With the NSW Carr government legislating to remove the Oath that NSW politicians swear to The Queen, it seems that politicians in Europe too want to undermine and even destroy the Oath of Allegiance to the Sovereign.
According to a proposal reported by Anthony Browne in The Times on 2 September, 2005 immigrants to Britain will have to swear an oath of allegiance to EU laws and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.
According to The Times, Franco Frattini, the European Commissioner for Justice and Security, proposed an “oath of faithfulness” requiring all immigrants to the EU to swear allegiance to the union.
He said: “One can get every immigrant to somehow declare they will respect national law, EU law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.”
The Charter goes considerably further than the old European Convention on Human Rights, offering, for example, the right to parental leave if you adopt a child, the right to continuous training, the right to social security benefits and the right to strike.
But it has no legal force because it was part of the European constitution, which was rejected by French and Dutch voters.
The UK Labour Government now requires immigrants to swear allegiance to the Queen and British democracy. Ironically, it was the Keating Labor Government which stopped immigrants to Australia from swearing allegiance to The Queen, even if they want to. The Howard government has not restored the Oath of Allegiance.
The Times says that the proposed Oath of Allegiance to the EU could be in addition to or in place of the oath to the Queen.
It would be subject to negotiation, but the UK Government cannot veto it because it gave up its national veto on EU immigration law last year!
The Times says Britain does have an opt-out, but it would have to reject the entire package of immigration measures.
The Times quoted a government spokesman as saying: “Questions of citizenship should be organised by member states nationally.”
And an EU diplomat said of the proposal: “It’s loony.”
Timothy Kirkhope, the leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament, and former immigration minister, said: “I am amazed. You can laugh, but it worryingly shows the views of people who should know better. I swore an oath of allegiance to the Queen. I am not going to take kindly to an Italian gentleman telling me to swear allegiance to unelected people, or to swear allegiance to something I don’t agree with — a unified European state.”
Mike Nattrass, deputy leader of the UK Independence Party, said: “An allegiance to something with no single culture, no agreed history, no common language and packed with fraud and corruption? The EU must be joking.”
The Times reports that the European Commission has been greatly expanding its powers over immigration and asylum policy since the surrender of national vetos last year.The latest package is aimed at increasing the rate of deportation of illegal immigrants, while promoting their rights. Last year 650,000 illegal immigrants were ordered to leave the EU, but only 212,000 did so. According to EU figures, Britain told 70,000 to leave, but only 18,000 went.
And finally, we should note that one of the NSW politicians admitted in Parliament that he had committed perjury.
Until next time,
David Flint