St George's Day

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

Senior Jockey
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Why don't you celebrate your patron saint's day a bit more? I wouldn't have remembered if it hadn't got a passing mensh on TV this morning?

We made St Andrew's day a public holiday up here (I think we lost a public holiday somewhere else to make it up).

I'm also pretty sure St Patrick's Day was a holyday of obligation when I was at primary school. I might be mixing it up with getting a day off when I was at secondary school (which was named after St Patrick).

Or is England more secular than Cameron would like us to believe?
 
Because we are self confident and contented enough not to resort to pointless flag waving.

Its a sign of a nation and people at peace with itself that they dont resort to nationlistic crap. Probably the most secular nation on earth too

even before the edl there was no enthusiasm for it ( i dont even know the date).

I think its great.
 
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St. Patrick's Day makes me cringe to be Irish.

I am a proud Irishman, and think it's natural to celebrate one's national day when a nation hasn't had its sovereignty or so long.

But St. Patrick's Day typifies the worst things about Irishness (drunkeness, commercialism, etc.)
 
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I don't get being "proud" about an accident of birthplace though. It's nt exactly an achievement? Not as if everyone is a member of an identical tribe?

Diamond. Now that is worth celebrating
 
As an outsider looking in, I don't really see the nationalism thing. It's not as if it's called 'Proud to be English Day' or 'Rule Britannia Day'. Fly your flags of St George and enjoy it.

I see it as more like celebrating your granda's birthday.

Now, the Fourth of July celebrations in America are very nationalistic but being there for them was one of the more enjoyable holidays I can recall. The local parades were just amazing.

The day is what you make it, I suppose.
 
You probably don't get it because you never lost it as a nation.

Sure it is an accident of birth, but so is your family.

As a family, a village, a nation, you share experiences with others. You develop a culture and outlook whereby you influence and are influenced by fellow members.

Sure my Dad, my neighbour and the lad who jumped the lights on his bike this morning can be annoying, but we're cut from the same cloth

I often read your pride in England's history and social structure and secularity, Clive. What's the difference?
 
Desert Orchid said:
As an outsider looking in, I don't really see the nationalism thing. It's not as if it's called 'Proud to be English Day' or 'Rule Britannia Day'. Fly your flags of St George and enjoy it.

I see it as more like celebrating your granda's birthday.

Now, the Fourth of July celebrations in America are very nationalistic but being there for them was one of the more enjoyable holidays I can recall. The local parades were just amazing.

The day is what you make it, I suppose.
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Bollocks. No way
 
Bar the Bull said:
You probably don't get it because you never lost it as a nation.

Sure it is an accident of birth, but so is your family.

As a family, a village, a nation, you share experiences with others. You develop a culture and outlook whereby you influence and are influenced by fellow members.

Sure my Dad, my neighbour and the lad who jumped the lights on his bike this morning can be annoying, but we're cut from the same cloth

I often read your pride in England's history and social structure and secularity, Clive. What's the difference?
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I don't like the word pride but there is a lot to respect about it of course.

You can appreciate quietly each and every day without having to march down the street in stupid hats



I'm not particularly influenced by anyone and never have been.
 
My take is that we should be moving away from celebrating Saints in order to reflect the movement of societies views. It has no current relevance.

Both Easter and Christmas have their roots in celebrations dating far beyond christianity, which the church chose to maintain in order to keep the peace.
 
clivex said:
I don't like the word pride but there is a lot to respect about it of course.

You can appreciate quietly each and every day without having to march down the street in stupid hats



I'm not particularly influenced by anyone and never have been.
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I don't like the stupid hats, either.

Sure you might not be influenced by anyone (although I do see you're irresistibly drawn to Hamm's political views) but you've been shaped by those around you.
 
What are these stupid hats? Cant recall seeing these. Have spoke at a few StGeorges Day lunches and the story makes good reading. At the end it seems the damsel in distress had to choose between being rogered by a Turk or a dragon.
 
clivex said:
You can appreciate quietly each and every day without having to march down the street in stupid hats.
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What's so wrong with having a bit of harmless together fun??

Sure the hats etc are stupid but so is the gear 99% of Brits wear on holiday abroad. Do you have to go away on holiday to look and act daft?

Celebratory days bring the people together when they'd otherwise probably be reluctant to acknowledge each other presence if they met in the street.

You [the English] are very quick to organise street parties for monarchs' birthdays or jubilees or to celebrate the birth of another royal inbred. Why not your patron saint's day?

[I've never seen a street party up here but I'm sure they exist.]
 
clivex said:
I don't get being "proud" about an accident of birthplace though. It's nt exactly an achievement? Not as if everyone is a member of an identical tribe?

Diamond. Now that is worth celebrating
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Agree 100% with these sentiments - and they basically exclude me from the YES vote for Jock Independence. Forget all the detail about currencies, NATO/EU membership and all that lark. It's the premis that we're 'all the same' by dint of being born inside a fake boundary that is fundamentally flawed.
 
Yes. It's crap isn't it. I think it's complete bollocks that nationality determines our character. I know that for a fact because one of my business partners is Scottish and he bought me a drink once. hes 42 and still not had a heart attack

And if we wanted a st George's day we would fcking have one. Not exactly anyone else's call is it?
 
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It's an opportunity for the neanderthals to post shite all over facebook like "England for the english". The facebook philosophers out in force on St Georges Day with their thinly veiled racism packaged as patriotism. :mad:
 
Don't you take some comfort from the fact tat unlike some countries/ communities the vast majority here do not wish to have a day banging on about their ethnic origin ?
 
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