British values oath proposed for public office holders

[Andy_Ross]

Civil servants and other holders of public office should swear an oath to British values, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has said.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Javid said people could not play a "positive role" in public life unless they accepted basic values.

These included democracy, equality and freedom of speech, he said.

Mr Javid's proposals would mean every new recruit in the public sector, including councillors, school governors and civil servants would be expected to commit to the oath, which may have to be read out loud before starting the role.

This could extend to those working in the NHS and the BBC.

The new oath could include "tolerating the views of others even if you disagree with them", "believing in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from abuse", "a belief in equality, democracy and the democratic process" and "respect for the law, even if you think the law is an ass," Mr Javid writes.

Sod that! it's not very British.
Who decides what's in the oath?
What about all the people already in jobs? would they have to say it?
Would they be fired if they didn't?
Would it include a signed decleration?

He can stuff his oath.

 

[marplots]

I wouldn't trust anyone who wouldn't say such an oath.

Especially if they were British.

 

[Seismosaurus]

What a silly idea.

And very un-British itself. There's irony for you.

 

[Aepervius]

I wouldn't trust anyone who wouldn't say such an oath.

Especially if they were British.

Such oath are useless. Remember , people can outright lie through their teeth for such oath, and nothing can be done about it : there is no penalty really beside what the law foresee for illegal acts, so at best it is only a utter waste of time, theater which brings nothing, in fact a waste of money.

The fact that some people think it means *anything* and would want it, is a tragedy for rationality.

 

[Porpoise of Life]

A very cunning plan.
There is no way that someone willing to betray their values for personal gain would be able to lie when saying an oath.
It's water tight.

 

[ceptimus]

Typical of the sort of drivel that Sajid Javid always spouts.

 

[The Don]

I hope that if he insists that all NHS employees take the oath on pain of sacking, everyone refuses to take the oath.

It sounds like something from pre-war Germany

 

[theprestige]

I don't understand. What's the problem he's trying to solve?

 

[David RP]

The new oath could include "tolerating the views of others even if you disagree with them", "believing in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from abuse", "a belief in equality, democracy and the democratic process" and "respect for the law, even if you think the law is an ass," Mr Javid writes

 

[The Don]

I don't understand. What's the problem he's trying to solve?

He's trying to show that he's not one of "those" Muslims.

Trying to stop members of minorities from becoming segregated by forcing people to take an oath otherwise they won't be allowed to be part of the UK mainstream sounds to me like "the beatings will continue until morale improves"

 

[fromdownunder]

Such oath are useless. Remember , people can outright lie through their teeth for such oath, and nothing can be done about it : there is no penalty really beside what the law foresee for illegal acts, so at best it is only a utter waste of time, theater which brings nothing, in fact a waste of money.

The fact that some people think it means *anything* and would want it, is a tragedy for rationality.

That was my first thought as I read the Header. When I took my son to the USA, I had to sign a piece of paper saying that I was not a Communist. Meh! I was going to Disneyland, and taking an 11 year old kid, and would have signed anything to get us there.

Norm

 

[Strawberry]

They'll have to make Northern Ireland exempt from that one, we're not swearing any oaths to Britain or its values.

 

[Aepervius]

That was my first thought as I read the Header. When I took my son to the USA, I had to sign a piece of paper saying that I was not a Communist. Meh! I was going to Disneyland, and taking an 11 year old kid, and would have signed anything to get us there.

Norm

I had to sign a paper that I did not work under the stasi and various other imbecilities.
No kidding.

ETA: that was back in 2004 in case someone question this it was on a single page form I got in the plane we had to fill in with stupid question , I only remember the stasi one, but the other were as stupid like " are you planning to kill the president " kind of stupidity.

 

[Archie Gemmill Goal]

Had to laugh at a tory complaining that we were on the edge of losing our common decency as he tries to force through another pathetic attempt to point fingers at anyone who seems a bit foreign or doesnt share his narrow blinkered views.

 

[Garrison]

ETA: that was back in 2004 in case someone question this it was on a single page form I got in the plane we had to fill in with stupid question , I only remember the stasi one, but the other were as stupid like " are you planning to kill the president " kind of stupidity.

Yeah that last question may get a lot harder to answer truthfully in future...

 

[sts60]

Such oath are useless. Remember , people can outright lie through their teeth for such oath, and nothing can be done about it : there is no penalty really beside what the law foresee for illegal acts, so at best it is only a utter waste of time, theater which brings nothing, in fact a waste of money.

Not completely. In the last extreme, the King (or Queen) could seek the oathbreakers by secret ways under the mountains, and bind them to his service, whelming the Corsairs and taking their ships, thus achieving complete surprise in a surprise attack to succor Gondor.

 

[Craig B]

They'll have to make Northern Ireland exempt from that one, we're not swearing any oaths to Britain or its values.

It's causing problems in Scotland too. From the Times

Officially the Scottish government has said that it would look at any formal proposals “in due course” but privately Scottish ministers were scornful of what they described as a “deliberate distraction”.

A source close to the SNP administration said the UK government was “just throwing another dead cat on the table”, a reference to the theory that if politicians want to distract attention from their problems, they introduce something symbolic and highly controversial.​

I am astounded by the idea of having to swear on oath that fairness and decency are specially definable as "British" values. Presumably they would be unknown to those Scottish barbarians who voted Yes in the Indyref, or to Johnnie Foreigner and his ilk who exist in huge swarms in the EU. Or to the NI dissidents who hold a passport from the Republic. As hopefully I will do soon myself, courtesy of my County Antrim born grandmother. I can take no more of this preposterous nonsense.

 

[Lothian]

"The new oath could include "tolerating the views of others even if you disagree with them", "believing in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from abuse", "a belief in equality, democracy and the democratic process" and "respect for the law, even if you think the law is an ass,"

What if the view of others is the lack of belief in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from abuse, equality, democracy and the democratic process and respect for the law. Do we still tolerate them or do we get stuck in a vicious cycle of contradiction?

 

[Craig B]

"The new oath could include "tolerating the views of others even if you disagree with them", "believing in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from abuse", "a belief in equality, democracy and the democratic process" and "respect for the law, even if you think the law is an ass,"

What if the view of others is the lack of belief in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from abuse, equality, democracy and the democratic process and respect for the law. Do we still tolerate them or do we get stuck in a vicious cycle of contradiction?

How can you swear an oath to "believe" in something, however admirable it may be? One can only swear to do, or abstain from doing, some action or another. "Belief" can't be acquired or experienced through the swearing of an oath.

 

[Darat]

Means we can get rid of most of the UKIP members, send them back!