24 April 2004

St George's day

Yesterday was St.George's day. The only way I would have known [yes -I'd not realised either] was the appearance of a knight and a dragon on the Google.co.uk title logo -in fact my wife didn't realise the significance, so I was able to show off the fact that I'd read the CT and knew what it was about -short-lived glory but pleasing for a minute.

Anyway the article referenced isn't the full one [the CT policy dictates that you have to wait for two weeks before they publish these kinds of articles]. Basically tells us the origins of St George and the reason he was chosen as England's patron Saint -it puts it down to post Crusade triumphalism -not what I'd heard before but ... anyway the recommendation is that it would be a good signal in an age of inter-faith good-relating if we un-chose St G. The substitute brough on in extra time is recommended as St.Alban, who is, after all, the first recorded Christian martyr on British soil, a Roman soldier who died protecting a British priest [how's that for a multi-racial motif?]. Me? -I'm for it- great idea.

Just one thing though, seeing a car this mornign with English flag waving [you know -the red cross -the cross of St.George] and thought; "Oh, change patron saint = change flag?". I'm all for that too -I've always felt [being of Welsh ancestry] that it was unfair that there was not representation of Wales/Cymru on the Union flag [down to Wales being colonised by the Anglo-Norman regime before Wales ever go to be more than a handful of squabbling 'kingdoms']. But I suspect that changing the flag would be too much at this time. But then again ...

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"Spend and tax" not "tax and spend"

 I got a response from my MP which got me kind of mad. You'll see why as I reproduce it here. Apologies for the strange changes in types...