That most time-consuming of the traditional rituals surrounding the UK Parliament, the swearing in of all the MPs, has become an emblem of the changing shape of British society. A ceremony originally designed for exclusion - to keep out religious and political undesirables - has become a display of diversity, writes Stephen Tomkins.
Where 200 years ago all MPs would swear allegiance to the Crown in English, on the Authorised Version of the Bible, today they swear and affirm, in English, Welsh, Gaelic and Cornish, on (or ignoring) an array of scriptures, including the Koran, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Hebrew Bible, and the Christian scriptures in various languages and in Protestant and Catholic editions.
One MP on Tuesday asked for the Book of Mormon, and the clerk seemed willing to go and have a root around for one, until it turned out he was joking. MPs are even offered the opportunity to swear on the New Testament alone, an option of which George Osborne availed himself.
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| The late Tony Banks crossed his fingers while he took the oath |
1 comment:
Fingers crossed they don't catch me?
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