| Most sovereign states are proud to celebrate their | | | | politician who signed a document such as the Lisbon |
| National Day. Any visitor to America on the Fourth of | | | | Treaty would have been held guilty of High Treason. |
| July will find it difficult to miss the Independence Day | | | | Even the relatively recent Treason Felony Act of 1848 |
| street parades and firework displays. Similar scenes of | | | | makes it an offence to deprive or dispose the Queen |
| national unity and joy will be seen in France on the 14th | | | | from her established constitutional position. This would |
| July, and in Ireland on St Patrick's Day. But nothing | | | | certainly occur if we came under the jurisdiction of a |
| similar will occur this Sunday, when England should be | | | | European President rather that an English monarch. |
| celebrating the feast day of St George, the nation's | | | | That act still stands. Under the original Treason Act of |
| patron saint. According to a recent survey, only one in | | | | 1351, any person guilty of such an act of high treason |
| three people in England know that the 23rd April is St. | | | | would be hung drawn and quartered. Now their |
| George's Day. This will be an event honoured more in | | | | punishment has been reduced to a mere lifetime prison |
| the breech than in the observance. | | | | sentence. |
| The City of London is making an effort to revive the | | | | We must regain our sense of national pride. It was |
| Pageant of St George, which was last performed in | | | | Winston Churchill who said: 'There is a forgotten, nay |
| 1585 during the reign of Good Queen Bess. Those | | | | almost forbidden word, which means more to me than |
| who can't attend this parade, or might find it a tad too | | | | any other. That word is England'. We must bang the |
| exciting, can go to the British Museum and pay silent | | | | drums for England. We've got so much in our favour. |
| homage to Raphael's painting of St George killing the | | | | We love to be free. England is an island, and every |
| dragon, a masterpiece which is on show in England for | | | | individual Englishman an island entire in himself. We |
| the very first time. Otherwise there'll be little sign of | | | | have more eccentrics than any other country on earth. |
| crowds waving Union Jacks, which now only happen in | | | | We're easy going. Our favourite sayings are 'Live and |
| pubs when English football team is playing in the world | | | | let live'; Make the most of a bad job'; and Better luck |
| cup. Even this gesture has been banned by law | | | | next time'. We also have a great sense of justice and |
| enforcement officers employed by the Forest of Dean | | | | fair play, coupled with a ready willingness to support an |
| district council, on the grounds that it might offend the | | | | underdog. Jean Borotra, the French tennis player, was |
| Welsh who live nearby. | | | | a great Anglophile and enjoyed pointing out that the |
| A recent survey revealed that England is the least | | | | French had no word for 'fair play'. We may have a |
| patriotic country in Europe by a very wide margin. | | | | tendency to be arrogant, and somewhat aloof to |
| National pride is lower in 'this blessed plot' than in any | | | | foreigners, but then nobody's perfect. We're currently |
| of the other nine countries included in the poll. Only one | | | | being grossly over governed, which is damaging our |
| in ten of this once proud race said they'd be happy to | | | | secondary school education, but we still have three |
| fly the national flag, largely because of political | | | | universities in the top five tier of the official World |
| indoctrination and the fear of being considered a racist. | | | | University Rankings, the order being Harvard, |
| Patriotism is now a dirty word, associated with fascism | | | | Cambridge, Yale, University College London and |
| and sabre-rattling jingoism, but in truth a patriot is | | | | Oxford. |
| someone who lives for his country, rather than sticks | | | | No wonder Voltaire said: 'If I had had to choose my |
| his neck out to die for his country. A fuller explanation | | | | birthplace, I would have chosen England.' Even the |
| is given by Roger Scruton in his book 'The Need for | | | | Japanese show a penchant for buying British products. |
| Nations', where he says that 'National loyalty is founded | | | | When Toyota exported UK made Avensis cars into |
| in the love of place, of the customs and traditions that | | | | their home market, they put Union flags in dealership |
| have been inscribed in the landscape and of the desire | | | | windows, accompanied by banners proudly proclaiming |
| to protect these good things through a common law | | | | 'Made in the UK'. It's time we launched another 'I'm |
| and a common loyalty.' | | | | backing England' campaign. The last, which took place |
| We should be proud to be members of world's most | | | | before the devolution of Scotland and Wales met with |
| exclusive club. Margaret Truman said something similar | | | | great success, but fell from favour when it was found |
| about America, a country which certainly has an | | | | that the campaign postcards were printed in Belgium, |
| enviable degree of youthful exuberance, but cannot | | | | and the 'I'm backing Britain' T-shirts were made in |
| match the length and quality of the English heritage. | | | | Portugal. If it's good to be proud of your company, |
| The English people, whatever their racial origin, can | | | | school or football team, what's wrong with having pride |
| draw on a thousand years of culture. They have a | | | | in your mother country? The West End is currently |
| unique tradition of folk customs, music, art, poetry and | | | | enjoying a revival of many old American musicals, why |
| literature, embracing such towering figures as | | | | can't we have a revival of Noel Coward's 'Cavalcade', |
| Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Dickens, | | | | a gloriously chauvinistic confection which ends with the |
| Samuel Johnson, Elgar and Vaughan Williams. They | | | | cast drinking a patriotic toast that 'this country of ours, |
| excel at sport, have a wicked sense of humour and, | | | | which we love so much, will find dignity, and greatness |
| although somewhat standoffish, can let their hair down | | | | and peace again.' |
| and enjoy soggy bonfire night parties, fish and chips | | | | I intend to return to this theme again and again, |
| eaten out of last week's newspaper, and soap operas | | | | whenever there's an appropriate opportunity, such as |
| like the Archers, East Enders and Neighbours. | | | | Commonwealth Day, the Queen's birthday or the Last |
| There is a real risk that we may sacrifice our sense of | | | | Night of the Proms. Until then, let me offer you a way |
| national pride in our mad rush to climb aboard the | | | | of rekindling your national pride. It's the finest way to |
| globalisation band wagon. An even greater, and more | | | | time the boiling of an egg. Put an egg in a pan of cold |
| imminent, threat is that we might be seduced into | | | | water, bring it to the boil and then recite a leisurely |
| forfeiting our freedom and national sovereignty by | | | | version of Henry V's speech at the siege of Honfleur. |
| being dragged into a one-size-fits-all federation of | | | | Once you reach the triumphant cry 'Cry God for |
| European states. Now Europe is a excellent place to | | | | Harry, England and Saint George!' take the egg from |
| visit for a long week end, but what have we got in | | | | the pan and plunge it into cold water. You'll find that the |
| common with people who do not share our language, | | | | white will have set, while the yolk remains delightfully |
| customs and way of life? At one time any British | | | | runny. |