I am born British, but would never swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen. I'm a staunch republican. Also, I think class and enthnicity are far more important to one's identity than the nation. I'm a Mancunian first and foremost, and I'm proud of my working class roots. Britishness is a fallacy...and the nation is what Benedict Anderson called an 'imagined community'. I'm really interested in this debate though, especially after multiculturalism was called into question after 7/7
Here in Scotland we swear allegiance to William Wallace, and swear to devote our lives to vanquishing our English oppressors. Just kidding we love you guys. I wouldn't like to have to swear allegiance to the Queen or to this corrupt warmongering government. Nice video!
Izgowora e British -central London , no e neperfecten.To kato cialo angliiskia se gowori kato 4e li imash goresh kartof w ustata , az ne go wizdam tuka. Malko e meshat , no wse pak ne e amerikanski ili new zelandski ,awstraliiski ili drugo .
there be to much dilutinisation of britishness as it is without letting aload of miggants become british just by speaking some two-bit oath
you wouldn't go to another country and expect to be treated like the nationals are straigt away in OZ it takes a minimum of 3 years before you can be eligable fur citizenship.
the words THEY TOOK OUR JOBS (to be said in a deep south accent) comes to mind
britishness=England you are isolated you are an island race being british does not automaticaly mean youll do anything for the queen i would laugh in her face if she asked me to kneel for example americans can only say "am hungry" i am scottish not british/english *cough scum cough* my 2 euros/cents/pound for ya
this gurl sure wants ti be her daddys' fav princess, has ufilled isuues, has tu sleep with hiom, until then she will be neurotic til she dies, like ma ex who wasn t willing ti fullfill my analfetish, god damn, hate this chastity
I rather enjoy being British, but I much prefer to be thought of as English; stops us being associated with the Welsh and Scottish riffraff don't you know.
I believe it's important to be proud of your country and heritage, especially since us Brits seem to so readily abandon our patriotism as soon as it is challenged. (or as soon as the world cups over and done with.)
well the american way is a pledge and it goes like this .... I pledge allegence to the FLag of the Untied States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under god with liberty and justice for all
This silly girl certainly is British without a doubt,as only in the world would a Briton pull down their own country-unheard of elsewhere. The Queen is a symbol of Briton,of freedom under the law that we gave to the world,and she has nothing to do with the government. Supporting the queen is like swearing loyalty to a flag. If this girl had been an American she would swear loyalty to the flag each morning,and would be in no doubt what being American was.
To answer your question: Britishness = Anything that creates UNITY in Britain. A celebration of the things people have in common despite their diversity. And the Queen is one of those uniting factors.
@MrJST87 Not for me she isn't! If anything she is the symbol of what divides Britian in this current climate: the haves versus the have nots, the priveleged versus the majority. The royal family is an anachronism. Well done to the French and the Americans for cottoning onto this fact centuries ago, Their revolutionary identities forge a stronger sense of national identity that Britain's lame adherence to queen and country.
I don't agree with having to take an oath because hell, what if you just ... don't like this country? But saying "Hi, I'm British/English" isn't stopping people from getting on better terms with other countries, it's just making people a little more patriotic.
What so you are non commital happy days. I guess then that you don't have a passport! You claim Europe I am too from Europe but very much British, I think you'll find those coming from France would also claim to be so. No one is asking you to swear an oath of allegiance this is only asked in the UK to the armed forces. Oh really sorry to dissapoint you but when I joined the armed forces I swore allegiance to the Queen and not the people of the UK so you are not that important!
There is no such thing as Britishness. It's a recent word made up by the left to make us think foreigners are British and make foreigners feel British by drinking tea. This truth is you're either British or you're not. Ask your mum, dad or grandad i bet the word never existed when they where younger.
All the big royals of Europe got revolutions (well apart from Germany) and It's time we did one, maybe with a little less bloodshed and we should do it in a british way like queuing outside Buckingham palace and await out turn to punch the queen in the face lol.
I was born in Britain, therefore I am British and proud of it and believe it or not I even like the Royal Family, its something that makes Britain special and gives it some heritage, but I'm NOT gonna swear an oath. I have loyality to this country and I don't need to say an oath to prove it.
Shut up you posh bint, I was looking for some thick of it Peter Capaldi swearing but all I get is your moaning English crap! Stick your Hanovarian royal family up your hairy arse cheeks alongside your daddys cock and get off the fucking internet!
As an American, I can honestly say that reciting an oath doesn't mean much if your heart isn't in it. We were indoctrinated from 1st grade? to say I pledge allegiance to the flag blah blah. Doesn't mean anything. I refused to say it in high school. And yet I'm proud to be an American. Funny.
Well doesn't that just make me feel like a typical ignorant American! I always thought Britain was synonymous with England. Furthermore, I didn't know that Scotland (or N.I. for that matter... ignorance is really showing. Guess that makes the IRA make a bit more sense ha!) had any affiliation with England, beyond being in close proximity. Thanks for the education. I'm inspired to be less of an idiot.
@DanReborn Mate if we got rid of the Royal Family we would have to pay money for Presidential elections which are even more expensive. Prime ministers and Presidence come and go not like the Queen.
But the commonwealth brings in so much pr/money. Ultimately all Royal Families should be done away with, and that will probably happen in the next 50-100 years. I do find it somewhat sickening that they you know, just happen to have this massive amount of wealth when there are still homeless people in that city.
Regardless of my personal feelings saying the royal family serve no purpose simply isn't true. Whether what they bring in is worth it is debatable though.
I hate in when middle class snobs preach multiculturalism. Send your Kids to a Hackney comprehensive school and see how your kid finds the diversity there. Why is it Europe is losing its identity, yet all other Nations get to keep theirs.
"An oath or pledge would be useful. An oath would help to expose traitors"
HaHaHa are you serious, You really think a terrorist who has been trained in the mountains of Pakistan in Escape, evasion and deceit, would crack under a oath of allegiance HaHaHa.
hehehe will i swear an oath to the queen umm no im indigenous to england my families date back before the registers were even made that makes me absolute sovereign which is a higher power then any government or queen.also by swearing an oath thats dishonorable if you go to court because you have broke your oath to uphold their laws which are company laws!check duport for any gov department they are registered as trading!which makes statutes company rules :-)
What a load of bollocks! the government demanding of applicants that they give them every re-assurance that they will be more British than the British. However, after the oath of allegiance ceremony, they will realise that the people outside will not let them become British.
Their job opportunities will be half, chances of promotion will be negligible and people will be constantly asking them when they are going back home. Added to this, they will always be reminded that they are not British
Britishness is about being free to choose. Being British has hallmarks of distinction. Being British one has to be either born British or earn the priviledge to be British. It is not a right to be demanded by anybody. An oath or pledge would be useful. An oath would help to expose traitors and ill doers to our nation.
your a stupid twat! your trying to slip in words such as diversity and you think that makes you smart! fuck you america sucks my ball i would give my life to save the queen any day of the week! god bless the queen! your a fucking dick
"oath" doesn't mean be a mindless slave to the flag. it just means don't betray yur country and don't threaten to kill the president/quenn/duke/leader no matter how much of a money grabbin douche bag they can be. however here in America the government sucks major ass. we are in what will soon become another great depression.
Hehehe I couldn't help giggling every time you said 'britishness' XD Well I'm American so that doesn't really affect me, but it was interesting all the same.
I've always kind of resented how we were required to say the "Pledge of Allegiance" every day up until high school, especially with that 'god' in there. As long as I follow the laws, that should indicate that I'm respecting the U.S. as a country. Besides, I had a scary teacher who would scream at you if you didn't wholeheartedly say it.
masses of english,scottish,welsh and irish people have died defending BRITAIN,to even think of us as anything else is a fucking disgrace to those who paided for us to be here,AS GREAT BRITAIN!!!!
As an American, we pledge allegiance to our flag and the Republic in general. I think immigrants also sware to support and defend the Constitution. People should support their country. Difference is that we don't sware to support a single person (e.g., President Bush). Isn't being British being part of a dynamic history of a people moving toward greater self-determination (e.g., Magna Carta; powerless monarch, etc.)? By the way, as an American, I can say your accent is very sexy!!!
If you look at our pledge of allegience it's basically a pledge to(supposedly)universal ideas like liberty and justice for all. I think the idea of a pledge is meant to give a sense of unity, but unity doesn't have to mean the loss of individual cultures. E Pluribus Unum is on our money. "Out of many,One." I enjoy having a pledge, but I understand why it would feel weird to just suddenly make one up. Sorry for rambling:P
Allegiance is the responsibility of citizenship, in return for which the nation and its institutions and laws protect the individual. Civil disobedience provided it legal is merely a way of taking issue with the government. The only trouble these days is people confuse the lawful right to protest with the responsibility not to riot when they dont get their own way!
Britishness is hard to define because out island story is so long, unlike most of Europe we had no revolution and no need to fight for our liberties. The ignorance of our history is why so many people are uneasy about being British. Its often forgotten how and more crucially why our code of law, democratic system and language are used the world over. Is pays to remember that we have always been multicultural island nation that defined itself less by what it is and more by what it is not!
@DaveHorse1 Yes we define ourselves against the 'other'. I wouldn't say we have always been a multicultural nation though, maybe we have been but by default, not by the modern definition. There hasn't always been mutual tolerance, and British identity has always been viewed as superior to that of the immigrant communities, that is, before cultural relativism came along and said that they are all equal. I'm intrigued by this debate though.
I'm not British but here's my opinion about swearing allegiance in general. I don't think it's necessary or desirable at all. However, I think learning at school & singing one's National Anthem for special occasions should be done & I think this can help to garner a sense of nationality & nationhood. But, such things are more symbolic than anything at the end of the day. I think citizens of a country need to be made 'feel' included in that country in ways that are often a lot more intangible.
I'm not against people trying to protect their identity at all. But, just remember that when you say the settlers 'bought' the land from the Native Americans, you need to remember that the native Americans were often tricked into doing this and they sometimes didn't understand what was happening. The concept of owning land wasn't even a part of many cultures in the world in olden times. And the naive Americans had nothing to do with the constitution, as you say, because the weren't allowed to!
there were native people in America before europeans practiculaly wiped them of the face of the earth, so it wasn't exactly founded by white people, more like stolen by mass slaughter.
im swearing my elegance to queen and country on monday and i feel proud to do it! i and a recruit in the TA and if i had to fight for this counrty in the Queen's name then i would because i fight for the freedom of speech and the right to vote for whoever i want and for the right to do something good for this counrty! without our soldiers fighting for us and taking this oath, we would not have any rights! think about it carefully. god save our Queen
we say the pledge of elegance to say we are proud to be Americans and that we love our contry. The people that go to war to serve are the army. People volunteer to do that, train, and then go if they need them. I on the other hand completely dissagree with the STUPID war we're in right now. I hate it. I want the war to be settled. so, not all Americans support the government.
yeah yeah Blaa Blaa ! seen you've made a shit lot of mates on your channel ? pick on someone else! Saturday night ? you've been up the pub..............Oh seen it before ! your Pissed ! nothing but a pissed bullyboy! USER BLOCKED !
Sorry Darling But us like America Have alot to Offer the World, Education, Culture,Good standard of Living ETC..... this means that Our Countrys Become The WORLDS Dustbin Too People who dont want too make There own Countrys Great Or Cant be bothered & they think "Oh Free money, Health & Education" !. When they are here they dont want too mix as they set up their own networks of their own culture!Welcome too Englandistan,Englandski,&thatCarrabean island England !
It does my head in when people say "they don't mix". Well do you mix with them?! Besides the whole point is. Do we want to swear allegiance to queenie? Not on my life! i'll swear an oath to my country and it's citizens (please note, not subjects). To serve my country or to join the ploice i have to swear an oath to the queen. Why, am i less patriotic because i dont believe in the monarchy?
Thanks for reply, No people dont mix ! Ever heard of the saying " Birds of a feather flock together" ? Have you been to Bradford,Slough,Southall,North Leicester,Dewsbury,? its not RACE ! its Culture & I must say that im not Racist ( Must make that Clear) seems as soon as a person says somthing out of turn they are branded NAZI ! Anyway Yes i do mix, i have a couple of asian friends, Polish & Latvian Mates! i dont like people coming hear taking the piss
As an American, I fully agree with the claim of this video: being British, you are not human.
That was the gist of this, yeah?
On an unrelated event, I rarely recite the pledge of allegiance due to my objections to nationalism, brainwashing youths, and putting a nation 'Under God' despite a constitution separating the two and the pledge being authored by a Baptist minister who didn't find appropriate to put God in despite being God's servant, yet our 'civil servants' put it in. Boo! Red scare!
I'm American, and the way I see it, our swearing alliegance from Kindergarten through high school makes it where it is an act that is taken very lightly. Also, we shouldn't have to from a young age, pledge ourselves to any entity, as we are in fact too young to have to make such promises.
I'm Australian and the same kind of issue has been raised here recently - mostly to do with immigration and the suggestion by the previous govt that all immigrants should have to take a test on Aussie values. The funny thing was that when people who were already Australian citizens, and not just approved immigrants but Aussie-born people, took the test, most of them did worse than the hopefuls. And they were all disgraceful q's like "who is shane warne?" Give me a bucket.
I don't think it would do much harm allowing pupils to volunteer to take an oath but it shouldn't be forced on them. If you don't have a sense of 'British identity', that doesn't mean that you don't have a sense of national identity, so I don't believe that declining to take an oath of 'Britishness' means you aren't patriotic, what if you don't consider yourself 'British'? I have a sense of national identity and I'm quite patriotic but I think of myself as Scottish, not British.
I don't get your logic. If nobody could be defined as British or American or Chinese wouldn't that lessen diversity? As an American would I have to start spelling color colour? Certainly we should work together for peace and to solve the world's problems. However, there's a distinction between working together and living peacefully, and asking people to deny their cultural and national differences which I think would tend to raise tensions.
Well all it is here in America is a sighn of respect for our founding fathers that gave us our freedome that we have.You don't really promise anything.
swear an allegance? thats bollocks! i already have pride in my country... well i used to. Since the government has our country to be infested by immigrants, i feel no respect to our government. i would prefer to live in England around 20years ago, when everyone felt proud of their country, and the country was in a good state. back then, we didnt have pricks running the country. the government nowadays has inforced loads of drinking and smoking laws and taking away what makes us British
PS: Does Gordon Brown really think that this oath will make teenagers feel like they belong? For many it'll probably just be a hassle that they go through with to reap the benefits from.
We're just a generation that feels disconnected. Oath or not, we've got angst. DAMMIT! haha
I hate this idea that being British cannot be red phonebooths and gin and teacups and still be diverse and include all the different ethnicities that live in the UK and consider themselves British!
I think it's really only the media and the government that it pushing this idea that we can't have it both ways... I really don't see that "Britishness" is disappearing.
I'm American BTW, but I have lived in England and I would like to return for good.
so afraid of being individual?i am british & proud.if everyone was a'person of the world'ther wld b no more cultures 2make a multicultural society.tradition,values,national pride,&solidarity seem to be lost in this country!wld you not pledge 2ur family ur friends,ur comunity,ur home&on until suportin th human race?start@home,b4 fixin th world.dont get hookd up on'oath'call it what you want,it sorts th safe frm th dodgy,i'd do it,i have nothin2hide or prove&i love this country!scotland
I totally agree with you. I dont need to recite some oath to "have a sense of belonging" as the news report says. If anything they should offer the reduced university fees and council tax to people who register to vote, taking a greater part in the country, not to people who take some empty oath
First off, I completely agree. There is nothing unifying about our pledge of alligence in America. I said it every morning for 14 years and it was an annoying chore if anything. At five years old, I didn't know what I was saying only that if I didn't put my right hand over my heart, I would not be allowed playtime and have to sit in the corner. Despite the diversity in America, the only thing we have in common is that we live in the same country.
lol, no it doesn't bother me that i swear an allegence every day i go to school. wvery time i say our pledge and hear our countries song it makes me proud of where i am and what country i stand for.
Peanut butter and Jelly, the death penalty, the music of Vanilla Ice, raping the environment, MTV, War on Drugs, War on Terror, Mark Wahlberg, "strange fruit", Star Wars, childhood obesity, Jesse Owens, Guantanamo Bay.
Truly something for everyone.
My you have a lot to be proud of- your oath of allegence must last for ages.
to stop them little cunts who thing theyre hard as fuck running round in gangs from raping grannies and twatting people one on fifty. the little shites wouldnt do that if they had a few years service and the bruises to show it the little nobs.
or even "im scottish" etc. i dont know what the hells happening with "im a person of the world" whatever the fuck that means, i thorougly despise anyone who is completely obsessed with wanting every man and his dog from pakistan and elsewhere moving in, I dont go and do my job killing the twats, just so that theyre mummies daddies brothers, aunties and cousins can come over in a dinghy, and try and blow the fuck out of my family. pointless. Theres nothing wrong with national service either
I reckon that an oath of allegiance is a great idea, but being in the army ive already taken one hehe, but on a serious note, i dont see the problem with immigrants or anyone else taking an oath, i personally think that it should be something more than an oath if thats possible. i hate multiculturalism its complete bollocks, why is everyone so obsessed with wanting a neighbour from every corner of the bastard globe, and whats so wrong with saying "im british" infact or even "im english".
I'm American, and when I was in highschool, we were required to stand for the pledge of allegiance, but we weren't required to say it(and therefore I never did,feeling no patriotism whatsoever). I think it promotes a sense of patriotism, but its almost false patriotism. Being given things for saying the pledge would make more people say it not out of real love for the country, but in order to get what they are being given. So I don't know if that would even work the way it was supposed to.
Couple of reasons; because the test is actually a bit of an empty gesture. I've taken it, and basically the things it asks you won't help you in daily life in Britain. It's like "What percentage of people in the UK smoke?" etc. Most people in Britain couldn't pass it; and if immigrants are expected to know this when the rest of the population arn't, I think that's discrimination.
I don't know how the government can claim it wants to unite its people, whilst simultaneously encouraging faith schools - which are dangerous mechanisms of division.
3- None the less, I live a thousand miles from where I was born so my attachment is not to a patch of land, but to the community that will respect the culture and laws that Americans share wherever in the US I may choose to live. As Britons, you are seeing this kind of dynamic in just the last generation or so. A British pledge will help if it becomes a portable reminder of the need to be community everywhere in Briton.
Very important points; I think the reasons you lay out are exactly why the government is looking for ways to make Britain more inclusive.
Personally I think their fear is unfounded, or at least mis-direceted. Most people I've met from first or second generation families have no problem with calling themsleves 'British', and neither does anyone else. But racism and the sectioning of society have caused some to value another identity to the result of violence.
For those people, an 'oath', or any other gesture would be useless. Making our society more inclusive, both accross class and ethnic lines, is harder but would ultimately yeild better results.
Thanks for your arguements; I'm still really enjoying this debate!
2- As our duty as Americans, my uncles served in WWII (one died in France), a brother served in VietNam and four nephews served in Desert Storm. Yet some people assume I'm not American because I'm not white.
1- This is a great discussion. My complements in the way you moderate / lead the flow.
As an asian-American, when people ask me where I'm from I respond "Nebraska" because that's were I was born. Typically, the person want's to know what asian country I'm "from" (ancestry). A Briton might be expected to respond with London or Devonshire. Not likely to say "Saxon" or "Norman" or "Celt".
I think there is a distinction between someone who orriginates from the Saxons saying they are from London, and someone living in America- most Americans family's emmigrated to the US within the last hundred or so years. So you may have living relatives from another country.
I'm white and from London (so noone gives a flying where I'm from) but my family is a relatively recent addition to Britain and it definately changes the way I feel about being British.
Well im 100% british but i wouldnt do dat alligance crap not only cus da queens a sag bag but because i love america and i wish i was american because everfing is bigger and better der and britain is just a pile of shit layin on top of another pile den another +Our weather shit!!! i no dey ave storms and hurricanes and dat lot but we all get worried and put out big warnings out about 1inch of snow and plus if u go 2 da right place in america den its safe not all shooting dats kentucky + brooklyn
Here in the US, the pledge of allegiance is something reserved for young kids and new citizens. I first had to say it in kindergarten, and I think the last time I said it was in 8th grade.
We certainly don't receive any societal or financial benefits from doing it. Its just something your teachers make you do to drill nationalist ideas into your head from an early age.
It really is a silly gesture, I think Britain would be better off without it.
Seriously, this (and "Hairy Milk Bottles") is an eye-opener for me in the US! From my exp, the only time we're ever "required" to recite our Pledge is every morning in grade school (up to 8th grade or so), when you're young and don't really think to argue about it. After that, it never really figures into your life again. The only other time I think(?) it's said is in the final step toward earning US citizenship, which makes sense. I'll email u w/ more.
do you think our grandfarthers.forefarthers died on the beaches or on some shit filled battlefield so we could be multicultral i think not its so hard now to even think what makes someone british i dont think its white example look at today gurkhas handing back medals because they cant stay here in the UK yet we are all quiet happy for some guy thats shouts death to the UK you will have your 9/11to stay here i say make him swear an oath now the gurkha he said oath in the army
well boys and girls, as a Scot; I will not be taking this oath, since MY country still reserves its own sovereignty and not to the queen.
@ pickels4all; your blinkered view is contrived and needless to say...wrong. The 4 countries that make up the united kingdom were built on the back of many nationalities and ethnicities and no-one is 'pure white'. That's just nuts.
"If someone doesn't agree with me, they must be an idiot since everything I believe is correct"
You can call me a racist idiot and I'll call you a multiculturalist moron. But that doesn't really solve anything does it? I have no ill will towards you, but you have already judged me based on a single comment.
You really need to be more accepting of the opinions of others. It's that self-righteous attitude of yours that leads to war.
I'm sorry but I simply cannot be accepting of a view which is that blatantly racist. If you did not want to be judged on a single comment, why that comment? Why not argue sensibly about what makes someone British?
I'm not asking you to agree with me, I'm asking you to accept my belief as a valid opinion....just as I accept your beliefs as a valid opinion. I don't agree with you, but I believe that you're entitled to your opinion and I wouln't resort to name-calling simply because I disagree.
I think you're a classic example of someone who tries to fight so-called intolerance with intolerance. Outside of the scientific world, there is no wright or wrong, just varying degrees of opinion.
Among other things, to be British means to be White. A non-White will never be British, the same way that a non-Asian will never be Chinese. Nationalities are not frivolous clubs that one can join on a whim, nor do they have anything to do with where you were born. Your nationality is determined by your ancestors of the past few thousand years. Language and culture are learned traits, but you can't change your blood.
But you weren't trying to prove a point; you made an inflamatory statement which I felt compelled to degrade. My language could have been better, but then so could yours.
Now that you HAVE put forward an argument I can engage you on it;
You call nationality purely on colour; the crux of your argument being that, genes (as opposed to culture, or where you were born) is the most important factor in deciding nationality.
One of the many problems with this view is firstly that it assumes that we have pure ancestory back through the ages. Migration has been occuring for thousands of years.
Scandanavian and Roman invasions had a huge effect on the British population; and people of African decent have been within the population for hundreds of years. The chances are we all have a black ancestor within the last ten generations. But under your arguement that would make us all not-British.
But then your not saying that are you? Your arguement is that; if your not white, your not British. But then who has got the right to be British? If we go on looks alone the only people who could be called 'British' are those with Celtic red hair and fair skins. But of course even then if we were to go even further back to the last ice-age, the first people to arrive in Britain probably came up from South Europe and Africa. In a word, they were black.
BUT my ultimate problem with your arguement is the assumption that someone can have ancestors streching back multiple generations in this country, have been born and brought up here, know the language and the people, and never had any other home but Britain; and you would call them non-British.
See my ultimate problem with you is that your arguements arn't based on logic at all, but on intollerance and bigotry. And I can't argue against that; I can only defend against it.
Your argument isn't logical either. Let me give you an example...
Lets say you are about to enter a room with 2 strangers. You know nothing about either of them except one of them is Korean. You walk into the room and see that they are both White. At this point we both know you'd be confused because you were expecting to see an Asian. It's not racist if it's a natural assumption.
I dare you to clearly define the difference between a British and Chinese person without using physical attributes.
Idiots like you are the reason this world is full of fighting and hate.
What about people who were born in Britain and have lived there all their life, and just happen to be a different colour? If they aren't British, then what are they? Martain?
You really are the epitomy of pathetic if you think a little thing like skin colour is important. Racist twat.
I think it is hard to define what Britishness is, but that the idea of an allegiance is to protect the values of the majority in society. As someone said before, it is protecting the liberal ideas of our forefathers and stopping people from changing our values and laws to suit their own cultural and religious norms. People who come here should be proud to be British and not try and change our country into a replica of their country of origin. If you dont love your country why be here?
I would quite happily swear alligance to Queen and Country, I'm proud to be British.
newnhamlea1 4 days ago
Being British means holding a British passport, that's all. You could be an Eskimo and have a British passport.
Fronika 1 week ago
I wish they would stop saying british people and just say English people, Scottish People or Welsh People fucking mongo's
Wayne500 1 month ago
Britishness is to take the piss out of the french
TheSirRoberto 1 month ago
@TheSirRoberto lol yeah :)
xXVenumosXx 1 week ago
I am born British, but would never swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen. I'm a staunch republican. Also, I think class and enthnicity are far more important to one's identity than the nation. I'm a Mancunian first and foremost, and I'm proud of my working class roots. Britishness is a fallacy...and the nation is what Benedict Anderson called an 'imagined community'. I'm really interested in this debate though, especially after multiculturalism was called into question after 7/7
konspiracykid 1 month ago
So many dumb questions in this I dont know where to start.
Best quote 'Is there anything British?' Um, yar! I should co co. tut, you make me sad.
garysmigy 2 months ago
Well, in my opinion the accent is something really British.... they sound so funny and interesting, I love them
tineeeable 3 months ago
Here in Scotland we swear allegiance to William Wallace, and swear to devote our lives to vanquishing our English oppressors. Just kidding we love you guys. I wouldn't like to have to swear allegiance to the Queen or to this corrupt warmongering government. Nice video!
ClTIZEN 3 months ago
oh god.. you are all right
YellowNavyWhite 3 months ago
Izgowora e British -central London , no e neperfecten.To kato cialo angliiskia se gowori kato 4e li imash goresh kartof w ustata , az ne go wizdam tuka. Malko e meshat , no wse pak ne e amerikanski ili new zelandski ,awstraliiski ili drugo .
Dobyr e , az go hareswam kato cialo.
Rouynekov 4 months ago
You think your ethnic groups are of a wide variety there hun?
Come live In Canada for a year and you'll see.
whygod1105 4 months ago
there be to much dilutinisation of britishness as it is without letting aload of miggants become british just by speaking some two-bit oath
you wouldn't go to another country and expect to be treated like the nationals are straigt away in OZ it takes a minimum of 3 years before you can be eligable fur citizenship.
the words THEY TOOK OUR JOBS (to be said in a deep south accent) comes to mind
pimplefiend12 5 months ago
yet another pathetic attempt to avoid cultural globalization by those who fear it.
tysken94 5 months ago
immigrants have to things like that to be allowed to be in australia as well. but fucking citzens? shit NO.
BRm2008 6 months ago
and of course it's playing America the Beautiful in the background...
NEVERMAKESVIDEOS3V3R 6 months ago
I thought that the title of the video was "Swearing in British" lol
hopefull226 7 months ago
I like the part where you say destroying gaps between comunities rather than building new ones.
faisalkfpm 8 months ago
I would tap that
julianbautista87 9 months ago
britishness=England you are isolated you are an island race being british does not automaticaly mean youll do anything for the queen i would laugh in her face if she asked me to kneel for example americans can only say "am hungry" i am scottish not british/english *cough scum cough* my 2 euros/cents/pound for ya
BURNETTAKULS 9 months ago
this gurl sure wants ti be her daddys' fav princess, has ufilled isuues, has tu sleep with hiom, until then she will be neurotic til she dies, like ma ex who wasn t willing ti fullfill my analfetish, god damn, hate this chastity
davidsplash 1 year ago
I rather enjoy being British, but I much prefer to be thought of as English; stops us being associated with the Welsh and Scottish riffraff don't you know.
I believe it's important to be proud of your country and heritage, especially since us Brits seem to so readily abandon our patriotism as soon as it is challenged. (or as soon as the world cups over and done with.)
yourlocaldictator 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
well the american way is a pledge and it goes like this .... I pledge allegence to the FLag of the Untied States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under god with liberty and justice for all
Fluteperson01 1 year ago
British people are nothing like this, if anything they swear drink do drugs and waqtch footy all day
MaLilPwny 1 year ago
@MaLilPwny No.. I'm British and do nothing of the sort.
FourLeafBlueBanana45 1 year ago
This silly girl certainly is British without a doubt,as only in the world would a Briton pull down their own country-unheard of elsewhere. The Queen is a symbol of Briton,of freedom under the law that we gave to the world,and she has nothing to do with the government. Supporting the queen is like swearing loyalty to a flag. If this girl had been an American she would swear loyalty to the flag each morning,and would be in no doubt what being American was.
georgeamery 1 year ago
i hope you love judas cleeg and the tory rich eton boys well done
dowlo32 1 year ago
fuck immigrants
comedybenj 1 year ago
To answer your question: Britishness = Anything that creates UNITY in Britain. A celebration of the things people have in common despite their diversity. And the Queen is one of those uniting factors.
MrJST87 1 year ago
@MrJST87 Not for me she isn't! If anything she is the symbol of what divides Britian in this current climate: the haves versus the have nots, the priveleged versus the majority. The royal family is an anachronism. Well done to the French and the Americans for cottoning onto this fact centuries ago, Their revolutionary identities forge a stronger sense of national identity that Britain's lame adherence to queen and country.
konspiracykid 1 month ago
gordon brown is cool we were moonwalking together at the tory party shindig
dowlo32 1 year ago
lol shes cute :D
MrGasson 1 year ago
I don't agree with having to take an oath because hell, what if you just ... don't like this country? But saying "Hi, I'm British/English" isn't stopping people from getting on better terms with other countries, it's just making people a little more patriotic.
LoffleMe 1 year ago
What so you are non commital happy days. I guess then that you don't have a passport! You claim Europe I am too from Europe but very much British, I think you'll find those coming from France would also claim to be so. No one is asking you to swear an oath of allegiance this is only asked in the UK to the armed forces. Oh really sorry to dissapoint you but when I joined the armed forces I swore allegiance to the Queen and not the people of the UK so you are not that important!
chaz01br 1 year ago
Dont swear oaths. They bind you.
forfaraway1 1 year ago
There is no such thing as Britishness. It's a recent word made up by the left to make us think foreigners are British and make foreigners feel British by drinking tea. This truth is you're either British or you're not. Ask your mum, dad or grandad i bet the word never existed when they where younger.
samtheman180 1 year ago
@samtheman180 I was ment to say "The hard lined truth is you're either British or you're not. : )
samtheman180 1 year ago
you are very open, i like that.
hybridpyrotech 1 year ago
When races mix, you get mutts.
Goofus5453 1 year ago
All the big royals of Europe got revolutions (well apart from Germany) and It's time we did one, maybe with a little less bloodshed and we should do it in a british way like queuing outside Buckingham palace and await out turn to punch the queen in the face lol.
FreakinSweet86 2 years ago
multi ethinic communities is deffinately NOT being British !!!!!
jamesplant1987 2 years ago
@jamesplant1987 what is then?
DanReborn 2 years ago
Knowing how to spell definitely is definitely not British either then?
JUK1980 2 years ago
I was born in Britain, therefore I am British and proud of it and believe it or not I even like the Royal Family, its something that makes Britain special and gives it some heritage, but I'm NOT gonna swear an oath. I have loyality to this country and I don't need to say an oath to prove it.
TheVampirePirate 2 years ago
Shut up you posh bint, I was looking for some thick of it Peter Capaldi swearing but all I get is your moaning English crap! Stick your Hanovarian royal family up your hairy arse cheeks alongside your daddys cock and get off the fucking internet!
Globered 2 years ago
Im Welsh ... But in my opinion Britain > Wales
Cos tbh , Wales Sux!
JoshRatts 2 years ago
As an American, I can honestly say that reciting an oath doesn't mean much if your heart isn't in it. We were indoctrinated from 1st grade? to say I pledge allegiance to the flag blah blah. Doesn't mean anything. I refused to say it in high school. And yet I'm proud to be an American. Funny.
Jetblk 2 years ago
The difference is, there are 4 nations in Britain. America is America, whereas Britain is Scotland, England, Wales and N.I.
snecko 2 years ago
Well doesn't that just make me feel like a typical ignorant American! I always thought Britain was synonymous with England. Furthermore, I didn't know that Scotland (or N.I. for that matter... ignorance is really showing. Guess that makes the IRA make a bit more sense ha!) had any affiliation with England, beyond being in close proximity. Thanks for the education. I'm inspired to be less of an idiot.
Jetblk 2 years ago
Always glad to help the americans understand a little bit about other cultures :D
snecko 2 years ago
As a proud Scot, I would rather have type 2 diabetes than pledge allegiance to the queen.
Call me butthurt, bigoted or whatever, I don't consider myself to be British over Scottish.
snecko 2 years ago
@snecko
Agreed. I rather be a sheep shagger than get my arse dragged to Afghanistan to fight. Although I already been in the Army.
CA36e 2 years ago
@snecko
as a proud Englishman, I would rather have type 2 diabetes than pledge allegiance to the queen.
Fuck the royal family, they do nothing for this country except drain taxes.
DanReborn 2 years ago
That's not true at all. Fully agree with this video though.
Pignoah 1 year ago
@Pignoah im sorry, but that is exactly true. The royal family has no purpose whatsoever
DanReborn 1 year ago
@DanReborn Mate if we got rid of the Royal Family we would have to pay money for Presidential elections which are even more expensive. Prime ministers and Presidence come and go not like the Queen.
samtheman180 1 year ago
@samtheman180 and what do you think is coming up next month?? AN ELECTION! you have to pay for that anyway, regardless of a royal family.
DanReborn 1 year ago
@DanReborn
But the commonwealth brings in so much pr/money. Ultimately all Royal Families should be done away with, and that will probably happen in the next 50-100 years. I do find it somewhat sickening that they you know, just happen to have this massive amount of wealth when there are still homeless people in that city.
Regardless of my personal feelings saying the royal family serve no purpose simply isn't true. Whether what they bring in is worth it is debatable though.
Pignoah 1 year ago
I hate in when middle class snobs preach multiculturalism. Send your Kids to a Hackney comprehensive school and see how your kid finds the diversity there. Why is it Europe is losing its identity, yet all other Nations get to keep theirs.
"An oath or pledge would be useful. An oath would help to expose traitors"
HaHaHa are you serious, You really think a terrorist who has been trained in the mountains of Pakistan in Escape, evasion and deceit, would crack under a oath of allegiance HaHaHa.
ENGLAND041987 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
id luv to fuk dis english pussY -- NOTE i am a SOMALIAN hahahahaha suk ma hairy rigly cock! aba howas
sevdikbirkere 2 years ago
hehehe will i swear an oath to the queen umm no im indigenous to england my families date back before the registers were even made that makes me absolute sovereign which is a higher power then any government or queen.also by swearing an oath thats dishonorable if you go to court because you have broke your oath to uphold their laws which are company laws!check duport for any gov department they are registered as trading!which makes statutes company rules :-)
iwantit162 2 years ago
What a load of bollocks! the government demanding of applicants that they give them every re-assurance that they will be more British than the British. However, after the oath of allegiance ceremony, they will realise that the people outside will not let them become British.
Their job opportunities will be half, chances of promotion will be negligible and people will be constantly asking them when they are going back home. Added to this, they will always be reminded that they are not British
fredmila 2 years ago 2
True true, although I hope we're not all quite so unwelcoming!
GrandNarrative 2 years ago 2
@fredmila arse!!!!!!!!!
meigle3 4 months ago
Britishness is about being free to choose. Being British has hallmarks of distinction. Being British one has to be either born British or earn the priviledge to be British. It is not a right to be demanded by anybody. An oath or pledge would be useful. An oath would help to expose traitors and ill doers to our nation.
Kester71 2 years ago
your a stupid twat! your trying to slip in words such as diversity and you think that makes you smart! fuck you america sucks my ball i would give my life to save the queen any day of the week! god bless the queen! your a fucking dick
max88lea 2 years ago
do u wanna blow meeeeee ur hot!
sabbathThebat 2 years ago
"oath" doesn't mean be a mindless slave to the flag. it just means don't betray yur country and don't threaten to kill the president/quenn/duke/leader no matter how much of a money grabbin douche bag they can be. however here in America the government sucks major ass. we are in what will soon become another great depression.
jgrizzle358 2 years ago
Hehehe I couldn't help giggling every time you said 'britishness' XD Well I'm American so that doesn't really affect me, but it was interesting all the same.
I've always kind of resented how we were required to say the "Pledge of Allegiance" every day up until high school, especially with that 'god' in there. As long as I follow the laws, that should indicate that I'm respecting the U.S. as a country. Besides, I had a scary teacher who would scream at you if you didn't wholeheartedly say it.
Kailys3 2 years ago
england football team...you don't have to go that far..
wrestlingnewsdesk 2 years ago
You have been brainwashed into horrid confusion.
beeksy 2 years ago
I could take the oath... and just lie :)
SuperiorSavior 2 years ago
masses of english,scottish,welsh and irish people have died defending BRITAIN,to even think of us as anything else is a fucking disgrace to those who paided for us to be here,AS GREAT BRITAIN!!!!
lovebuzz125 3 years ago
As an American, we pledge allegiance to our flag and the Republic in general. I think immigrants also sware to support and defend the Constitution. People should support their country. Difference is that we don't sware to support a single person (e.g., President Bush). Isn't being British being part of a dynamic history of a people moving toward greater self-determination (e.g., Magna Carta; powerless monarch, etc.)? By the way, as an American, I can say your accent is very sexy!!!
DCLaw2006 3 years ago
i don't think that oath means "no FREEDOM" (no offence). well yes we all do have our rights and / or freedom, even as a patriot.
thats a good thing.
beethoven02 3 years ago
If you look at our pledge of allegience it's basically a pledge to(supposedly)universal ideas like liberty and justice for all. I think the idea of a pledge is meant to give a sense of unity, but unity doesn't have to mean the loss of individual cultures. E Pluribus Unum is on our money. "Out of many,One." I enjoy having a pledge, but I understand why it would feel weird to just suddenly make one up. Sorry for rambling:P
sarahsem123 3 years ago
Allegiance is the responsibility of citizenship, in return for which the nation and its institutions and laws protect the individual. Civil disobedience provided it legal is merely a way of taking issue with the government. The only trouble these days is people confuse the lawful right to protest with the responsibility not to riot when they dont get their own way!
DaveHorse1 3 years ago
Britishness is hard to define because out island story is so long, unlike most of Europe we had no revolution and no need to fight for our liberties. The ignorance of our history is why so many people are uneasy about being British. Its often forgotten how and more crucially why our code of law, democratic system and language are used the world over. Is pays to remember that we have always been multicultural island nation that defined itself less by what it is and more by what it is not!
DaveHorse1 3 years ago
@DaveHorse1 Yes we define ourselves against the 'other'. I wouldn't say we have always been a multicultural nation though, maybe we have been but by default, not by the modern definition. There hasn't always been mutual tolerance, and British identity has always been viewed as superior to that of the immigrant communities, that is, before cultural relativism came along and said that they are all equal. I'm intrigued by this debate though.
konspiracykid 1 month ago
You're cute =)
LeonardoFilms 3 years ago
I'm not British but here's my opinion about swearing allegiance in general. I don't think it's necessary or desirable at all. However, I think learning at school & singing one's National Anthem for special occasions should be done & I think this can help to garner a sense of nationality & nationhood. But, such things are more symbolic than anything at the end of the day. I think citizens of a country need to be made 'feel' included in that country in ways that are often a lot more intangible.
bacabu30 3 years ago
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mitchhsansom 3 years ago
Let me guess, and black people working as slaves don't count because they had white people to tell them what to do? Your twisted.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago 2
Comment removed
mitchhsansom 3 years ago
I'm not against people trying to protect their identity at all. But, just remember that when you say the settlers 'bought' the land from the Native Americans, you need to remember that the native Americans were often tricked into doing this and they sometimes didn't understand what was happening. The concept of owning land wasn't even a part of many cultures in the world in olden times. And the naive Americans had nothing to do with the constitution, as you say, because the weren't allowed to!
bacabu30 3 years ago
Sorry for typo: 'Naive Americans' should read 'Native Americans'. I was missing a t.
bacabu30 3 years ago
@mitchhsansom Purchased? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH - FUCK YOU.
WhiteWolf1088 11 months ago
Comment removed
mitchhsansom 3 years ago
there were native people in America before europeans practiculaly wiped them of the face of the earth, so it wasn't exactly founded by white people, more like stolen by mass slaughter.
fatdan37 3 years ago
No one should have to swear allegiance to someone, or a monarchy based in Windsor, Berkshire.
As was said in the 1908 Olympics in London by the team captain on behalf of the american flag 'This falg dips to no earthly king '(queen).
People don't wan't a monarchy; others are at work now. They want a government serving it's people. Not this rediculous old age heirachy.
God Save the People.!!!
The monarchy need to go private.
benjamin1D 3 years ago
im swearing my elegance to queen and country on monday and i feel proud to do it! i and a recruit in the TA and if i had to fight for this counrty in the Queen's name then i would because i fight for the freedom of speech and the right to vote for whoever i want and for the right to do something good for this counrty! without our soldiers fighting for us and taking this oath, we would not have any rights! think about it carefully. god save our Queen
pariss18 3 years ago
I'll never swear an oath of any form to that un-elected parasite, who goes by the name of Queen Elizabeth II.
Georgiahulse 3 years ago
we say the pledge of elegance to say we are proud to be Americans and that we love our contry. The people that go to war to serve are the army. People volunteer to do that, train, and then go if they need them. I on the other hand completely dissagree with the STUPID war we're in right now. I hate it. I want the war to be settled. so, not all Americans support the government.
cutieflutie417 3 years ago
yeah yeah Blaa Blaa ! seen you've made a shit lot of mates on your channel ? pick on someone else! Saturday night ? you've been up the pub..............Oh seen it before ! your Pissed ! nothing but a pissed bullyboy! USER BLOCKED !
muddyfox4x4 3 years ago
Sorry Darling But us like America Have alot to Offer the World, Education, Culture,Good standard of Living ETC..... this means that Our Countrys Become The WORLDS Dustbin Too People who dont want too make There own Countrys Great Or Cant be bothered & they think "Oh Free money, Health & Education" !. When they are here they dont want too mix as they set up their own networks of their own culture!Welcome too Englandistan,Englandski,&thatCarrabean island England !
muddyfox4x4 3 years ago
It does my head in when people say "they don't mix". Well do you mix with them?! Besides the whole point is. Do we want to swear allegiance to queenie? Not on my life! i'll swear an oath to my country and it's citizens (please note, not subjects). To serve my country or to join the ploice i have to swear an oath to the queen. Why, am i less patriotic because i dont believe in the monarchy?
Boccherini64 3 years ago
Thanks for reply, No people dont mix ! Ever heard of the saying " Birds of a feather flock together" ? Have you been to Bradford,Slough,Southall,North Leicester,Dewsbury,? its not RACE ! its Culture & I must say that im not Racist ( Must make that Clear) seems as soon as a person says somthing out of turn they are branded NAZI ! Anyway Yes i do mix, i have a couple of asian friends, Polish & Latvian Mates! i dont like people coming hear taking the piss
muddyfox4x4 3 years ago
Whats that got to do with swearing allegiance? I would never swear an oath to the queen.
Boccherini64 3 years ago
Oh well never mind eh! choose some comments from other people, maybe they will argue the toss with you! hope you have a happy life! ta ta
muddyfox4x4 3 years ago
You were just waffling!!!
Boccherini64 3 years ago
Oh Yes..............Make some vids before you comment on others!
muddyfox4x4 3 years ago
As an American, I fully agree with the claim of this video: being British, you are not human.
That was the gist of this, yeah?
On an unrelated event, I rarely recite the pledge of allegiance due to my objections to nationalism, brainwashing youths, and putting a nation 'Under God' despite a constitution separating the two and the pledge being authored by a Baptist minister who didn't find appropriate to put God in despite being God's servant, yet our 'civil servants' put it in. Boo! Red scare!
frumpyframpton 3 years ago
I'm American, and the way I see it, our swearing alliegance from Kindergarten through high school makes it where it is an act that is taken very lightly. Also, we shouldn't have to from a young age, pledge ourselves to any entity, as we are in fact too young to have to make such promises.
ThatOneGirl96 3 years ago
I'm Australian and the same kind of issue has been raised here recently - mostly to do with immigration and the suggestion by the previous govt that all immigrants should have to take a test on Aussie values. The funny thing was that when people who were already Australian citizens, and not just approved immigrants but Aussie-born people, took the test, most of them did worse than the hopefuls. And they were all disgraceful q's like "who is shane warne?" Give me a bucket.
pixiel87 3 years ago
Im British :)
Buut I have never taken part in any citizenship things lool
And does Britishness even exist? lol
TheOneAndOnlyMe92 3 years ago
Not anymore. Lost faith due to immigrants
pauljan1988 3 years ago
stand up for the uk!
14mm2 3 years ago
ur british? really? i thought u were american
walkingair 3 years ago
I don't think it would do much harm allowing pupils to volunteer to take an oath but it shouldn't be forced on them. If you don't have a sense of 'British identity', that doesn't mean that you don't have a sense of national identity, so I don't believe that declining to take an oath of 'Britishness' means you aren't patriotic, what if you don't consider yourself 'British'? I have a sense of national identity and I'm quite patriotic but I think of myself as Scottish, not British.
Earache92 3 years ago
I don't get your logic. If nobody could be defined as British or American or Chinese wouldn't that lessen diversity? As an American would I have to start spelling color colour? Certainly we should work together for peace and to solve the world's problems. However, there's a distinction between working together and living peacefully, and asking people to deny their cultural and national differences which I think would tend to raise tensions.
halfdead44 3 years ago
I'm english and don't agree with swearing in and indoctrinating children when there at an age where they wont understand...
14mm2 3 years ago
Well all it is here in America is a sighn of respect for our founding fathers that gave us our freedome that we have.You don't really promise anything.
SaddleClub101 3 years ago
i aint british neither, im yorkshire..
xxrawrd 3 years ago
swear an allegance? thats bollocks! i already have pride in my country... well i used to. Since the government has our country to be infested by immigrants, i feel no respect to our government. i would prefer to live in England around 20years ago, when everyone felt proud of their country, and the country was in a good state. back then, we didnt have pricks running the country. the government nowadays has inforced loads of drinking and smoking laws and taking away what makes us British
gav101gav 3 years ago
I would except for that i wouldn't be born!
n3cr0x 3 years ago
PS: Does Gordon Brown really think that this oath will make teenagers feel like they belong? For many it'll probably just be a hassle that they go through with to reap the benefits from.
We're just a generation that feels disconnected. Oath or not, we've got angst. DAMMIT! haha
windymoors 3 years ago
I hate this idea that being British cannot be red phonebooths and gin and teacups and still be diverse and include all the different ethnicities that live in the UK and consider themselves British!
I think it's really only the media and the government that it pushing this idea that we can't have it both ways... I really don't see that "Britishness" is disappearing.
I'm American BTW, but I have lived in England and I would like to return for good.
windymoors 3 years ago
Swearing an oath to a British allegiances? Is that like...standing in the rain feeling miserable while drinking beer and swearing?
malingron 3 years ago
almost .... maybe also spitting on the floor while you do it all too xD
Gellvos 3 years ago
Knife crime, don't forget that.
Irish jokes?
Vilification of ethnic minorities in our national press?
Wow I'm starting to like the idea of this oath.
leiwy 3 years ago
as an american it dosent seem like that big of a deal to give your allegiance to you country.
but if you have a problum with it your government should not force you too swear your allegiance
redheadedlosers 3 years ago 2
Indeed matchoftheday3. Her views are made of pure-bulshit.
TerribleVideosTM 3 years ago
people r
so afraid of being individual?i am british & proud.if everyone was a'person of the world'ther wld b no more cultures 2make a multicultural society.tradition,values,national pride,&solidarity seem to be lost in this country!wld you not pledge 2ur family ur friends,ur comunity,ur home&on until suportin th human race?start@home,b4 fixin th world.dont get hookd up on'oath'call it what you want,it sorts th safe frm th dodgy,i'd do it,i have nothin2hide or prove&i love this country!scotland
hazeldsansom 3 years ago
I totally agree with you. I dont need to recite some oath to "have a sense of belonging" as the news report says. If anything they should offer the reduced university fees and council tax to people who register to vote, taking a greater part in the country, not to people who take some empty oath
darkestnights123 3 years ago
Here are some American thoughts:
First off, I completely agree. There is nothing unifying about our pledge of alligence in America. I said it every morning for 14 years and it was an annoying chore if anything. At five years old, I didn't know what I was saying only that if I didn't put my right hand over my heart, I would not be allowed playtime and have to sit in the corner. Despite the diversity in America, the only thing we have in common is that we live in the same country.
meena315 3 years ago
who givs a fuck?
chronicbob 3 years ago
U.S.A!! U.S.A!!
lol, no it doesn't bother me that i swear an allegence every day i go to school. wvery time i say our pledge and hear our countries song it makes me proud of where i am and what country i stand for.
JellooMeMelloo 3 years ago
lmao
jayjay1994uk 3 years ago
haha your gay.
matchoftheday3 3 years ago
Peanut butter and Jelly, the death penalty, the music of Vanilla Ice, raping the environment, MTV, War on Drugs, War on Terror, Mark Wahlberg, "strange fruit", Star Wars, childhood obesity, Jesse Owens, Guantanamo Bay.
Truly something for everyone.
My you have a lot to be proud of- your oath of allegence must last for ages.
leiwy 3 years ago
LOLZER teehee love the first bit =]
xxrhubarbcrumbelxx 3 years ago
to stop them little cunts who thing theyre hard as fuck running round in gangs from raping grannies and twatting people one on fifty. the little shites wouldnt do that if they had a few years service and the bruises to show it the little nobs.
MikkyMcCann 3 years ago
or even "im scottish" etc. i dont know what the hells happening with "im a person of the world" whatever the fuck that means, i thorougly despise anyone who is completely obsessed with wanting every man and his dog from pakistan and elsewhere moving in, I dont go and do my job killing the twats, just so that theyre mummies daddies brothers, aunties and cousins can come over in a dinghy, and try and blow the fuck out of my family. pointless. Theres nothing wrong with national service either
MikkyMcCann 3 years ago
MikkyMcCann Im in total agreement with you mate.
DIZZYskin 3 years ago
I reckon that an oath of allegiance is a great idea, but being in the army ive already taken one hehe, but on a serious note, i dont see the problem with immigrants or anyone else taking an oath, i personally think that it should be something more than an oath if thats possible. i hate multiculturalism its complete bollocks, why is everyone so obsessed with wanting a neighbour from every corner of the bastard globe, and whats so wrong with saying "im british" infact or even "im english".
MikkyMcCann 3 years ago
I'm American, and when I was in highschool, we were required to stand for the pledge of allegiance, but we weren't required to say it(and therefore I never did,feeling no patriotism whatsoever). I think it promotes a sense of patriotism, but its almost false patriotism. Being given things for saying the pledge would make more people say it not out of real love for the country, but in order to get what they are being given. So I don't know if that would even work the way it was supposed to.
FailaTelcontar 3 years ago
I've already replied to your comment to my first reply but I wanted to add more to it.
Why exactly do you disagree with "tests" for people wanting to make Britian their home?
meyym 3 years ago
Couple of reasons; because the test is actually a bit of an empty gesture. I've taken it, and basically the things it asks you won't help you in daily life in Britain. It's like "What percentage of people in the UK smoke?" etc. Most people in Britain couldn't pass it; and if immigrants are expected to know this when the rest of the population arn't, I think that's discrimination.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
I don't know how the government can claim it wants to unite its people, whilst simultaneously encouraging faith schools - which are dangerous mechanisms of division.
emphaticapathy 3 years ago
Too true.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
do you have a date?
musicahead 3 years ago
3- None the less, I live a thousand miles from where I was born so my attachment is not to a patch of land, but to the community that will respect the culture and laws that Americans share wherever in the US I may choose to live. As Britons, you are seeing this kind of dynamic in just the last generation or so. A British pledge will help if it becomes a portable reminder of the need to be community everywhere in Briton.
RabbitEars001 3 years ago
Very important points; I think the reasons you lay out are exactly why the government is looking for ways to make Britain more inclusive.
Personally I think their fear is unfounded, or at least mis-direceted. Most people I've met from first or second generation families have no problem with calling themsleves 'British', and neither does anyone else. But racism and the sectioning of society have caused some to value another identity to the result of violence.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
For those people, an 'oath', or any other gesture would be useless. Making our society more inclusive, both accross class and ethnic lines, is harder but would ultimately yeild better results.
Thanks for your arguements; I'm still really enjoying this debate!
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
2- As our duty as Americans, my uncles served in WWII (one died in France), a brother served in VietNam and four nephews served in Desert Storm. Yet some people assume I'm not American because I'm not white.
RabbitEars001 3 years ago
1- This is a great discussion. My complements in the way you moderate / lead the flow.
As an asian-American, when people ask me where I'm from I respond "Nebraska" because that's were I was born. Typically, the person want's to know what asian country I'm "from" (ancestry). A Briton might be expected to respond with London or Devonshire. Not likely to say "Saxon" or "Norman" or "Celt".
RabbitEars001 3 years ago
I think there is a distinction between someone who orriginates from the Saxons saying they are from London, and someone living in America- most Americans family's emmigrated to the US within the last hundred or so years. So you may have living relatives from another country.
I'm white and from London (so noone gives a flying where I'm from) but my family is a relatively recent addition to Britain and it definately changes the way I feel about being British.
leiwy 3 years ago
Well im 100% british but i wouldnt do dat alligance crap not only cus da queens a sag bag but because i love america and i wish i was american because everfing is bigger and better der and britain is just a pile of shit layin on top of another pile den another +Our weather shit!!! i no dey ave storms and hurricanes and dat lot but we all get worried and put out big warnings out about 1inch of snow and plus if u go 2 da right place in america den its safe not all shooting dats kentucky + brooklyn
finedongirl1998 3 years ago
The EU has drained all British identity with this whole 'freedom of movement' shit.. Britain does not need the EU.
mrrmancunian 3 years ago
Here in the US, the pledge of allegiance is something reserved for young kids and new citizens. I first had to say it in kindergarten, and I think the last time I said it was in 8th grade.
We certainly don't receive any societal or financial benefits from doing it. Its just something your teachers make you do to drill nationalist ideas into your head from an early age.
It really is a silly gesture, I think Britain would be better off without it.
MosinDisciple 3 years ago
Haha, blooper reel at the end! :)
Seriously, this (and "Hairy Milk Bottles") is an eye-opener for me in the US! From my exp, the only time we're ever "required" to recite our Pledge is every morning in grade school (up to 8th grade or so), when you're young and don't really think to argue about it. After that, it never really figures into your life again. The only other time I think(?) it's said is in the final step toward earning US citizenship, which makes sense. I'll email u w/ more.
customcartoons 3 years ago
wallace and gromit, wallace and gromit, wallace and gromit, wallace and gromit... no?
markysong 3 years ago
do you think our grandfarthers.forefarthers died on the beaches or on some shit filled battlefield so we could be multicultral i think not its so hard now to even think what makes someone british i dont think its white example look at today gurkhas handing back medals because they cant stay here in the UK yet we are all quiet happy for some guy thats shouts death to the UK you will have your 9/11to stay here i say make him swear an oath now the gurkha he said oath in the army
okerip 3 years ago
(to PICKLES4ALL)
999brap999 3 years ago
(to PICKLES4ALL)
999brap999 3 years ago
well boys and girls, as a Scot; I will not be taking this oath, since MY country still reserves its own sovereignty and not to the queen.
@ pickels4all; your blinkered view is contrived and needless to say...wrong. The 4 countries that make up the united kingdom were built on the back of many nationalities and ethnicities and no-one is 'pure white'. That's just nuts.
Biffeh 3 years ago
We'll agree to disagree.
pickles4all 3 years ago
British = White.
If you're not White, you're not British, it's a simple concept sweetie.
pickles4all 3 years ago
What a load of bullshit
999brap999 3 years ago
You believe that = your a racist idiot.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
I like your logic....
"If someone doesn't agree with me, they must be an idiot since everything I believe is correct"
You can call me a racist idiot and I'll call you a multiculturalist moron. But that doesn't really solve anything does it? I have no ill will towards you, but you have already judged me based on a single comment.
You really need to be more accepting of the opinions of others. It's that self-righteous attitude of yours that leads to war.
pickles4all 3 years ago 3
I'm sorry but I simply cannot be accepting of a view which is that blatantly racist. If you did not want to be judged on a single comment, why that comment? Why not argue sensibly about what makes someone British?
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
I'm not asking you to agree with me, I'm asking you to accept my belief as a valid opinion....just as I accept your beliefs as a valid opinion. I don't agree with you, but I believe that you're entitled to your opinion and I wouln't resort to name-calling simply because I disagree.
I think you're a classic example of someone who tries to fight so-called intolerance with intolerance. Outside of the scientific world, there is no wright or wrong, just varying degrees of opinion.
pickles4all 3 years ago 4
Back to the point....
Among other things, to be British means to be White. A non-White will never be British, the same way that a non-Asian will never be Chinese. Nationalities are not frivolous clubs that one can join on a whim, nor do they have anything to do with where you were born. Your nationality is determined by your ancestors of the past few thousand years. Language and culture are learned traits, but you can't change your blood.
pickles4all 3 years ago 3
But you weren't trying to prove a point; you made an inflamatory statement which I felt compelled to degrade. My language could have been better, but then so could yours.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
Now that you HAVE put forward an argument I can engage you on it;
You call nationality purely on colour; the crux of your argument being that, genes (as opposed to culture, or where you were born) is the most important factor in deciding nationality.
One of the many problems with this view is firstly that it assumes that we have pure ancestory back through the ages. Migration has been occuring for thousands of years.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
Scandanavian and Roman invasions had a huge effect on the British population; and people of African decent have been within the population for hundreds of years. The chances are we all have a black ancestor within the last ten generations. But under your arguement that would make us all not-British.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
But then your not saying that are you? Your arguement is that; if your not white, your not British. But then who has got the right to be British? If we go on looks alone the only people who could be called 'British' are those with Celtic red hair and fair skins. But of course even then if we were to go even further back to the last ice-age, the first people to arrive in Britain probably came up from South Europe and Africa. In a word, they were black.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
BUT my ultimate problem with your arguement is the assumption that someone can have ancestors streching back multiple generations in this country, have been born and brought up here, know the language and the people, and never had any other home but Britain; and you would call them non-British.
See my ultimate problem with you is that your arguements arn't based on logic at all, but on intollerance and bigotry. And I can't argue against that; I can only defend against it.
GrandNarrative 3 years ago
Your argument isn't logical either. Let me give you an example...
Lets say you are about to enter a room with 2 strangers. You know nothing about either of them except one of them is Korean. You walk into the room and see that they are both White. At this point we both know you'd be confused because you were expecting to see an Asian. It's not racist if it's a natural assumption.
I dare you to clearly define the difference between a British and Chinese person without using physical attributes.
pickles4all 3 years ago 2
Idiots like you are the reason this world is full of fighting and hate.
What about people who were born in Britain and have lived there all their life, and just happen to be a different colour? If they aren't British, then what are they? Martain?
You really are the epitomy of pathetic if you think a little thing like skin colour is important. Racist twat.
foreverkate 3 years ago
I think it is hard to define what Britishness is, but that the idea of an allegiance is to protect the values of the majority in society. As someone said before, it is protecting the liberal ideas of our forefathers and stopping people from changing our values and laws to suit their own cultural and religious norms. People who come here should be proud to be British and not try and change our country into a replica of their country of origin. If you dont love your country why be here?
Purplchick 3 years ago
Good points.
You're also really cute.
Alexbaddy 3 years ago
You are a stupid lefty. Stop chatting shit and stop making boring videos. Of course pledging an oath doesn't mean you'll have to go and fight.
And yes I would like to pledge an oath of loyalty.
gianluca25999 3 years ago
Change the title to swearing to be English!
Fool.