Blaise Tapp: Some suggestions for an oath of allegiance

Following the shocking murder of mum and MP Jo Cox there was a brief cessation of hostilities towards our elected representatives then Brexit happened a week later and all promises of a new, respectful politics evaporated into the post referendum dawn.

It was a sadly predictable return to form and hardly surprising when folk on both sides of the argument blamed our woes on a political culture, one which has spawned a kind of production line for identikit politicians who are fluent in double speak.

Of course there are some first class politicians out there, but this doesn’t hide the fact that those at the heart of our democratic process are woefully short on ideas. It is often said that there are six basic templates for a joke and I would argue that there are even fewer genuinely new political policies out there.

One of the great modern day perennials is the question of citizenship. In recent years, Cabinet Ministers have periodically banged on about the need for more Britons to embrace British values and have done this through the introduction of citizenship education and repeated calls for the need for greater integration by those who choose to make these islands their new home.

Predictably, this Government has decided now is the time to give this particular ball another kick and this time Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary, has called for both those who want move to this country as well as civil servants to take an oath of allegiance.