St George's Day

[Guest Stevie]

As its St George's Day, I thought I'd do a thread about what makes me proud to be English. No doubt judging by how I perceive a lot of you, many of you will have no pride in being English, a particular fat cunt off Newcastle Online, once asked the question, what is English? How do you feel English? How do you feel any nationality? If you feel you belong to something, you're entitled to feel associated and be part of anything you like.

 

People might think this is boring as fuck, but I think this is the best speech an Englishman ever delivered, if you think there was 30m in the kraut army, they'd be preparing for war for fuckin 10 years, we had a rag tag bunch knocked together at first we fought bravely on our own before any other cunt jumped in, and Churchill fooled the krauts in to thinking we were the bollocks, well we were the bollocks, but he made the krauts over estimate us.

 

This makes me proud to be English....

We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

That speech, fuck any yank talking shit on the White House lawn, written by fuckin spin doctors, only Keegan can match that for inspiration.

 

I tell you something else that really makes me proud as fuck to be English. We're fair cunts, it's all very well saying we're self righteous but we fuckin well are. You won't see English cutting peoples heads off with a bread knife in the name of war, you won't see many English footballers rolling round like they've got Ebola, the minute they're tackled, we even perfected the judicial system years before a barbaric world cottoned on to what justice was.

 

I fuckin love being English everyone hates us, but that is pure jealousy, we have done more for the world (far more fuckin good than bad), than any other country in the history of mankind, we will never get the praise we deserve, and it all boils down to jealousy. It's easy to be facist and nationalistic, but it's true we are the best, best people, best football fans, I would've said we had the best system 15 years ago before the asylum debacle, but we're not far wrong, we're a little island on the world map, that has done more than places 400 times our size.

 

Happy St George's Day

 

[The Fish 11106]

I love our history; our contributions to literature, art, technology, law, justice and most importantly, to sport.

 

I love our pluralist society, our tolerance and our sense of fair play.

 

In my opinion our music out strips the rest of the worlds, as does the fashion sense of the general populace.

 

We, despite the media's furor, live in a great country which is the envy of so much of the world.

 

Happy St Georges day.

[manc-mag 1]

Plenty to be proud of and in many ways we're better regarded by others* than we allow ourselves to regard ourselves. Think thats an intrinsic part of being 'English' though and it goes some way to explain why we don't big ourselves or St George's day up.

 

That's a quality picture of the flag btw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*less so after Iraq

[manc-mag 1]

I love our history; our contributions to literature, art, technology, law, justice and most importantly, to sport.

 

I love our pluralist society, our tolerance and our sense of fair play.

 

In my opinion our music out strips the rest of the worlds, as does the fashion sense of the general populace.

 

We, despite the media's furor, live in a great country which is the envy of so much of the world.

 

Happy St Georges day.

 

Well said that man!

[manc-mag 1]

PS I'd still rather the Toon won a throw in than England win the World Cup.

[manc-mag 1]

[The Fish 11106]

PS I'd still rather the Toon won a throw in than England win the World Cup.

Well of course... Geordie Nation, Byker Grove, Fog on the Tyne's al mine al mine, whey aye, whey aye, whey aye, etc. etc. etc.

[bawan 0]

PS I'd still rather the Toon won a throw in than England win the World Cup.

Well of course... Geordie Nation, Byker Grove, Fog on the Tyne's al mine al mine, whey aye, whey aye, whey aye, etc. etc. etc.

Yee areet like?

[Howay 12496]

I'm also immensely proud to be English, for many of the reasons that have already been said. The history is of course the big source of pride, even the bits some want us to be ashamed of, the impact our little country has had on the world is incredible look at sport we made rugby, football, cricket and countless other sports. When I really start thinking about it it really shocks me how much our nation has impacted the world.

Happy St George's day.

[Jimbo 175]

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon England's mountains green

And was the holy lamb of God

On England's pleasant pastures seen

 

And did the countenance divine

Shine forth upon our clouded hills

And was Jerusalem builded here

Among those dark Satanic mills

 

Bring me my bow of burning gold

Bring me my arrows of desire

Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold

Bring me my chariot of fire

 

I will not cease from mental fight

Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand

'Til we have built Jerusalem

In England's green and pleasant land

'Til we have built Jerusalem

In England's green and pleasant land

[JawD 99]

I'm not proud to be english I dont mean that I've anything against being English, but I wouldn't say it made me proud. I'm into my history, but more so local history. I have a good sense of who I am and where I came from through also having an interest in geneology. I often feel I have more in common with those north of the border than I do anyone down south. I'd say if anything, I was proud to be a Geordie or from the North East, but not necessarily English. Strange but true.

 

I love our regenerated Quay side and its blend of art and commerse.

I love that within 10mins you can be city centre or in the countryside

I love that some of the best musicians have came from the north east

I love our identity and that people always recognise a geordie and associate that with our football club

I love that we have some of the most fantastic countryside right on our doorstep, that we have brown ale and peas pudding (not you lanky ), that we have stotty cakes and that after all these years we still hold onto some of our ancient dialect (its not slang you know!).

 

[smoggeordie 0]

Happy St George's Day everyone Even chose George as me confirmation name a few years back because of these reasons.

[Guest Stevie]

Happy St George's Day everyone Even chose George as me confirmation name a few years back because of these reasons.

I've never actually been confirmed, I should really seeing as though I turn out at church occasionally. I won't be getting Patrick as a confirmation name that's for certain. Boils my piss that their day receives more exposure than our own in our country.

[Guest alex]

Should be a bank holiday like. I'm quite proud to be English in general and very patriotic when it comes to sporting events and so on. About time patriotism was properly reclaimed from the far right too I think. Agree with Sammy though that part of being English is not bigging ourselves up too much. Unless you write for The Sun during the World Cup.

[Happy Face 29]

Should be a bank holiday like. I'm quite proud to be English in general and very patriotic when it comes to sporting events and so on. About time patriotism was properly reclaimed from the far right too I think. Agree with Sammy though that part of being English is not bigging ourselves up too much. Unless you write for The Sun during the World Cup.

 

 

I think the vast majority of English people are proud of their nationality, but the right wingers are jingoistic, which I wouldn't like to become as prevalent as it is somewhere like the US. ie "OMG where's your stars and stripes button?"

[Guest alex]

Should be a bank holiday like. I'm quite proud to be English in general and very patriotic when it comes to sporting events and so on. About time patriotism was properly reclaimed from the far right too I think. Agree with Sammy though that part of being English is not bigging ourselves up too much. Unless you write for The Sun during the World Cup.

 

 

I think the vast majority of English people are proud of their nationality, but the right wingers are jingoistic, which I wouldn't like to become as prevalent as it is somewhere like the US. ie "OMG where's your stars and stripes button?"

You know I think it's almost a sign of insecurity at times when countries salute the flag and all that shite.

[Meenzer 15873]

I sort of quite like being English, which is a very English way of expressing national pride I suppose. Though I'd have to say I feel more Geordie and, to be honest, British than specifically English.

 

Definitely reckon there should be a bank holiday for St. George's Day, anyway.

[@yourservice 67]

Happy birthday George

[Guest alex]

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon England's mountains green

And was the holy lamb of God

On England's pleasant pastures seen

 

And did the countenance divine

Shine forth upon our clouded hills

And was Jerusalem builded here

Among those dark Satanic mills

 

Bring me my bow of burning gold

Bring me my arrows of desire

Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold

Bring me my chariot of fire

 

I will not cease from mental fight

Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand

'Til we have built Jerusalem

In England's green and pleasant land

'Til we have built Jerusalem

In England's green and pleasant land

Funny how many well-used phrases come from that: "dark Satanic Mills", "England's green and pleasant land", "mental fight".

[NJS 4454]

Funny how many well-used phrases come from that: "dark Satanic Mills"

 

I'm going to sound like Ryk out of the Young Ones here but that line/phrase has always bugged me in the sense of how the upper classes were quite happy to make their fortunes out of mills (and treat the workers abominably) but still considered them "evil" - yes I know its just me.

 

 

Overall I'm proud of a lot of English history and our place in the world but at the same time associate patriotism itself too much with the royal family, the aristocracy, the judicial system, the church of england and the establishment in general - all of which I abhor.

 

However if you defined patriotism as a shared sense of belonging and community (without the obvious nationalistic downside) then I'm all for it.

 

For the day itself the only saints I recognise are players who've scored the winner against the Mackems.

[Tom_NUFC 0]

I don't mind being English, but I do feel alienated from it at times. The things that are often regarded as being typical of England and the English character are often different from the England that exists in this region.

 

I identify with being Geordie and Northumbrian - with Newcastle and the region more than I identify with England. I also identify with being British.

 

To be honest, if it was decided that Northumbria was to become a fifth nation of the UK, I'd be happy.

 

I'd sooner we made more of a deal about St Cuthbert's Day than St George's day.

[Guest alex]

It would be absolutely awful if Northumbria became a separate country imo. I was delighted when people voted against regional devolution. Another layer of government? No thanks.

[Guest Stevie]

It would be absolutely awful if Northumbria became a separate country imo. I was delighted when people voted against regional devolution. Another layer of government? No thanks.

If we went the whole hog we wouldn't be self sufficient. Without imports the only drink we'd have would be fuckin Mead, "pint of mead love" fuck that, as even the Fed Brewery is on the Gateshead side. Good thing is though you wouldn't get as many South Tyneside/mackem accents at the match.

[Guest alex]

It would be absolutely awful if Northumbria became a separate country imo. I was delighted when people voted against regional devolution. Another layer of government? No thanks.

If we went the whole hog we wouldn't be self sufficient. Without imports the only drink we'd have would be fuckin Mead, "pint of mead love" fuck that, as even the Fed Brewery is on the Gateshead side. Good thing is though you wouldn't get as many South Tyneside/mackem accents at the match.

Northumbria not Northumberland. I.e. the ancient kingdom 'north of the river Humber' or, in more modern terms (i.e. tourist board-speak), Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland (iirc).

Edited April 23, 2008 by alex

[Holden McGroin 6983]

Surprised Stevie likes St Georges day considering he hates everyone apart from Geordies (and then not all Geordies depending on where they were born/live)