Monday, March 19, 2007

London can celebrate with the Irish but ....

What celebrations will our dear multicultural mayor be leading on St. George's Day? If previous years are any indication the answer is nil for multiculturalists are usually ashamed of one culture, their own.

Since posting I have found this so repent of my accusation.

"For the fourth year running the Mayor will celebrate St George’s Day with a series of free events in central London. In Trafalgar Square there will be a celebration of English humour, with classic English comedy on film including Monty Python and the Holy Grail being shown on a large screen.

The programme also includes the popular Shakespeare’s Birthday celebrations at the Globe Theatre plus outdoor screenings of historic silent Shakespeare films, a festival for St George at Covent Garden, and parade at the Cenotaph."

2 comments:

John said...

Graham,
The Irish wear shamrocks on their day (since my name is Kil(as in old Scots for St.)Patrick(as in ancient Roman aristocracy) one feels a certain ownership of the occasion but let's not be greedy.) and the Welsh wear either leeks (if they are pedants) or daffodils (if they are narcissistic). We Scots prefer to celebrate our national poet's day (perhaps because we have two 'patron saints') but I am at a loss as to what Ken is actually supposed to do on St. George's day?

What do the English do on the day? I've been in England nearly 3 decades and all I've ever noticed was one church in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, running a St. George's flag up a flagpole. Perhaps you want Ken to inaugurate something quintessentially English for everyone to do on the day?

Graham Weeks said...

The least he can do is fly the flag on the day. I believe the
English are starting to wake up to being English and not merely the
quietly majority nation the the UK.

What other nation has its capital's mayor celebrate other cultures
but not his own?

Inaugurate something? Morris dancing and a concert of traditional
English song in Trafalgar Square. I volunteer to come and help sing
The Song of Patriotic Prejudice. :-) As it is the B
Bard's birthday too I am sure we could have some excerpts.

Incidentally, when my children went to a mainly American missionary run school they were pressured to join in Irish celebrations and wear green. I encouraged my children to resist such foreign pressure. The Americans also expected us to stand when their anthem was played in Nigeria. They do take themselves too seriously.