St George's Day

[essayel]

And we have no plans at all to make the rivers run any colour other than the ones they are supposed to be and beer is sacrosanct! Let's face it, nobody bothers with the day. I've heard them talking about Shakespeare's birthday being today and enjoyed the catty debate between Sir Roy Strong and Professor HisNameEscapesMe [it was early] over whether the Cobb portrait is actually Will or some other dead white guy. But nobody has said "It's St George's Day. Wear your rose with pride!"

This is a bit sad. But understandable. Taking a pride in being English is so easy to twist into an assumption that one is sneering at everyone else. You can wear a "Glad to be Irish" tee shirt and nobody thinks anything of it but any statement that you're proud to be English invites accusations that you're proud of the Highland clearances, the Irish potato famine, the sacking of Orleans and - oh God - almost anything to do with Africa, India or China. Which is a daft thing to say because every country has it's murky history of things that make you rage or cringe or weep and all we can do is say we're sorry and try not to do it again.

But ACTUALLY there are things we are proud of:

Warm beer - it's not really warm, just at room temperature and since our rooms tend to the cold that means nice and refreshing without making your teeth ache.

The National Health Service - including dentistry. Our teeth may not be brilliant white and even as park railings but I'm not scared to make an appointment on financial grounds. And if I get anything else wrong with me I know I can join the queue and get it seen to without remortgaging. That's such a comfort.

Driving on the left - It keeps the sword hand to the middle of the road and the shield hand to the side in case of ambush. Okay, it's an old reason but it IS a reason.

Common law - which means it's still technically illegal to play any game on Sunday other than archery and one shouldn't leave a taxi cab unattended in case the horse wanders off. Also there's this thing called 'precedent' so our lawyers have to know ALL that instead of just looking at the list of laws.

Temperate climate - not too hot, not too cold generally with occasional exciting anomalies. We also tend not to get tornadoes, hurricanes or earth quakes. Take a fleece and enjoy the wonderful soft misty light.

Radio 4's "Today" programme : they just played a clip from the Spithead review in about 1955 where some drunken naval Lt-Commander claimed 'the entire fleet's lit up - we're in Fairyland'.

History - we have MASSES of it! So much we tend to ignore it most of the time. But it's there if we need it to remind us we're nothing special.

Folklore - Black Shucks, Old Hob, Red Cap, Boggarts may be in short supply these electrical days but there are people keeping the traditions alive. Like the Morris, for instance. People might poke fun at them and yes some of the high stepping hanky waving types are a bit - earnest. But there are others tapping into older traditions. Like this lot:

They might not be to everyone's taste but I'm very glad they are there.

okay /national pride, I'll go back to being slightly apologetic

Comments

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I think the national guilt may be wearing off a bit these days. At least, our local Clinton is now carrying flags and hats with the St.George's cross. My daughters are all 'but my friend wore a hat covered in shamrocks for St.Patrick's day, so why shouldn't I wear a rose?' I think on the whole it's probably a good thing, as long as we don't go to the extremes of thinking that we really should rule the world again :D

[essayel.livejournal.com]

That's such good news and I'm very glad to hear it. I'd have to be a little discreet here in Wales [I have been told to 'go back where you came from and let a proper Welsh person have your job'] but recognition for the day is surely only fair.

Too right about the hubris. We should wear our roses for the future not for the past.

[aunty_marion]

On my way back from the doctor's this morning, I saw a man sitting outside a cafe wearing a white plastic hat with the cross of St George on it, and a young woman taking one out of a carrier bag and putting it on.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I want one of those for next year. That would shock the locals rigid!

[open-the-blinds.livejournal.com]

That's really the reason for left side driving? I had no idea. Makes a lot of sense actually.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

There's a reason for everything if you go back far enough. There was one nasty bend on the A40 road that seemed a bit random until they straightened it and found a Bronze Age burial that had been ploughed out. The road had taken that line for 3000 years.

[britalone.livejournal.com]

Hooray for the brave ones! I remember in recent years many places and people have been told to take down the flag to avoid upsetting the non English among us! Stupid twerps!

[cweb.livejournal.com]

Don't forget:
Parliament- which has become a role model for so many countries.
Television is some of the best, including the BBC...which produces or sells the rights to make about 70% of the world's TV programming (I think- I know it's in that vicinity. Blew me away when I read that)
Roast beef dinner!!!(the French can mock all they want, but an English roast beef dinner is to die for:))
Courage...if Britain hadn't stood firm against Hitler, where would the world be now (Fortress Europe, anyone?)
incredible writers...Tolkien, Patrick O'Brian, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, JK Rowling, Robert Neill, Dick Francis
great painters such as Turner and Constable

[britalone.livejournal.com]

I'm feeling more encouraged now, thanks cweb :o)

[katbeseroc.livejournal.com]

Don't forget to be proud you are an Island :) I know it doesn't seem like a lot but it IS rather cool. Far enough away to ignore the noise of europe but close enough to join the party occasionally.

It always blew me away to travel the countryside and have someone point going, "Over there is an Iron Age fort." or "Here is part of Hadrian's wall." To be able to look out your window and see that kind of connection to your past just leaves me astounded.

I hope I am alive and well enough to travel for the thousandth anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.

[britalone.livejournal.com]

I was soooo upset when they constructed the Channel tunnel!! lol
I love the history we have and the literature, I'm so glad others do too.

The Battle of Hastings? Didn't we lose that one? lol ;o)

[writerofictions.livejournal.com]

I love drinking room temp beer! A former good friend of mine had a fiance from Liverpool and she'd visit him often, and got me into the habit. Also, one reason America sucks is lack of free/affordable health care. Which I think is ridiculous.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Health care, and the knowledge it's there when you really need it, is essential. We do contribute to it - there's this thing called National Insurance that is paid by everyone who works and that subsidises the people who can't - and there are people for whom private health insurance is useful. For instance if you are self employed and have an illness that interferes with you making a living it may be better to pay to be seen to immediately than join the famous NHS queues.
But it all comes down to the bottom line. Is it better to treat health care as a business and try to make a profit or is it better to try and keep the working part of the nation as healthy and productive as possible so their taxes can pay for the 'non-productive' ones and the future workers? I think that the second option is more sensible but then I'm biased.