I put a post on CareSpace today voicing my opinion on the government's hare-brained scheme to get everyone to pledge allegiance to the Queen.
As a republican the idea is as repellent as it is ridiculous and would undoubtedly have no effect whatsoever when it came to community cohesion.
Isn't the whole point of being British that we don't bow down to our supposed betters? It's one of those ludicrous ideas from the States that our leaders seem far to keen to import over here.
But there was a funny response to my post by Lins who says:
The best thing the government has done is bring out a white paper making changes to the mental health act. Well now is the time to try this out. I nominate Gordon Brown and all of his cabinet to be sectioned under the mental health act as they are a danger to themselves and others.
Indeed, a revelation! As a mental health worker, I do believe in moments when madness meets with sanity or the other way round.
The anouncement this morning was not only ridiculous but it would appear as if it has not been thought through at all.
Having had the previledge of being born abroad and lived there for a while, I had the opportunity to get various impressions of 'others'. 'Britishness'in my country of origin was associated with tight-fistedness, reticence and above all an unparralelled vanity - the idea that they are cleverer than the rest of the human race. Is this what Lord Goldsmith wants our children to portray?
As for the Americans, with whom commentators were hastily comparing us with this morning, the impression was that they were very loud and free with their money as well with their expansiveness. In addition to this, they are also very litigious, a characteristic they value next to none. Nothing seems to be sanctimonious to them.
The reason I have raised these points is that Lord Goldsmith should not just be lead to believe that American patroitism can only be quantified by the number of times they carry the national flag but by all the other aspects of the American life - some of which may not be desirable here.
But then without further digression, how does the proposal envisage the ceremony? I am sure that at any point and any time within the number of school leavers there will be pupils who are not 'British'. Will they be excluded from the ceremony, or if they are not, what meaning will it make for them?
Hallam
I would pledge allegiance to the Queen's Corgis. I think that is what Gordon Brown actually meant.
I agree with you Hallam - it's hard to just pick and choose bits of other people's culture and adopt it as your own.
James - I'm sure you're right about the corgis. I'm feeling strangely patriotic already