The British Motto?

Whilst listening to BBC Radio 2 on the way to work the other day Sarah Kennedy was commenting on the fact that our illustrious Prime Minister has suggested we should develop a 5 word motto (see earlier video report) that accurately reflects all that is great about our Country, a difficult task? Sarah quipped that perhaps an apt suggestion would be... What's In It For Me!

However, back in September Brown denied a British Motto Plan a government spokesman said the prime minister was investigating a longer "statement of values" which could be used as part of any future "Bill ofRights". Once again our politicians believe the way to promote ourselves is to be more like Americans. Why is it they usually believe they rule the world and we, more often than not, appear to follow them blindly? The debate about a motto prompted a series of suggestions from BBC News website readers, including; "Unity in individuality", "Mustn't grumble" and "Smile! You're on CCTV". In September the BBC News Magazine gave readers the opportunity to offer suitable suggestions and published 1,000 mottos for the UK in their 'Friday Challenge feature'. Some suggestions from the list that appealed to me included;

• Quidvis: (Latin, 'whatever')
• Britain: Good old-fashioned newness
• Working Towards Doing Some Work
• Englnd - lnd of Wllm Shkspr
• Si non confectus, reficiat" (If it ain't broke, fix it anyway)
• UK: Obesité, Apathé, Hostilité.
• UK - it's outside London
• The land of political correctness
• Be British: Everyone else is! - 20,00 Asylum Seekers can't be wrong
• Fine the easy target, feed the non-taxpayer
• Now known simply as 'Britain' - we all helped it lose the 'Great'
• The United Kingdom - a subsidiary of the United States
• Do what you want, when you want!
• You can't touch me, I know my rights!
• Leave. Before that is banned too.
• We are always surpassed at that which we create
• Anyone welcome no passport necessary
• Self,self,self. Me,me,me.
• Britain - This Septic Isle
• This is Britain; what would you like?
• Why do today, what a migrant can do tomorrow?

One contributor probably summed up the contributions when he wrote; "in the first instance we are not a United Kingdom. We have a Scottish Parliament (trying to be independent) a Welsh Assembly wanting more power to be individual, a Mayor of London (enough said!) and heaven knows how many local authority kwangos etc controlling our lives. Then there is the EU!! So we can only have one motto: "United we stand divided we fall" - Watch this space!!

What's your motto?