played and how it has shaped our society. Surely time would be better spent giving children more history lessons than preparing them to attend a ceremony to pledge their allegiance to the Queen.
The idea that pledging allegiance to the Queen is going to make a unified, cohesive society is clearly flawed. However, this is just a recommendation from Lord Goldsmith; it grabs headlines and seems to demonstrate that the government is seriously considering integration in Britain without it even having to do anything. This proposal is unlikely to be adopted as there are reservations on all sides of the House of Commons about what purpose this would serve; plus a few republican tendencies! But it has certainly served its purpose as another headline-grabber.
Learn more about this author, Michelle Wilkinson.
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Yes
Any one who wants to live in UK (or any other country) is under an obligation to accept the rules, traditions and standards of that country. If citizens are required to swear allegiance to the flag, then those whose accept the hospitality of the country for any length of time should be required to do the same.
Swearing allegiance to the flag is not something that is commoin practise in UK but there has been much discussion about the issue. It is possible that this will be introduced in next couple of years.
There is such an eclectic mix of nationalities and cultures in UK at the current time that it is time that there was a way of pulling it all together and uniting the people. We need to find a way of putting the 'United' back in the United Kingdom.
People from many countries, particularly from the European Union are coming in droves to settle here, and in order for them to be integrated and accepted into the community they must have something in common with the indigenous population. At presence there is no requirement to integrate and become part of the country and many ethnic groups set up their own social structures and even their own laws. This divides them from the rest of the population and because of that division and the seemingly unwilling attitude of these people when it comes to integration, there is inevitably tension.
If everyone, not just immigrants, had to swear allegiance to the Queen (and her government) and was legally bound by that pledge, every single person in Britain would have something in common. Each and every one would have a legal obligation to be loyal to Queen and Country.
Historically , those who did not swear allegiance to the crown and were found guilty of treason were at best imprisoned in the Tower of London, and at worst decapitated for their crime. Treason is still a capital offence in UK but fortunately (or not) we have moved on from this simple, effective way of dealing with offenders.
Recent UK government reports have suggested that requiring school children to take an oath of allegiance to Queen and Country would be a good start as it would give children, particularly troublesome teenagers a sense of belonging to the nation.
It has also been suggested that volunteers who swear allegiance should pay less council tax and lower student fees. This certainly defeats the object of the exercise. Let's all go and line up to make our pledge if we can pay less tax by simply uttering a few words written on a card.
This idea seems to totally negate the whole thing. If people are required by law to swear allegiance to the Queen, or leave the country, there is no need to give them bribes. The consequences of not adhering to the law should be enough to make the system work. Maybe this does sound like an old Draconian kind of measure, but perhaps it's a case of 'needs must'.
In order to engender unity and loyalty in the people of UK, a law requiring every person to swear allegiance to the Queen and the determination to uphold that law would make the country a much better integrated place to live and could do much to engender the feeling that being British and living in our islands is something to be proud of.
So, yes, anyone who wishes to be a UK citizen should be forced to swear allegiance to the flag which stands for Queen and Country, or find somewhere else to live. For me it comes down to the fact that people who do not wish to live by the rules that most people adhere to should not accept the benefits of living in a country.
Learn more about this author, Louie Jerome.
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