Elena is British

On Tuesday 18 January 2005, with six others achieving the same, Elena made the oath now required by law for her to become a British Citizen. This took place at Scunthorpe Register Office with the Deputy Lord Mayor, the Superintendent Registrar and the Registrar. This confers to Elena all the civic rights any other British Citizen enjoys. She retains Russian citizenship as well.

Adrian would not be comfortable making such an oath to the Queen. I (Adrian) am republican by sympathy, and the British should not be subject to anyone. Furthermore the order of the some of the words in the explanation - "Government, Parliament, people" - is the wrong way around. The people give authority to Parliament which is the highest court in the land, and government is should be no more than a mechanism. But this making an oath a matter of law comes from an authoritarian period in the Home Office, the tenure of David Blunkett, and a period of loss of liberties held by the people. Far from asking these people to uphold "democratic values" (what happened to liberty?) it is the government that should be upholding them.

 

Adrian Worsfold

Pluralist - Liberal and Thoughtful