So the Girls Guides will swap “develop my beliefs” for “to love my God”, and replace “my country” with “my community” in the Guide Promise. I’m guessing that the words “To do my duty” that I remember from the Boy Scout Promise, went years ago? The latest changes are the result, almost inevitably, of widespread consultation. it is an almost certainty that if you ask enough people for an opinion you will end up diluting if not destroying the meaning and power of the piece of writing in question. Death by committee is a familiar disease, dullness by consultation must come a close second. This is yet another sacrifice of words of beauty and simplicity for phrases of convolution strangling our English language into something close to corporate-speak in the name of political-correctness. I may have missed something, but my memories of the history and origins of scouting and guiding are that doing our duty to God, Queen and Country were all fundamental tenets of the organisations and the mantras of their founder. Robert Baden-Powell saw the scouts as a totally inclusive, to use a horrible modernism, organisation transcending class, colour and creed. But he also saw it fundamentally as an organisation which served (and there is another contentious word) God. Not only the Christian God. but any God. It was not seen as a place for the god-less. This and the allegiance to flag and crown is surely why other rival organisations, not least the socialist inspired Woodcraft Folk were formed. I’m not wild about any of these, or any other changes, just to pander to consensus in this or any other organisation. I believe that people and organisations should hold true to their beliefs (or even the lack of them). But there you are “belief” is another of those apparently judgemental words I should think. Of these changes however, I object less to the odd phrase about developing beliefs, whatever that might mean, than to the substitution of community for country. If this were to change surely the commitment should be to a bigger and not to a smaller entity. I would buy changing it to “the world” or to “all the Peoples of the world.” In these globalised and less nationalistic times, maybe such a change would be appropriate, but to narrow it down to “my community” is surely nothing other than divisive? That’s consultation for you – plumping for the line of least resistance. I regret that these changes make the aspirations and commitments for Girl Guides so narrow.
