tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14422435.post4848478727811378752..comments2024-10-25T13:58:36.797+01:00septicislehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03369157723084834549noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14422435.post-1993569367726007192008-03-13T22:57:00.000+00:002008-03-13T22:57:00.000+00:00Quite. Part of this is most certainly Brown's own insecurities. As you say on the NI MPs not taking their seats, I think the republican MPs of all stripes tend to cross their fingers behind their backs when they have take the oath, but the point is that we should never have to resort to doing that ourselves.septicislehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03369157723084834549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14422435.post-18239143732402240012008-03-13T22:16:00.000+00:002008-03-13T22:16:00.000+00:00Just a few points of view, <BR/><BR/>Would this not be considered evidence of Brown own insecurities, there is also the other point that we are deemed to owe allegiance to the state in any event, if we are born here we owe allegiance and the states owes protection. <BR/><BR/>This could also be tied in with Browns ideas about a new British Bill of Rights, god forbid. <BR/><BR/>The British Constitution has been under attack for some time so it seems a bit strange to see all this flag waving stuff coming from this administration, it is almost as if they realise that their devolution project has backfired instead of quietening down calls for Scottish independence it seems to have both fuelled it and given it a stronger voice within Scotland. Of course it could also have something to do with the fact that is it the Scots and the Welsh that have kept new Labour in power and the more independence that is granted to those regions the harder it will be to maintain their power base. <BR/><BR/>Of course there is another angle MPs and government ministers do have to swear an oath before they take up their posts. (which is why some of the NI MPs have refused to take their seats)<BR/><BR/>We have seen how much store can be set by those oaths of allegiance, without wanting to open an EU debate there is a very strange understanding of oaths when it comes to the EU our own ministers are according to even Tony Blair committing treason. (The dilemma of a British Prime Minister over Europe is acute to the point of the ridiculous. Basically you have a choice: co-operate in Europe and you betray Britain; be unreasonable in Europe, be praised back home, and be utterly without influence in Europe. It’s sort of: isolation or treason.)<BR/><BR/>Then we send a commissioner to the EU - this time it is Peter Mandleson – he was a privy councillor, to take that position he did have to take the oath to uphold the British state above all etc, then he goes of to Brussels and before he can become a commissioner he has to swear allegiance to the EU above all, after his sojourn in the EU commission he will be elevated to the House of Lord where he will have to take another oath of allegiance to the British state. If our leaders treat oaths of allegiance as mere meaningless passports to a job I do not see that they should be the ones demanding that we take an unnecessary and meaningless oath. At least the NI MPs are not hypocrites.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com