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 wonder if it will become illegal to be Roman Catholic again? What fun

Message withdrawn

What if I really really want to believe that the Queen is an alien life form with a secret plan to populate to world with clones of Prince Charles?

Don't I have a RIGHT to believe that, and to brainwash teach my children the same? I think I do, personally

Oh I think I've missed something here Cod
Are you not allowed to have opinions now?
Hmmmm, bummer.
So what are you doing here? Surely you should be skipping about Waitrose Food and Home, fingering towels and admiring Denby?!!

Message withdrawn

I recommend a prison sentence for any child unwilling to pledge allegiance to the Queen. It's the only right thing to do.
After all, this is simply a test of potential traitors isn't it? So surely we can assume that any child who doesn't do it will grow up to bomb Britain and punish them accordingly.

Quod erat demonstrandum

well, I won't get offended, you have my permission to express an opinion on my thread.

ooh no, i dont think id be having any of this allegiance swearing stuff.

my children must swear daily allegiance to me, of course. and my boots must be properly licked before they are allowed to go to school... but thats different, surely?

I'll swear allegiance to Queen if you like.

Even if the albums post-1985 are a bit dodgy.

crazy idea
and just asking for people to refuse really
ridiculous

WHat a crock. Next thing they will be suggesting that kids should pretend to 'worship' an imaginary being every day they are in school, and sing songs about it and tell it how wonderful it is (n't, cos it doesn;t exist) and how grateful they are to it for making everything (except it didn't, because it doesn't exist). Nah, that will never catch on.

Mind you, for a celebration of Englishness, how about compulsory Morris dancing lessons?

(oh no, hang on, then I wouldn't get nearly as much kudos and free beer for being able to do it properly...)

somebody rosen (i think) (and not the childrens author) was on radio4 this morning with a wee piece on religion. was most amusing and v clever i thought. youd have liked it madamez.

Could the children swear allegiance using the Sex Pistols lyrics:

God save the queen
She ain't no human being
There is no future
In England's dreaming

Don't be told what you want
Don't be told what you need
There's no future, no future,
No future for you

...
God save the queen
'Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems

Oh God save history
God save your mad parade
Oh Lord God have mercy
All crimes are paid

When there's no future
How can there be sin
We're the flowers in the dustbin
We're the poison in your human machine
We're the future, your future

...

God save the queen
We mean it man
And there is no future
In England's dreaming

No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future,
No future for me

No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future
For you

I haven't read all the thread but saw the news headlines. Somehow it seems so very unBritish to do something like this.

Ooh, when I was at school I would have loved to have had the chance to refuse to swear allegiance to the Queen!

put me down for a combined tony benn/victoria sponge day. we could all have a pipe and afternoon tea and practice our tony benn impressions

Um, Tony Benn is yer genuine aristocrat, though. Viscount something-beginning-with S, although renounced so he could be an MP. So only four levels down from Her Maj.

We need to find a member of the proletariat for allegiance-swearing purposes. Jim Royle? (Actually Ricky Tomlinson would be an excellent choice, having been imprisoned for being a trade unionist.)

I am a prole.

Isn't this a bit of an over reaction. I suppose I'm a bit of a rebublican (no revolutioanry in the current curcumstances happily though) and will bide by time for democratic processes to occur.

This is about fostering a pride in British culture, which is and has been long neglected. It's one thing taken out of proportion by the media; there are lots of new citizenship initiatives happeing.

and even as a 'republican', I'd let DS 'swear' (WTF does that actually mean if you don;t believ in god anyway?) allegiance to the queen as I'd let him take part in the nativity too.

Swearing is a promise.

Promises are important in any ideology, imaginary beings or not.

It isn't a celebration of Britishness, it is a celebration of the upper classes, a very small and particular part of Britain. It is a affirmation of their postion and your dcs as lesser to that. I dispute that.

No to swearing allegiance to the ruling class who screw you and step on your face.

No to forced praying.

Us Scots on another thread are considering swearing allgiance to Billy Connelly, allright .

It's so unBritish. It'll never happen. Vera, it's my birthday. Nobody forces anybody to pray, nobody will force anybody to do this. I like a bit of pride in British culture but this is just a floated idea that's got a lot of publicity as it's so controversial. It won't happen! There's nothing to fight!

the way Britain is going, it might happen. Shudder.

But hey, my suggested oath is on the BBC website!!!

Its at teh bottom of the list, and starts,"I pledge my allegiance to tat and Tesco..."

I only realised today that Goldsmith would also like to take away my right to vote in UK elections. Which is bizarre, as there is a reciprocal agreement in place which allows British subjects to vote in Irish elections. So, in order to have a say in the government of the country that I live in, pay my taxes in and am bringing up three British children in, I have to renounce my nationality of birth. It seems completely unjustifiable to me, particularly as DH (who is British) would have voting rights in Ireland.