‘Being British’: pride,
passports and princes
I
n February 2004, 19 immigrants received
British passports in a ceremony in which they
took an oath of allegiance to the Queen as
head of state. The Prince of Wales handed out
certificates, congratulating those receiving them.
‘Being British’, declared the Prince, ‘is something
of a blessing and a privilege for us all’. He hoped
that the ceremony added something to the
significance of acquiring British citizenship, and
‘that it’s reinforced your belief, if indeed any
reinforcement is required, that you belong here
and are very welcome’. He added that ‘being a
British citizen becomes a great source of pride
and comfort for the rest of your life’. Guardian
journalists in September 2003 found that when
they questioned nine British citizens about key
aspects of British life, the average score was just
37 per cent. Only a third of the sample could
name the Home Secretary and knew what NHS
Direct was, about 10 per cent knew what the
national minimum wage was, and none knew
what the basic rate of income tax was.
- Everyone agrees that British citizens should be
able to speak English, but what other duties
should someone fulfil in order to become a
British citizen? Should they have a basic
knowledge about British history, its political
institutions and its society?
- Should would-be British citizens have to take
an oath of allegiance to the Queen? What if
they are republican-minded, or feel as Jews,
Catholics, Muslims, atheists, Hindus, Sikhs,
etc. that the head of the state as an Anglican
cannot be said to represent them?
- Should citizens have to vote in elections?
Should they be expected to do community
service at some stage? Should they receive as
citizens a basic income from the government?
- Does citizenship require people to be involved
in their locality and region? Should they
also be concerned with developments in
the European Union? Should they regard
themselves as citizens of the world?
Prince Charles at a citizenship ceremony
© Christinne Muschi/Reuters/Corbis
