St George's Day 23rd April
Give England a good chance before the BREXIT vote to decide about England's future by looking at our history, culture and values. This is something the REMAIN IN campaign hasn't discussed yet; only doom, gloom and fear - is this nightmare really black or are the windows painted that we are being asked to look through?
So far none of the campaigns (IN/OUT) have defined what England would lose in a Federal State of Europe with regards to our (a) Nationality (b) Heritage (c) Culture (d) Values and (e) Freedoms. Do remember should England remain in Europe as a small island in a federal quango history has shown the smaller islands lose their hard fought position of relevance (c.f. United State of Hawaii (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii). If Hawaii is the 50th state of the US then does this demote England to the 164th state of Europe, a state that may become irrelevant through erosion over 50-100 years? The English people and people of England have not been informed nor given absolute guarantees from our elected Parliament where England will be in the next 50 years, let alone 100 years. The current human incumbents would all have popped their clogs and left this mortal coil. As William Shakespeare so poetically put it "For in that sleepe of death, what dreames may come..." (Hamlet act III scene I). This leaves the rest of the future generation to clean up all the crap they left in their barracks when their souls departed.
St. George's Day has deep roots in England's heritage and culture. What I love about St. George's Day is that it is not about the colour of someone's skin and so on, but it is about unity and bonding a country's people together to share and enjoy the same values and at the same time extend those values to others who are not of our faith and culture but wish to share and integrate with us and them.
St George
Very little is known about the real St George. He is thought to have been born into a noble Christian family in the late third century in Turkey. He followed in his father's military footsteps and became part of the retinue of the Emperor Diocletian (circa 245-313). St George was a brave soldier in the Roman army who died for his beliefs. The emperor ordered the systematic persecution of Christians and George protested against the Romans' torture of Christians. For that he left the Roman army. For leaving, he was tortured, executed in Palestine, and finally beheaded, becoming an early Christian martyr in 303 AD. St George was also adopted as the Saint of Battles. This was because St. George is said to have appeared to the Christian army before the Battle of Antioch (nearly 920 years ago) in 1097 AD.
So on the 23rd April 2016 remember that Europe didn't create this day England created this day and today we still defend our nation. Our patron saint, St. George, is a heritage defining moment in our history. Naturally England will celebrate our National Day with parades through streets, floats will be seen, music will be played, dancing for fun, and laughter will be heard. There will be a special St George's Day service at local churches. Moreover, April 23rd is the day for a red rose in the button hole, England's national flower. Shakespeare's birthday falls on the same date, and the Globe Theatre (built in 1599 AD) will be having its usual big celebration. There are events all around the country so join in, take part and have pride in who we are.
Finding our about our great country is not difficult and here are a few weblinks to help you:
St. George International Man of Mystery - http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/pick-of-season/the-real-st-george/
English Heritage - http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
Portal:England - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:England
A timeline of English History - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_English_history
History of England - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_England
English Culture - http://www.britainexpress.com/History/english-culture.htm
So far none of the campaigns (IN/OUT) have defined what England would lose in a Federal State of Europe with regards to our (a) Nationality (b) Heritage (c) Culture (d) Values and (e) Freedoms. Do remember should England remain in Europe as a small island in a federal quango history has shown the smaller islands lose their hard fought position of relevance (c.f. United State of Hawaii (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii). If Hawaii is the 50th state of the US then does this demote England to the 164th state of Europe, a state that may become irrelevant through erosion over 50-100 years? The English people and people of England have not been informed nor given absolute guarantees from our elected Parliament where England will be in the next 50 years, let alone 100 years. The current human incumbents would all have popped their clogs and left this mortal coil. As William Shakespeare so poetically put it "For in that sleepe of death, what dreames may come..." (Hamlet act III scene I). This leaves the rest of the future generation to clean up all the crap they left in their barracks when their souls departed.
St. George's Day has deep roots in England's heritage and culture. What I love about St. George's Day is that it is not about the colour of someone's skin and so on, but it is about unity and bonding a country's people together to share and enjoy the same values and at the same time extend those values to others who are not of our faith and culture but wish to share and integrate with us and them.
To celebrate St George's Day is to celebrate England itself: our history, culture and heritage that has created our nation. Patron saints are chosen as special protectors of life and culture. Like England, every country in the UK has its own patron saint that in times of great threat is called upon to help save the country from its enemies. Legend says St George was a dragon-slaying knight and he was made patron saint of England in recognition of his great acts. St George is also a popular figure outside England in the countries: Portugal, Catalonia, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia and the Gora. His symbol, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St George's symbol was originally adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century.
St George
Very little is known about the real St George. He is thought to have been born into a noble Christian family in the late third century in Turkey. He followed in his father's military footsteps and became part of the retinue of the Emperor Diocletian (circa 245-313). St George was a brave soldier in the Roman army who died for his beliefs. The emperor ordered the systematic persecution of Christians and George protested against the Romans' torture of Christians. For that he left the Roman army. For leaving, he was tortured, executed in Palestine, and finally beheaded, becoming an early Christian martyr in 303 AD. St George was also adopted as the Saint of Battles. This was because St. George is said to have appeared to the Christian army before the Battle of Antioch (nearly 920 years ago) in 1097 AD.
Photo courtesy of http://4freedoms.com/photo/battle-of-antioch-1097-a-d
So on the 23rd April 2016 remember that Europe didn't create this day England created this day and today we still defend our nation. Our patron saint, St. George, is a heritage defining moment in our history. Naturally England will celebrate our National Day with parades through streets, floats will be seen, music will be played, dancing for fun, and laughter will be heard. There will be a special St George's Day service at local churches. Moreover, April 23rd is the day for a red rose in the button hole, England's national flower. Shakespeare's birthday falls on the same date, and the Globe Theatre (built in 1599 AD) will be having its usual big celebration. There are events all around the country so join in, take part and have pride in who we are.
Finding our about our great country is not difficult and here are a few weblinks to help you:
St. George International Man of Mystery - http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/pick-of-season/the-real-st-george/
English Heritage - http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
Portal:England - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:England
A timeline of English History - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_English_history
History of England - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_England
English Culture - http://www.britainexpress.com/History/english-culture.htm
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