Are we even allow to celebrate this anymore ? I would love to, but I don't want to risk offending the majority in London these days (Poles, Lithuanians, Romanian beggars, Muslims) not to mention Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, of course. A very sad state of affairs where the charade of "multiculturalism" results in you being unable to celebrate your own pride in your own nationality in your home city.
I am celebrating Today with a trip to my local Indian Restaurant, then off in my German car to an Italian Wine bar. There I will drink a French bottle of wine and raise a glass to St George and this green and pleasant land.
I'm celebrating. And I don't give a **** who I offend. England is - RAF Tangmere Elgar Battle Abbey The Valley Sussex Downs Constable Carry On films Wayland's Smithy Magna Carta Winchester Cathedral Modern England does nothing but leave me disappointed.
Are people not celebrating? My Facebook is full of St George posts, my local is doing an event and my office has a flag up. Agree in years gone by its been ignored, but I think that's now changing.
Many English are fearful of losing their identity, hence the rise of UKIP. The flags used to come out for World Cups, but folk are now looking to assert their patriotism at every opportunity. Personally, I'm a raving nationalist at all times.
Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is there about St. George to celebrate? I've never had the slightest wish to celebrate St. Andrew's Day because there's nothing much there to celebrate. On the other hand, Robert Burns was a wonderful poet, and I usually hold a Burns' Night celebration, along with my mostly English friends. Incidentally it's a great pity that his poetry isn't taught in English schools- we had to do Chaucer in Kilmarnock, after all. I'm not having a dig at St. George, I genuinely don't see what there was about him that anyone would want to celebrate. Not that I've got anything against celebrations- a few of us had a day in Chichester in 1982 to celebrate the sacking of Andy Nelson, and it was a superb day out.
Edward III, who reigned from 1327 to 1377 was influenced by the stories of returning crusaders telling of Saint George's bravery. When Edward III founded the Order of the Garter, England’s order of knights, he made Saint George its patron of the stories the crusaders told him - George never once set foot on English soil.
Nope! But I must admit we also have the world's worst poet in William McGonagall, after whom Miss McGonagall (Harry Potter) was named. Try reading his "The Tay Bridge Disaster" if you want to know what really bad poetry is like.
Isn't it about time we modernise it? I'm proud of our culture and rich history and what we as a nation have achieved. Maybe we should celebrate that instead.
I don't think we are celebrating St George, we are celebrating the right to hold onto what it is to be English which has been eroded over the years. St George's day has just become a focal point to exercise our right to be English without being called racist or xenophobic. Other Countries have no problem celebrating their National day, why should we not be rejoicing in our Englishness. We are so afraid to be patriotic in case we upset someone.
