A stiff whisky is needed before an oath of allegiance to the Queen

The morning news programmes have been majoring on Lord Goldsmith's report on strengthening citizenship. As usual, the report has loads of recommendations and is designed to start a "national debate" (the government's code for: "see if there is an outcry or if we get some good coverage in the Mail").

But the media have alighted on one eye-catching proposal: to have school leavers or 16 year olds pledging an oath of allegiance to Queen and Country.

Part of me thinks that 'we don't do things like that in this country'. We have a relaxed informal democracy where dissent is tolerated and even perhaps encouraged. I would have to down a stiff double whisky before pledging allegiance to the Queen. I am a Republican and although I respect the Royal family as people and fellow citizens, I think they are put into a ridiculous position. However, on balance I can see that there is a general public consensus about our currently constituted Head of State and that the Queen has been a good head of state. So yes, I would pledge allegiance to her, after a stiff Glenmorangie. She is Queen of Scotland as well, after all.

But should 16 year olds take that pledge ? In America they go mad with flag waving. Politicians compete with each other to have the most Stars and Stripes behind them when they give statements. But their country is just 200-odd years old and they've only been attacked twice. Our nation is 1000-2000 odd years old, depending on from when you measure its existence, and we've been attacked thousands of times. We have confidence in our selves. I like that. We don't have to go crazy with flag waving to prove that we are a nation.

So this proposal will go down well with cabbies and Daily Telegraph readers, but I don't like the sound of it. Make it a pledge to the country and it sounds a bit better. The Americans, as pointed out this morning by Lady Kennedy, don't pledge allegiance to their Head of State - it's to their flag. Just as well too, I should imagine that free lobotomies would have to be administered before a lot of Americans would pleadge allegiance to George W Bush.

In closing I would say that many seven year olds already pledge allegiance to the Queen. This is the pledge that some of them take:

I promise that I will do my best,
To love my God,
To serve the Queen and my country,
to help other people,
And to keep the Brownie Guide Law.

I didn't take that pledge. I wasn't a cub or a scout (or indeed a Brownie). So I have never given a pledge of allegiance to the Queen and I hope no-one ever forces me to take one. But do I feel like a citizen ? Do I do my bit ? Of course I do.