"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 those 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 spear! O, clouds unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire! I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand Till we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land."
It's Saint George's Day, don't try and explain or discredit the religious connotations and irregularities, because quite frankly I don't care. Today is the day that I get the chance, without rebuke or criticism to say that I am English, not British or a member of the United Kingdom or even part of the British Isles. I have no religion, realise that dragons don't exist and understand that the crusades were a misguided, religiously justified crime that has been dressed up as some moral quest.
Saint George's day gives me the same right as all the other adopted saints' days to celebrate my England in my way. I do not wish to be associated with the Welsh or the Scottish, they have their identity and wish to be separate from England and as far as I'm concerned, get on with it. I am proud of my country's accomplishments and most of it's people. We are in the main a good bunch and have contributed more positives than negatives to the world. We are not without fault and have made some terrible decisions and committed some awful crimes against ourselves and others throughout history, but over all we have been a positive influence on the world, driven technological change, fought injustice and stood strong when others folded.
Our governments come and go and political ideals get moulded, warped, changed and adapted for personal gain, but the people at a 'real world' level understand right and wrong and care for their fellow man. We are who we are and I am lucky enough to know a great number of people who demonstrate all that is good about being English.
That is all and have a great day.
