The recent report from former Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith about British citizenship has been widely derided, principally for the suggestion that all teenagers should be encouraged to attend citizenship ceremonies and swear allegiance to the Queen. The idea that Britain’s notoriously churlish teenagers, having just left school, might relish the idea of being cajoled into swearing allegiance to any authority figure is touchingly naive, and one cannot help wondering what the palace makes of it.
I’m all for encouraging new forms of ‘rites of passage’ for young people, such as primary and secondary school graduation ceremonies, that recognise the contribution that our young people make to society and that celebrate the huge talent and potential they have: respect has to be a two-way street. However, the notion that the nation’s teenagers should effectively be coerced into monarchism through a formal citizenship initiation ceremony is just not very British.
Lord Goldsmith’s report contains some good ideas, not least the proposal for a new national day bank holiday from 2012 onwards, when we will be celebrating both the London Olympics and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Sadly, it was inevitable that any proposal in the report involving Her Majesty would attract all the media attention – Goldsmith was naïve not to recognise this.
The Goldsmith report rightly argues that the monarchy is an important part of the social glue of the United Kingdom, providing a focal point for British national life and national identity that transcends not just party politics but also differences of wealth, class, race, religion, geography and the specific – and growing – sense of national allegiance that people feel in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And in this he is spot on.
To the frustration of the minority of committed republicans, respect and support for the monarchy remain at high and stable levels across all sections of society. The public duties carried out by senior members of the royal family support countless charities, reach into every corner of the country and bring recognition to aspects of our common life that are often overlooked by the mainstream media and popular culture.
And of course the Prince of Wales, over several decades, has patiently championed a series of causes that were well ahead of their time, including: environmental concerns; promoting a better understanding of Islam; and, most significantly, giving new opportunities to tens of thousands of disadvantaged young people – both rural and urban – to get mentoring, training and support for starting their own businesses through the Prince’s Trust. When he started this work, these issues were often mocked as being irrelevant or eccentric, or even too ‘political’. Now, they are rightly seen as essential, they are mainstream and they enjoy enthusiastic cross-party support. That seems pretty progressive to me.
My criticism of Lord Goldsmith’s suggestion for quasi-compulsory citizenship ceremonies with an oath of allegiance to the Queen is not on the grounds that there is no connection between the monarchy and young people in Britain today, just that it’s a crass and counterproductive. There is a connection, and I believe there are better ways of nurturing it.
So I would advocate an alternative, voluntary and more inclusive way of creating a valuable sense of connection between our head of state and our young people as they come of age as adult British citizens. The Queen might send a birthday telegram to young people when they reach 18, just as Her Majesty does when people reach their 100th birthday or couples celebrate their Diamond wedding anniversary. Parents, guardians or godparents of a young person approaching 18 could apply to the Anniversaries Office at Buckingham Palace for a royal birthday card to be sent out in time for their birthday bash.
For the cost of a stamp, any family in Britain of whatever background could secure a special birthday memento for their youngster’s special day. And for the modest price of a few more computers, administrative staff and printing costs in the Anniversaries Office, the Palace could help secure the support of each new generation for the Monarchy. Perhaps this is the basis for a very British compromise?
Nick Bent