By George

I'm an inveterate petition-signer (Change.org and 38 Degrees rely on me) but I declined a recent invitation to sign a petition calling on the government to officially recognise St George's Day (23rd April) as a public holiday in England.

The argument that because Scotland marks St Andrew's Day (30th November), Wales St David's (1st March) and Northern Ireland St Patrick's (17th March) England should follow suit failed to cut it with me. Of course, I accept that patriotism isn't the same thing as jingoism but I'm rather queasy about flag-flying under any circumstances, particularly so when those flags bear overtly religious symbolism. 

I strongly believe we should be living in a secular state and, although we in England currently reside in a Christian theocracy, with our Head of State also being the Supreme Governor of the Church of England (the Protestant "church as by law established") I don't think we should be rushing to roll out the symbolism even further into the public realm. On the contrary, I think we should be working to dismantle the anachronistic system we have, starting with disestablishment of the Church of England and abolition of the monarchy. 

I'm only strengthened in this belief by reading today that Sir Keir Starmer has written to all Labour’s general election candidates urging them to mark St George’s Day “with enthusiasm” and to “fly the flag” across the country. Really?! With the 2021 Census revealing fewer than 50% of the population identifying as Christian (40.7% in London and 46.3% in England as a whole) and the Church of England claiming fewer than 1 million regular worshippers in a population of over 57 million, no wonder some Labour Party activists are concerned about the wisdom of this approach. It seems likely to alienate as many as it attracts, if not more.

Don't get me wrong, I like to see the flag of St George fluttering from church towers on St George's Day. It's a quintessentially English sight, traditional and entirely appropriate in that specific context. But that's where the red cross on a white ground belongs - a Christian symbol on a Christian building - and where it should remain. Anything more than that smacks of cultural triumphalism, which is why the flag has been so enthusiastically embraced by English far-right movements and only partially reclaimed by English football.

Now Shakespeare's birthday is something I'd happily celebrate...

Update 23/04/24: The Guardian reports "Clashes have taken place in central London between police and participants in a St George’s Day event attended by crowds that included some far-right supporters." All draped in the flag, of course - makes you proud to be English!

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