English-theme pubs

[Andy008]

Walkabout, O'Neills, Springbok, Maple Leaf, Cafe Rouge....

....if I started up my own chain of English theme pubs, fitted out with cartoon bulldogs, union jacks, Winston Churchill paintings, murals of the 1966 World Cup team, full fry-ups, and all the other relevant trappings of the other crap that fills the above bar chains, would I be arrested for inciting racial hatred?

[Alan2]

Excellent question Andy, yes you probably would

[Catso]

I agree;, I'm sure you would.

[sp1814]

No - of course you wouldn't be arrested...maybe by the style police (themed pubs are really very 90's), but not by anyone else.

Decking out your pub to be 'English To The Eyeballs' may, however, exclude part of your market - the problem we have now is that not enough people complained when right wing parties co-opted everything English (the Union Flag, the bulldog) in the 1970s - so that now, your pub would look like a BNP headquarters.

Pity that, isn't it?

[Trojanfarce]

SP makes pretty good sense here and whereas I don't think you'd be arrested, either, I reckon you may lose your front windows on a fairly regular basis.

[Whickerman]

I agree with sp1814.

Because some of the items on your list are now seen as Right wing, you'd be out of luck. I always find it incredible that the English have allowed this, and are afraid to celebrate their national identity. I think you should reclaim what's yours. It's a pity that 'football hooligan' mentality encroaches on any effort to do this. Reclaim the Flag of St. George, the bulldog etc, and insist on an English parliament.

BTW - I'm Irish, proud of it, and luckily, not prevented from celebrating that fact. Celebrate your identity and the world will join in.

[sp1814]

Whickerman - another point that I forgot to mention is that I found out after going to Donegal, that 'Irish-themed' pubs in England are absolutely nothing like actual Irish pubs. Not once did I see fiddles Blu-Tacked to walls, or great big 'antique' Guiness signs.

Themed pubs don't really represent the country they're theming...they seem to just stereotype.

However, going back slightly on what I said before, you could easily open a themed pub which celebrates Englishness without looking like a BNP den. You wuold just make it inclusive. As well as pictures of Churchill, you could also have portraits of Frank Bruno, Dame Kelly Holmes, Pet Shop Boys, Sol Campbell and The Beatles.

You could call it The Nu-England. It would absolutely rock.

I'd certainly drink there.

[Oneeyedvic]

No of course you wouldn't (unless of course you read the Daily Mail, in which case they would say that you were shot by armed police while an Asian down the road mugged a load of old ladies).

[Supernick]

I went to an English themed pub at the weekend. 3 fights broke out, every girl was tanned up to the max in 3 degree weather and someone was puked up their Stella onto the bar. They really did their homework on the atmosphere.

[madein1978]

Never mind about all that racism cobblers, Andy, I would be interested to see what Gordon Ramsay would have to say about such an establishment, would be quite interesting that! For what its worth though, I find it real crying shame that we can no longer celebrate our national identity but the non nationals can celebrate their national identity to their hearts content, in this country! I could say more, but I would just get a load of propaganda off of SP

[THECORBYLOON]

sp1814, the Union Flag is NOT England's flag.

[jno]

there are plenty of such pubs around the world - just not in England. I guess it's the same with Springbok pubs and Irish pubs - they're not the real thing people have at home, they're just stereotypes, catering for expats who have only hazy knowledge of what life back home is really like.

[sp1814]

Corby

Beg your pardon. I'm always getting that one wrong.

[madein1978]

The union jack is made up of the St Georges cross and the St Andrews Cross, it is supposed to represent the different countries that make up the United Kingdom. Just FYI!

[THECORBYLOON]

madein1978, you forgot the Cross of Saint Patrick on the Union Flag..

[sp1814]

Like I say - a genuine error on my part. However, think of it this way - outside a World Cup or Commonwealth Games - any pub proudly, and rightly, flying the flag of St George - or a Union flag, looks like a BNP den. It's just the fact of what everyone (well, not me) allowed to happen in the late 70s.

The right wingers were allowed to nick all that we think of as 'English' (even erroneously) so that now it's viewed with suspicion...and that is criminal.

But back to Andy's question - he wouldn't be arrested for racism, because there's nothing inherently racist with anything he suggests - he'd just be suspected of being a racists because of the attached symbolism.

Same if he shaved his head, and donned tight drainpipe jeans, red braces and DMs (but again, I fear he'd be arrested by the style police - even the BNP wear Prada now).