children to swear allegiance to the queen? Not mine. No way.

[hecate]

I am 100% totally completely utterly vehemently opposed to this idea, to the point that I would physically prevent my children being forced to 'swear allegiance to the queen'. It's ridiculous. I am anti-monarchy and am appalled by the mere idea that my children might be made to put their hand on their heart and swear that they'll love and protect and serve or whatever, some woman who, along with too many members of her family, gets far too much taxpayers money for no good reason...... like she is better than them, or they owe her something? Screw that. We owe the royal family nothing, imo. No loyalty and certainly no forelock tugging and boot licking.

I'd get mine to swear loyalty to Tony Benn. You can't get more English than him.

Agree with frogs about creepy overtones. Where else do they still do this sort of thing except in the USA? North Korea perhaps?

I like the Royal Family and am in favour of keeping them but am NOT in favour of this. It removes the element of choice and I think it borders a bit on nationalism with all this flag waving and swearing allegiance. A country is just somewhere you're born, imho, and does not define you.

In my mind it would encourage sentiments of civil disobedience rather than foster a sense of civic pride. I owuld certainly not want ds to swear allegiance in tihs way.

God forbid that anyone should be proud to be British or even worse English!!!!

The Queen does a wonderful job and the amount of money brought in by tourist coming to see our royal palaces and pomp and ceremony is vast.

The reason this country is going to the dogs is that everyone wants to come and live here, milk our system but don't want to be british.

If you go to the states you will not find many native Americans but everyone else considers themselves to be African Americans/ Italian Americans or whatever and they pledge allegiance to the flag of the unites states of America.

I think anyone who wants to live in Britain should have to pass an entrance exam, learn the language and promise to respect this country and all she stands for (although sadly these days it seems to stand for binge drinking, 6 children by different fathers, and everyone cowtowing to the PC mob instead of good old common sense)

I have no problem with an oath, my children say one to God and the Queen at scouts/brownies anyway.

Opps forgot your not to mention God these days either!

I'm all for anything that encourages (peaceful, principled) civil disobedience. And I approve of the monarchy in constitutional terms, I would hate to have a president.

If this ever came in - which I doubt - ds would decide for himself. But it's not terribly British, is it? I think our national characteristic is self-doubt and reluctance to get involved in flag waving or showing off apart from on very specific occasions which are themselves limited to a few people who want to do it. Probably as result of having and then giving up the Empire.

That's what would make it so difficult to introduce. An opt out clause wouldn't work as that would only serve to marginalise those that don't agree with it and would also sort of defeat the object anyway.

I have no problem with the people in N.I going back to being Irish, my grandfather was Irish moved to Britain with his family, enjoyed what was on offer until the war when his brothers went back to Ireland to avoid fighting .
Granddad was also a black and tan .
Never look up your family tree you find bad things.

I would be more then happy for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to all be separate, then maybe my kids could get free Uni places and cancer drugs would not be postcoaded in favor of everyone but the English

Threadworm, excellent suggestion - I'm swearing allegiance to Tony Benn too!

It's nationalistic nonsense. This is not about formulating pride in being British, this is about becoming that little bit more American. A flag is a flag, unless it's used in an Eddie-Izzard-collonial way ("Do you have a flaaag?") - then it can become a dangerous weapon.

This is not national pride, people.

Anyone know what April the 23rd is?

I (with my parents of course) came to the UK when I was three. I used to be proud to say I was British first, Scottish second (especially when I spet a year in France and had to explain that I was not English ).

Now unfortunately, the years of the Tory Governments, followed by the New Tories who are worse, have turned me into a Scottish Nationalist and I am only proud to say I am Scottish.

Even though I am in immigrant I am still prud of all things that this country can and should stand for: respect for others, respect for our country, looking out for those less fortunate than themselves, free education, free health, freedom on speech... All the things that our current government seem to be attacking.....

Ds (7) goes to Beavers and I do have a problem with him saying the ful oath, as I don't beleive in God. However, at the moment he doesn't really understand the concept so it's really a meaningless statement which he is just repeating parrot fashion.

St George's day. And when are St David's day, St Patrick's day, St Andrew's day?

Am not English BTW, but proud to be British.

its bonkers idea
they (politicians) should concentrate on their job - giving them an education, health service, social mobility, safe environment, and country that they will be instinctively proud of anyway...
not instigating this sort of nonsense

will it be linked to their id cards?

unless of course it's the Royle Family they mean

DS won't be swearing allegiance to the Queen, that's ridiculous. I wouldn't be particularly happy about him swearing allegiance to anything but at least in the US it's the flag they swear to, rather than a person.

St Davids day March 1st
St Patricks day March 17th
St Andrews day November 30th

Took you a while to look them up though

What is all this nonsense about being forced to swear anything?

Is this a police state?

What happened to freedom of the individual to believe WHATEVER they want?

Shall we just tear up the Magna Carta while we are at it?

Somehow it is even WORSE that it is suggested re children. Dreadful. Of course it will never happen. WHat will they do if children (or their parents on their behalf) refuse. Chuck them in prison? Nutty

If the aim of this idea is to make us feel more British, as apposed to English, Scottish, Welsh etc., then I think it would fail miserably. Any other suggestions apart from pigleto's excellent Victoria Sponge bake off idea?

Message withdrawn

Allegiance to the country would be ok I suppose (to the people of the country, your neighbours), but to the Queen? and to Prince Charles after her? That makes me shudder.

My children won't be doing it.

[maniacal gleam]

What, cod, you have no objection to your kids all being taken off after school one day and be forced to take part in some cod-ceremony (no pun intended - well actually I couldn't resist) with pseudo-legal overtones - swearing allegiance to the queen? Really? Really?

I'm quite surprised