Dafydd Elis Thomas and the Oath of allegiance
Posted on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at 12:59pm
8 responses
Today’s retro report in the Western Mail from 2002 informs us of Dafydd Elis Thomas’s eagerness to scrap the oath of allegiance to the Queen that AMs must take before they take office. The full story can be seen on the BBC website here. He said that the requirement is ’a technical necessity within the [Government of Wales] Act that I want removed” in an interview with Plaid’s now disbanded Triban Coch magazine.
He also went on to say that the word ‘royal’ should not be used in the title of events such as the Royal Welsh Show, which, naturally, I agree with. However, there has been little action on scrapping the oath of allegiance to the Queen since this revelation in 2002. Call me naive or uninformed, but I did now know that Dafydd Elis Thomas held such opinions on the oath as unfortunately, the Assembly Commission has bent over backwards to become part of the status quo in relation to the monarchy, and has made no signs of changing such a stance. Now that I am aware of Dafydd’s comments, I will raise the issue with him in the new Assembly term.
I want to take an oath of allegiance to the people of Wales, not to an outdated institution such as the monarchy. At least AMs should be given the opportunity to choose whether or not they take a royal oath of allegiance. At the end of the day there is a religious and non religious version of the oath, so why not accommodate the royalists and the republicans in our midst? This is the case in Northern Ireland. Anyway, you’d be surprised- there are more Labour AMs who are republicans than you know about publicly.
The organisation Republic which campaigns for an elected Head of State has launched a ‘challenge the oath’ campaign to seek to introduce and alternative oath of allegiance. Human rights lawyer Louise Christian is to take on Republic’s planned legal challenge against British oaths of allegiance- seeking a change to the law so public officials, elected politicians and new citizens can take an alternative oath, one which pledges allegiance to the country rather than to the Queen. I sincerely hope that this campaign is successful in 2009.
On another topic altogether it seems that Jane Davidson AM and I have more in common than meets the eye. Her New Year’s resolution is to start cycling, which is also my aim! We’ll have to compare notes on the best folding bikes available…..not in the Chamber of course….
Happy New Year.
‘the Assembly Commission has bent over backwards to become part of the status quo in relation to the monarchy, and has made no signs of changing such a stance’? I think not. I don’t even recall it being on the agenda.
Peter- then who organises the royal visits?
have to say was pleased – not to say sirprised – that dafydd ‘El’ should apparently be leading such calls!
But cant help wondering if this a attempt on his part to regain some credibility after his recent dreadful comments on a referendum on more powers for the assembly! I feel he still has some explaining to do on that – given plaid’s clearly stated position on the issue of a referendum taking place in 2011
But these comments on axing the oath to the rotten house of windsor are most welcome and actually very brave!
It is good that you raised this. I personally have a distaste for the ostentatious wealth and self importance of the house of Saxa Coburg Goethe (to give the Windsor’s their original unanglicised name). Especially the way in which the media fawns over the Hesse-Hewitt ‘boys’ William and Harry. As I am flat broke right now I took umbrage at Elizabeth’s patronising comments on the hard times due to the credit crunch over Christmas too.
What on earth would she know about living on a budget?
A truly modern monarchy would pay taxes in full, and their access to public funds and role as figureheads of state would be subject to ratification by plebiscite every few years (a vote they would win as they are genuinely popular in many quarters). We can only raise ourselves up from the level of political infancy once we have republican reform. As it is I think we collectively have a subconscious sentimentality for feudalism, or something.
It is encouraging that the pledge is being looked at. Personally I believe we should swear allegiance to the People rather than the country, but hey-ho.
Perhaps as a stop gap plaid AMs could recite the first few lines of Abba or the Weather Girls (or something similarly catchy and inane) immediately before and after the pledge, thereby fulfilling the technical letter of the law but demonstrating the irreverence in which it is held….
plaidcasnewydd.blogspot.com
I am an agnostic republican, so while I sympathise somewhat, I cannot help but see the contradiction in terms.
If you honestly feel abhorred by the Monarchy, then don’t be in receipt of one of its parliaments. You are paid by the institution that is headed by the monarchy, not swearing to some outdated oath is irrelevant. I am not calling you a hypocrite or wrong in your opposition, but why bother calling the Queen ‘Mrs Windsor’, then taking home a £60k wage from her state apparatus?
There are a good many of your constituents who voted for your party on the basis they would take a full an active part in the Welsh Assembly, which is a house of the monarchy of the United Kingdom.
You are voted by the people into office, you serve in the institution of the Monarchy – you cannot opt out of either, or certainly pick and choose which bits to participate in.
Dafydd is not going to thank you publicly for it.
Is sacked Welsh blogger Christopher Glamorganshire’s tribunal next week?
I’d like to see you try and get the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society council to drop the ‘Royal’!
Dealing with them will be a real education!
It’s Saxa-Coburg-Gotha … Gotha is a German town, and Goethe is one of the most prominent German authors to have ever lived … Sorry for being pedantic, I could be a German.