British Motto Search

It seems our friends on the other side of the pond have an image problem. Or, rather, a national identity problem. They've begun a drive to find a national motto. Quoting from this Christian Science Monitor article:

Remarkably, for a country with such a rich history and distinctive national traits, there have been no formal mottos to describe the British mission statement. Until now.

 

Keen to redefine an increasingly diverse nation and its values, the government has launched a quest for a national maxim. Meant to be "truly representative," the motto will be arrived at by 1,000 members of the British public. This week, the BBC and the Times newspaper jump-started the process by soliciting suggestions on their websites.

The article continues with some mottos that were submitted by the public that were a bit "not on" (...as the British would say):

• Once Great: Britain
• Americans who missed the boat
• At least we're not French

Never one to pass up a great chance to poke fun at the lunacy of another country's government, I thought my submission would be "truly representative" and quite appropriate:

 

 

Any bets on whether the motto chosen by the British government will sound at all Orwellian? Something like "Security through Surveillance."