The idea that forcing someone to take an oath has any value is stunning. Forcing children to take an oath strikes me (and always has) as pointless – it doesn’t create unity where there is none and does not instil civic pride where there is none. This is one of many examples of people in the UK looking to other countries and trying to cherry pick their cultural values without realising the impact other cultural values have on them.

For example, in the US the pledge may indeed instil civic pride and a sense of national identity but that is surely down to the rest of the cultural system that surrounds it.

IMHO people should take an oath of allegiance because they understand what it entails and are willing to be held to it. Forcing children to take it demeans the concept – children do not choose to be born British, so how can the oath be binding. If it is not binding, why do it?

(slippery slope alert) Take this in the context of ID cards, uniformed soldiers on the streets and massive amounts of government surveillance and it really makes you wonder what happened to Great Britain…

I mean, you don’t have to Pledge Allegiance To The Flag And To The Republic For Which It Stands One Nation Under (coughcough) Indivisible With Liberty And Justice For All?

Sorry, it just sort of all came out as reflex.