Series 02: Alan Gibson Stewart papers, 1987-1989 - Page 277
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allegence to Her Majesty, required of all members by law. First, Wran administered the affirmation to himself. Ferguson also took the affirmation while Renshaw chose the oath on the bible. Then the rest of us took our turn, walking up to the table as our electorates were called in alphabetical order by the clerk.
Wran quickly handed me a bible. Without hesitation, I held it up and took the oath of loyalty to Queen Elizabeth the Second, and her heirs and successors; despite my private qualms about royalty and a dislike of any public test of religious affinity.
About a third of the ALP members gave the affirmation; the rest took the oath. Almost all of the opposition took the oath. The division in belief seemed to occur between the left and right Labor factions.
Religious bias ran deep in the ALP. I later discovered that the Left was suspicious of me because I had gone to a Catholic school and because a religious picture had been seen in my mother-in-law's house on the night of the election. On learning about these deductions, I protested that I was really the product of the Jesuits--as had been many notable dissidents, including Fidel Castro. My radical friends did not seem impressed.