News from the New Party

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Oaths of allegiance

Lord Goldsmith's report on citizenship, commissioned by Gordon Brown, has produced a lively debate thanks to a number of eyecatching proposals. Most prominent among these has been the suggestion that all schoolchildren should be expected to swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown. The proposal has been widely derided - Labour peer Baroness Kennedy described it as "puerile and rather silly", the head of the Assiciation of School and College Leaders called it "half-baked", and both the Scottish Government and the Welsh Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones have expressed disapproval. Nevertheless, there is nothing particularly preposterous about the idea in itself. Most American schoolchildren swear allegiance to the flag, and in Britain there are already "citizenship ceremonies" for immigants adopting British nationality.

What then is so outrageous about extending the principle to all our young people? Of course there are problems to be ironed out - Lord Goldsmith himself has identified that republicans may feel unhappy about swearing allegiance to the monarchy, and the Scottish Nationalists are unenthusiastic about promoting "Britishness" in any event. There is, in principle no reason why allowances cannot be made: the SNP claim that in the event of Scottish independence the Queen will remain Head of State, and an alternative oath for republicans might focus on Parliament, the flag, or the State itself. Others, for example some religious groups, would refuse to swear an oath on principle - but might be permitted to make a suitable affirmation.

There are, then, no insuperable practical objections. Political objections seem to derive rather from a general cynicism about the government's motives, and wariness about the undoubted whiff of gimmickry which surrounds a number of Lord Goldsmith's suggestions in his report. Nick Herbert, the Conservative shadow Justice Secretary, complains that it is profoundly un-British to make people swear oaths of allegiance; and Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, doubts whether an oath of allegiance will create a sense of belonging for British teenagers.

They may be right, but even if they are, would there be any harm in requiring young people to make a public commitment to their society, community and nation? There is something to be said for ceremony and symbolism, and while it is obvious that the problems of social cohesion that we face will not be solved by oaths and incantations of any kind, there are worse ways of trying to raise children's awareness of the fact that they are a part of a greater whole, to which they have a responsibility to contribute. Lord Goldsmith's suggestion deserves to be given more serious thought than some have given it so far - especially since many of his critics seem to have no better ideas to offer.

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Oaths of allegiance