St George for England!
@owlwings (43897)
Cambridge, England
April 23, 2009 12:29pm CST
I received the following from a friend today:
"[b]Today is St. George's Day, the patron saint of England (among
many other places). The Irish gleefully enjoy their St. Patrick's
Day celebrations, the Scots mark St. Andrew's Day in fine style
and the Welsh make merry in honor of St. David. All perfectly
reasonable and socially acceptable days for national pride to
come to the fore for 24 hours.
But for some reason, we English have allowed the politically
correct brigade to make us feel that celebrating England's day is
somehow insulting to our neighbors and to the many diverse ethnic
groups who live within our borders.
What rot!
I'm proud to be English and don't see any reason why my being so
is in any way offensive or insulting to anyone. after all, I
don't seek to prevent anyone else from celebrating their national
identity.
For some reason, the last 20 or 30 years has seen a concerted
movement to make English people consider themselves to be
'British', while at the same time encouraging the Scots, Welsh
and Irish to feel less so.
Even flying the flag of England (a red cross on a white
background) is seen as undesirable from official quarters.
A government directive to councils recently said that if an
official building in England has two flag poles, it is okay to
fly the English flag on St. George's Day, but if there is only
one flagpole, then the Union Jack must be flown.
Odd then that the opposite instruction has been given to Scottish
and Welsh local councils. For them, flying their national flags
on their national days is seen as a good thing, however many flag
poles they have.
I'm informed that many English councils are planning to openly
disobey their governmental masters today. I hope they do.
Today is England's Day - so let's eat fish and chips or steak and
kidney pudding and raise a glass of warm flat beer...
... "To England, and St. George!"
[/b]"
Do you think the English have a right to be as proud of their Patron Saint as our neighbours or do you think it smacks of jingoism, racism and everything that is bad about national pride?
2 people like this
9 responses
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
23 Apr 09
It's only dragonism - the RSPCD should definitely have a stall at outr local St George's Day parade. Remember - a Dragon is for life, not just for Hogswatch!
Seriously, Terry Pratchett aside of course it's not PC. But then neither is PC's ripping their buttons off so they can beat up G20 protestors.
Britain is turning into a police state. More and more I feel I'm living in a Stalinist community. So, all hail to my local borough and its decision to hold a St George's day parade with all the trimmings - including the 'crowning' of a fully bedcked St George, complete with papier mache dragon's head!
All hail, Horley Town Council!
But St George's day was today, was it? Damn, I thought it was Saturday. Wondered why they were taking all the bunting down ...
2 people like this
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
24 Apr 09
Actually, I haven't missed. It is this Saturday after all.
The bunting was coming down cos it fell down. They're putting it back up as I type.
Tsk, damn English workmanship ...
2 people like this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
24 Apr 09
Your wet and weedy council appear to be intent on sanitizing St George's Day, just like the Government did with Whit Monday years ago.
St George's Day is (and always has been) 23rd April, bunting or no bunting. Anyone who 'officializes' it by celebrating it on the 'nearest Saturday' is seriously missing the point ... it will be just an excuse to show people what a great council you have that can organise a holiday on a SATURDAY (and make sure that lots of stall holders will pay them lots of money for the privilege of depriving the good citizens of lots more!)
Bunting, indeed! I could tell you who needs bunting! (And as far down the street as they can be bunted!)
1 person likes this
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
24 Apr 09
Did I mention there will be a second-hand book stall? Probably selling all the English history books that have been deleted from the school library.
1 person likes this
@anniefannie (1737)
• United States
24 Apr 09
I think that you should be proud of your country.We can't do things here either ,we might insult all of the forigns that have moved here.I do I stand up for what I believe if they don't like it they can go back to their old homes.
1 person likes this
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
24 Apr 09
Hear hear!
Mind you, most of my friends from "for'n parts" do make a huge attempt to integrate. My son works for a lovely Asian man who pays him a decent wage for delivering the papers each week. The hindi couple who lived next door till recently got a Christmas card from me, even though they don't celebrate, and on it I put "I couldn't leave my neighbours out -" hoping they'd notice I'd deliberately chosen something suitably Divwalian (hope the spelling's right!) They gave us a box of chocolates with, "Happy Christmas" on, together with a thankyou note. My farewell gift to them was the biggest easter egg I could afford, cos I KNEW she was as big a chocolate eater as me.
But then my son and daughter got sworn at by two disgusting old English people (well known to the area "peace wardens") who came out of their house while they were clearing out my old car. This couple are fat, lazy, totally racist and make me sick to my stomach. They don't like Asians and resent my son working for one. I look at people like that and I think, "You know, there are times when there's a case for compulsory euthanasia of the old ..."
Still, I'm getting them an ASBO which is something.
1 person likes this
@nannacroc (4049)
•
23 Apr 09
I think it's time we English started to be proud of our heritage and identity. Over the past few years it has become difficult to do anything associated with being English for fear of offending others. The great thing about the English is that we are a very tolerant race but it seems no-one wants to tolerate us having our own sense of identity.
There was a big St Georges day celebration in Coventry today so their council have realised it's not a racist issue more should do that.
1 person likes this
@nannacroc (4049)
•
23 Apr 09
Neither have I, probably because there are houses now where there used to be trees and countryside. At least there is where I live.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
28 Nov 15
What I find most appalling is that most English people know when St Patrick's Day is, but the majority do not know what 23rd April is.
No politically correct brigade will ever succeed in deterring me from being openly English and proud of it. If I visited the USA on 4th July I would not object to their celebrations for Independence, so anyone living in England must accept our customs and traditions.
1 person likes this
@cbhomework (545)
• Malta
24 Apr 09
Thanks for telling me on how many saints the BRITISH feast and are merry about!! I think that there is nothing wrong with displaying the English flag and also I don't see anything wrong in displaying the Union Jack. After all Great Britain is made of different countries, amongst which England. (If I am not mistaken your number plates have only GB on them.)
Official buildings have to have other poles. We have to display our flag an the EU flag, so why not have space for Union Jack and English, Welsh and all the other flags.
Happy belated St George's!
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
25 Apr 09
I see no reason why we should not celebrate being English if we want to. I was really pleased to see that at least two local pubs did something for St. George's Day. I went to the local with my OH. We had fish and chips and he drank warm English traditional ale (unfortunately I couldn't because it was before work!). As you rightly point out, the rest of the UK are positively encouraged to celbrate their identity so why is it seen as racist to be English? Where I live, there is a large Scottish community and, while they don't seem to bother so much with their Saint's day, they have had a Burns Night celebration for years. Then, we have an extremely small Irish community here but up the road in the City there is a large Irish community but it seems the celebrations all filter through to here as well and English, Scottish and Welsh all come out for St. Patrick's Day. Personally, I find that racist. I.E. Being told in my own country that I am racist to be proud of my nationality but that there is apparently something wrong with those who choose not to celebrate someone else's National Day because I don't share their nationality.
The whole of the rest of the world are encouraged to celebrate their culture, religion, nationality, etc. while in England but, as you say, English people are being pushed to call ourselves British. I am not British, I am English and it really annoys me when people interchange Britain, UK and England as if they are all the same thing.
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
25 Apr 09
When researching our family tree, we do not mark a particular ancestor as British; he or she is noted as English, Scottish, or Irish. Maybe that is because the push to combine all those who live in the British Isles is rather recent in history.
I don't know if my situation is a parallel or not. If I'm asked where I live, I'll say "Texas". If anyone should not know about Texas, I might explain in this manner, "I am an American, a citizen of the United States, and I reside in the state of Texas. At one time in our history, Texas was a separate country, no longer a part of Mexico and not yet a part of the United States. I don't know anyone who would deny Texas bragging rights. I read once that the outline of the state of Texas is one of the most widely recognized shapes anywhere in the world.
I say, "Viva St. George's Day."
@suzzy3 (8341)
•
24 Apr 09
To be honest I find it flipping awful the way we have to deny everything British because we might offend everyone elses culture.I have no objection to anybody else what ever their culture or beliefs more diverse the better thats what I think.It also cause's me much displeasure that people come to our country and object to our customs one being christmas I did hear reports that some primary schools that some people from other nations did not want their children being mixed up with our custom of making christmas cards,saying happy chrismas ,singing carols.ect So why do these mothers live in our country,or send their children to English schools if they don't want them to join in and have fun.why should our children miss the fun because someone from another country with a different religion does not agree with what we do.If we were to visit their country and object to their religion and customs they would soon ask us to leave and quite rightly too.It is not just St Georges day it is happening everywhere in everyway.The majority of people entering our country will find a way around our customs and or join in,so why do the few awkward people expect us to change for them.Another way of putting it is why do all these politicaly correct idiots make problems that are not there.xx
