WATCH: Scottish MP Lara Bird mogs ‘royal’ oath with crossed fingers

Scottish MP Lara Bird bested the archaic royal oath of allegiance with what look like crossed fingers when she was sworn into Parliament this week.

Crossing one’s fingers when making a promise means that the would-be promiser has no intention of sincerely holding that promise. Bird therefore smartly worked her way around the anachronistic ‘pledge of allegiance’ to the Windsors.

This amounts to what Gen-Z and Gen-A would call a ‘mogging’ of the British crown. And too right — MPs are elected to serve us all, not just one wealthy family. It’s time more MPs did the same.

In making her ‘royal’ oath, Bird said:

I take this oath only so that I can serve the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry. My first allegiance is, and always will be, the sovereign people of Scotland.

Lara Bird shares ceremony alongside other MPs

The SNP’s new MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry was sworn in alongside the Tories’ new MP for Aberdeen South. Plus, Andy Burnham, now MP for Makerfield.

Lara Bird won her seat with a 5,000 majority over the Conservatives in second place. She won after the previous MP was elected as a MSP in May, creating the rare triple by-election day on 18 June. Unlike Makerfield’s remarkably high voter turnout at 58%, the Arbroath seat saw only 31% voters participate.

However, the SNP lost by almost 6,000 to the Tories in Aberdeen South. Some credit the Tories’ Aberdeen win with their full-tilt capitulation to the established fossil fuel interests in that key geographic area.

Politico called the Tories’ win the result of a “relentless North Sea oil campaign“. Meanwhile, Britain is just this week experiencing its worst, most relentless heatwave in a long time — potentially ever.

Featured image via the Independent

By Cameron Baillie