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Should there be a bank holiday for St Georges Day
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Should there be a bank holiday and celebration of St Georges day, as the scots, Welsh and the Irish are proud of thier nationality and it seems that we are as ashamed to be ENGLISH as Barrack obama is of being half white
Dave G
Dave G
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I've never heard of Obama saying or showing that he's ashamed of being half-white. He loved his (white) mother very much and has always said so.
I don't hear a lot of people saying they're ashamed to be English, either. I don't know that having a bank holiday makes you more or less ashamed, though.
But bear in mind that St George is nobody in particular - he's the patron saint of a lot of countries and has no special connection with England, which may be why the English have no great feeling for him. Given that Shakespeare is said to have died on that day, it would make more sense to rename it Shakespeare Day and celebrate one of the greatest Englishmen.
I don't hear a lot of people saying they're ashamed to be English, either. I don't know that having a bank holiday makes you more or less ashamed, though.
But bear in mind that St George is nobody in particular - he's the patron saint of a lot of countries and has no special connection with England, which may be why the English have no great feeling for him. Given that Shakespeare is said to have died on that day, it would make more sense to rename it Shakespeare Day and celebrate one of the greatest Englishmen.
I think that the whole concept of bank holidays is completely outdated. We should abolish the lot. Of course I'm not suggesting that anyone should get fewer days holiday than they do now; I just see no point in having fixed days when (theoretically) everyone is on holiday. In practice, vast numbers of people now work on most public holidays (e.g. in retail stores).
Many of the people who are forced to take a day's holiday on public holiday dates would probably rather be able to take those holidays at other times of the year, which are more convenient to them.
If we do get an additional public holiday, I can't see many people being happy with it being on April 23rd. That's got nothing to do with 'nationalism' (or a lack of it); it's simply that the date is too close to the two public holidays in May. Most people would probably prefer the date to break up one of the long gaps between existing public holidays.
Anyway, despite being born in, and currently living in, Suffolk, I'm not English and I'm not British. I'm EUROPEAN and proud of it! If we must have an extra public holiday, let's create a 'Europe Day'!
Chris
Many of the people who are forced to take a day's holiday on public holiday dates would probably rather be able to take those holidays at other times of the year, which are more convenient to them.
If we do get an additional public holiday, I can't see many people being happy with it being on April 23rd. That's got nothing to do with 'nationalism' (or a lack of it); it's simply that the date is too close to the two public holidays in May. Most people would probably prefer the date to break up one of the long gaps between existing public holidays.
Anyway, despite being born in, and currently living in, Suffolk, I'm not English and I'm not British. I'm EUROPEAN and proud of it! If we must have an extra public holiday, let's create a 'Europe Day'!
Chris
Chris, while I'm all in favour of Britain getting involved more deeply with the EU (aka Dreaded European Superstate), I wonder if anyone can really call themselves a European. It would mean celebrating Cervantes' death on the same day as Shakespeare's, of appreciating Bela Tarr's films as much as Carry Ons (or Catherine Breillat's), of snorting at Slovenian folk dance as much as at morris dancing, of loving the Camargue as much as the Cotswolds.
Does anyone really have the breadth of cultural experience to do that? I think it's an admirable goal, but I suspect it's a pipe dream, not anybody's real life. I don't think there's really a 'Europe' though it may happen one day. (And I think your personal philosphy, from what I've read of your comments over the years, is actually much closer to American free enterprise than to the social democracy that is much mroe the hallmark of European systems.)
Does anyone really have the breadth of cultural experience to do that? I think it's an admirable goal, but I suspect it's a pipe dream, not anybody's real life. I don't think there's really a 'Europe' though it may happen one day. (And I think your personal philosphy, from what I've read of your comments over the years, is actually much closer to American free enterprise than to the social democracy that is much mroe the hallmark of European systems.)
Interesting thoughts, Jno.
My most recent music purchase wasn't, unfortunately, of Slovenian dance music. However it was of Norwegian folk music. (A 20p cassette in a charity shop!).
I've just glanced at my shelves of videos. There are certainly plenty of 'Carry On' movies there, but they're sandwiched between Bigas Lunas's 'The Tit and the Moon' and Jean-Loup Hubert's 'Le Grand Chemine'.
Like most Englishmen, I probably know very few of Shakespeare's works particularly well. It's many years since I last saw a Shakespeare play but I did re-read Cervantes's 'Don Quijote de la Mancha' for the umpteenth time last year. (I cheated and read a translation, although I have read it in the original Spanish many years ago).
Following your logic, if we're to be labelled by the most prominent cultural influences which are to be derived from the arts (and through the media) at present, perhaps we should simply call ourselves 'American'? :-)
Chris
My most recent music purchase wasn't, unfortunately, of Slovenian dance music. However it was of Norwegian folk music. (A 20p cassette in a charity shop!).
I've just glanced at my shelves of videos. There are certainly plenty of 'Carry On' movies there, but they're sandwiched between Bigas Lunas's 'The Tit and the Moon' and Jean-Loup Hubert's 'Le Grand Chemine'.
Like most Englishmen, I probably know very few of Shakespeare's works particularly well. It's many years since I last saw a Shakespeare play but I did re-read Cervantes's 'Don Quijote de la Mancha' for the umpteenth time last year. (I cheated and read a translation, although I have read it in the original Spanish many years ago).
Following your logic, if we're to be labelled by the most prominent cultural influences which are to be derived from the arts (and through the media) at present, perhaps we should simply call ourselves 'American'? :-)
Chris
You should be ashamed to be English. They tried to enslave half the world and murdered innocent people who stood in their way. Many countries have never recovered. St. Georges day should be set aside as a day of national mourning. England should then apologise to the rest of the world for all the lives lost in their quest for greed and glory.
I don't think so, Chris. My own tastes are fairly British - though I myself am not, I'm an economic migrant - and though most of my DVDs are American (reflecting the actual number of films that are made), I've got about 100 British ones, plus another 100 or so that are (non-British) European.
And although there is of course much American cultural influence on Britain - via TV and movies especially - there are more differences than many people suppose. Democrats and Republicans aren't Labour and Tories, for a start. Your views on, for example, employment protection would be much more at home in America, where sacked people are, as Tebbit suggested, expected to get on their bikes and look for another job (though they have Cadillacs instead of bikes). British sentiment on the subject, as I think you've agreed more than once, doesn't tally with your own.
It doesn't make you American, though, much less European; I think you're still basically British, and I'm partly so through long residence rather than nationality.
And although there is of course much American cultural influence on Britain - via TV and movies especially - there are more differences than many people suppose. Democrats and Republicans aren't Labour and Tories, for a start. Your views on, for example, employment protection would be much more at home in America, where sacked people are, as Tebbit suggested, expected to get on their bikes and look for another job (though they have Cadillacs instead of bikes). British sentiment on the subject, as I think you've agreed more than once, doesn't tally with your own.
It doesn't make you American, though, much less European; I think you're still basically British, and I'm partly so through long residence rather than nationality.
I don't class myself as European. I was born in England, so I'm English, but celebrate St. Patrick's Day along with the Irish in our family. If people want to have certain named days as public Bank Holidays - fine - but why call them anything at all? I tend to agree with Chris - just give everyone an extra day's holiday, and stop all the out-dated references to man or myth of yesteryear.
I fail to see why the English don't. celebrate St Georges day. Im from Wales and it's lovely to see the schoolkids dressed up,the girls in Welsh costume and the boys wearing leeks, plus the concerts. Im proud to wear a daffodil in honour of St David. The Irish and Scots are proud of their Patron St's so why not the English? They don't even have a national costume unless it;s a suit and bowler hat or a beefeater?
What exactly are you being proud of when you're proud of your country?
Isn't it a bit like supporting a football team?
"We did really well on Saturday"
"Yes? what position were you playing then?"
Proud of your national history?
Why? because a history teacher told you a story of Kings and Queens and battles and told you that you were somehow part of a romantic past?
Isn't it a bit like supporting a football team?
"We did really well on Saturday"
"Yes? what position were you playing then?"
Proud of your national history?
Why? because a history teacher told you a story of Kings and Queens and battles and told you that you were somehow part of a romantic past?
St Georges Day could be a public holiday, but only for those who recognise and accept the validity of his canonisation within the authority of the church.
It's a saints day. If you don't have any time for religion, or even regard it with contempt, then why would you celebrate a saint that you don't believe in?
If you are talking about a 'National Day', then that would be different.
It's a saints day. If you don't have any time for religion, or even regard it with contempt, then why would you celebrate a saint that you don't believe in?
If you are talking about a 'National Day', then that would be different.
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