On my mind

THERE is too much swearing going on in the Welsh Parliament.

That’s the view of Plaid Cymru AM Bethan Sayed who argues that Welsh AMs should have the option of pledging allegiance to the people of Wales, rather than to the Queen.

They cannot take their seats unless they swear an oath or make an affirmation to the Crown, unlike members of the Northern Ireland Assembly for whom there is no requirement.

In 2004 Leanne Wood was asked to leave the chamber after referring to the Queen as “Mrs Windsor”. She was, of course, totally out of order. What she should have said was Frau Saxe-CoburgGotha, the original family name of the royal family until it didn’t really go down well in the war (erm… Germans, etc.).

At the time one Labour AM called it a ‘cheap shot’, which obviously missed the target since here we are again with the same absurd issue of grown up politicians in a Welsh democracy playing games of swearing allegiance to an unelected head of state who lives in six houses in England. You couldn’t make it up.

This time round a Conservative AM warned against “rocking the boat”, no doubt a reference to the decommissioned royal yacht that some would love to see float out of its berth in Edinburgh.

By the way, if you happen to come across a member of the royal family, the traditional protocol is that your bow should involve bending from the neck or shoulders while briefly lowering your eyes, and in your curtsey briefly bend your knees with one foot forward. Try not to fall over.

One little problem rarely mentioned is that the monarch is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England yet the Good Book prohibits any oathtaking. Hoppla (German for oops).

Follow Graham on Twitter@GeeTDee