[Misc] Brighton ignores St George’s Day

[hans kraay fan club]

I War-saw what you did there.

Very good. Lublin your work.

 

[the larks]

You'll find some quality morris dancing and songs by Brighton Morris and cuckoos best tonight at the chimney house pub tonight to celebrate St George

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Happy St George's day fellow English folk. I am off to the pub to raise a glass or two.

Bit early, shirley?....Alright for you retirees, poncing about. Some of us have work to do Making Britain great again.

 

[Lever]

The big challenge for real patriots is to retrieve symbols of our beautiful country from racist zealots who have somehow stolen them and who parade them as a means to fragment the cohesion of our society and generate division.

 

[Scappa]

Very good. Lublin your work.

Stop Gdansk-ing around the issue

 

[Happy Exile]

Same here, don’t recall a single year when St George was celebrated. It only seems in recent times folk have even bothered with the St George cross;,it was the Union flag when I was a kid. Starting a celebration now seems a bit false, a plastic show of patriotism. Besides, it’s too close to International Workers Day…I save my energies for this.

Yep, I don't remember when the St George's cross became so prominent at England games either. This is England fans in Turin during Italia 90, a lot more Union flagging:

 

[Eeyore]

This is the really weird stuff. Perhaps I miss it but if you believe these kinds of posts there are people everywhere complaining about people saying they are English.

How do you get yourself in this kind of quandary when the evidence around you points in a different direction.

Or have I missed it all?

Fwiw, I very much identify as English and get reminded of my Englishness many times a week. Although my Englishness is more your drinking tea and aplologising for everything.

The older I've got the less I identify as anything really. I'm English, I'm fine with that. If anyone asks I tell them.

One of the ironies is that a lot of folk who talk about being English and proud have a problem with gay folk not keeping it to themselves. But I say being gay is more relevant to a person day by day than the nation they were born in.

But that feeds into one thing we English do very well. Hypocrisy. I should know that. I'm English and I'm very good at hypocrisy.

Most English folk don't celebrate today because they can't be bothered. We are English, and not being bothered is a human right.

 

[Eeyore]

Yep, I don't remember when the St George's cross became so prominent at England games either. This is England fans in Turin during Italia 90, a lot more Union flagging:

It was 1996 at the Euros that it all kicked off. Led by that institution of English spirit and moral values, The Sun.

 

[Beanstalk]

Needs to come to my house, massive England flag displayed at the end of a pole.

Keep what's on the end of your pole to yourself pal.

 

[Seagull58]

Part of me finds it mildly disappointing that we don’t celebrate our national day. The other part of me thinks this kind of thing is for noddy little countries like Ireland and Australia, not for a 1,000+ year old country like England.

Fact is, if enough people cared then it would be a money-spinner, just like St Patrick’s Day is, and then there would be St George’s crosses everywhere but they don’t.

I do share the gruff-voiced man’s sentiment about St Patrick’s Day in England though.

We have a great St Patrick's Day celebration in Portugal every year. My local even gives hats out.

 

[Zeberdi]

I personally find the performative nationalism of somewhere like the US pretty nauseating. I'm glad that we do not feel need to the express ourselves in such a fashion, it's a lot more dignified and dare I say it....more English to be pretty cool about it.

Except when England are playing in the World Cup or any other international sporting event where England has been represented in recent years. Nationalist fervour during sporting competition, isn’t just limited to ultra sports fans as I think it used to be but has become an all-age, public wide, flag-waving form of our own performance nationalism in recent years that I personally find nauseating. It seems to have got worse since Euros 2020s which apparently rekindled some sense of post-Brexit national identity. Personally I also find all the politicians, members of the Royal Family and MSM becoming ’proud flag-waving Englanders’ during international sporting events, along with the singing of ‘Rule Britannia’ etc ‘pretty nauseating’ too but each to his own, that’s just me. I just think it has become OTT. There is no doubt though that there has been is a movement of progressive patriotism in international England competitive sport that not only appeals to nationalistic sentiments but has rightly or wrongly, used that platform to assume the mantle of being arbiters of social reform too.


This article should interest anyone (who can be bothered to read it)

Dear England? Nationalism and “progressive patriotism” in sport • International Socialism

What has made sport so uniquely effective a medium for inculcating national feelings…is the ease with which even the least political or public individuals can identify with the nation as symbolised by young persons excelling at what practically every man… Continue Reading →

isj.org.uk

 

[JBizzle]

I find that the flag's only purpose nowadays it to identify idiots. Sadly, as a symbol it's been corrupted by the right and far right into a stick with which to beat people rather that a symbol to stand beside with pride.

I have no problem being English, saying I'm English, and feeling English. I've never felt under threat as and Englishman. I can however simultaneously feel English, British and European with out it sending me into a crisis of identity.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The older I've got the less I identify as anything really. I'm English, I'm fine with that. If anyone asks I tell them.

One of the ironies is that a lot of folk who talk about being English and proud have a problem with gay folk not keeping it to themselves. But I say being gay is more relevant to a person day by day than the nation they were born in.

But that feeds into one thing we English do very well. Hypocrisy. I should know that. I'm English and I'm very good at hypocrisy.

Most English folk don't celebrate today because they can't be bothered. We are English, and not being bothered is a human right.

A former GF of mine is German. She absolutely loathed what she called 'English Verdplay'. The way we say things that are not quite correct, either for comedy porpoises, or because we aren't particularly bothered about the accuracy of certain things. I sometime look back on a conversation I have had and have thought "I should of done better, there", but in reality ambiguity, whether deliberate or carless, is part of being English.

It has the added benefit of allowing non-English to imagine they understand what's going on when in reality they have been duped, whooshed or simply mocked without their realizing. A childish sport, I realize, but it is quite....moreish.

I have to say it can be a challenge for the neurodiverse (moi) and I guess it can be a source of absolute fury for the non native-speaking neurodiverse (such as my German ex-GF). But on the whole, if there is any one thing that defines Englishness, this is it

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Except when England are playing in the World Cup or any other international sporting event where England has been represented in recent years. Nationalist fervour during sporting competition, isn’t just limited to ultra sports fans as I think it used to be but has become an all-age, public wide, flag-waving form of our own performance nationalism in recent years that I personally find nauseating. It seems to have got worse since Euros 2020s which apparently rekindled some sense of post-Brexit national identity. Personally I also find all the politicians, members of the Royal Family and MSM becoming ’proud flag-waving Englanders’ during international sporting events, along with the singing of ‘Rule Britannia’ etc ‘pretty nauseating’ too but each to his own, that’s just me. I just think it has become OTT. There is no doubt though that there has been is a movement of progressive patriotism in international England competitive sport that not only appeals to nationalistic sentiments but has rightly or wrongly, used that platform to assume the mantle of being arbiters of social reform too.


This article should interest anyone (who can be bothered to read it)

Dear England? Nationalism and “progressive patriotism” in sport • International Socialism

What has made sport so uniquely effective a medium for inculcating national feelings…is the ease with which even the least political or public individuals can identify with the nation as symbolised by young persons excelling at what practically every man… Continue Reading →

isj.org.uk

Well....there is a panto element to it. Football patriotism, I mean.

Whenever England are playing in a tournament, I put up a George flag in a downstairs window, and wear an England football top.

I watch the games on the telly, and boo the national anthems. Boo. BOO! Boo. Including our own. Boo.

When we win, I tell my mate with whom I watch the matches on TV how much I admire Southgate. When we lose we discuss what a useless **** Southgate is and how he should be made to get in a pond.

And at work, during a tournament (back in the day when I was at work most of the time) we would get a telly up in a lab, and 30 of us would watch. Whoever England were playing was bound to have a representative national in the room. Before the match I would single them out and give them pelters, reminding them who invented the game, and how shit their national side is. Even if we were playing Brazil, Italy or France. After we'd lost, my poor victim would dance around the lab, giving it large, giving me the finger, shouting etc.. I would have to suck it up, and acknowledge that we'd lost. Again. I bloody loved it.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Except when England are playing in the World Cup or any other international sporting event where England has been represented in recent years. Nationalist fervour during sporting competition, isn’t just limited to ultra sports fans as I think it used to be but has become an all-age, public wide, flag-waving form of our own performance nationalism in recent years that I personally find nauseating. It seems to have got worse since Euros 2020s which apparently rekindled some sense of post-Brexit national identity. Personally I also find all the politicians, members of the Royal Family and MSM becoming ’proud flag-waving Englanders’ during international sporting events, along with the singing of ‘Rule Britannia’ etc ‘pretty nauseating’ too but each to his own, that’s just me. I just think it has become OTT. There is no doubt though that there has been is a movement of progressive patriotism in international England competitive sport that not only appeals to nationalistic sentiments but has rightly or wrongly, used that platform to assume the mantle of being arbiters of social reform too.


This article should interest anyone (who can be bothered to read it)

Dear England? Nationalism and “progressive patriotism” in sport • International Socialism

What has made sport so uniquely effective a medium for inculcating national feelings…is the ease with which even the least political or public individuals can identify with the nation as symbolised by young persons excelling at what practically every man… Continue Reading →

isj.org.uk

She does take a very one-sided view of thew world. I read about a third of it but gave up when she criticised the royal family "getting in on the act" because Prince George (aged 7) was seen celebrating the win over the Germany in the 2020 Euros.

 

[dsr-burnley]

At least there were some Albion flags in the vid!!!

23rd April aside, post Brexit the St. George cross seems to have largely disappeared. Its a not just Brighton.

A decade or so again you'd see it everywhere during to Euros or a WC. Can't help many feel it represents "little England" a uncomfortable form of nationalism which is a bit sad.

Colne Town Hall flies it every day of the year (barring Union Jack national days). As they said, they have a flagpole, they might as well use it.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

The issue is the kind of chap who is desperately calling for St Georges flags also has videos titled:

WOKE POLICE harass PATRIOT
POLICE FAIL to protect FLAG IN LONDON
Woke england shirt
Tommy Robinson court highlights.

 

[Bakero]

Looks like I was wrong, and that is indeed your Lodz.

If you know how to say Łódź, that joke falls a little flat.

#polishpronunciationpedantry

 

[Paris]

The issue is the kind of chap who is desperately calling for St Georges flags also has videos titled:

WOKE POLICE harass PATRIOT
POLICE FAIL to protect FLAG IN LONDON
Woke england shirt
Tommy Robinson court highlights.

There's another priceless video with him announcing that he decided not to move to Spain but instead wanted to stay in the UK and fight the good fight. Making comparisons with his grandfather who fought in the Second World War, against....fascism.

 

[Jackthelad]

Except when England are playing in the World Cup or any other international sporting event where England has been represented in recent years. Nationalist fervour during sporting competition, isn’t just limited to ultra sports fans as I think it used to be but has become an all-age, public wide, flag-waving form of our own performance nationalism in recent years that I personally find nauseating. It seems to have got worse since Euros 2020s which apparently rekindled some sense of post-Brexit national identity. Personally I also find all the politicians, members of the Royal Family and MSM becoming ’proud flag-waving Englanders’ during international sporting events, along with the singing of ‘Rule Britannia’ etc ‘pretty nauseating’ too but each to his own, that’s just me. I just think it has become OTT. There is no doubt though that there has been is a movement of progressive patriotism in international England competitive sport that not only appeals to nationalistic sentiments but has rightly or wrongly, used that platform to assume the mantle of being arbiters of social reform too.


This article should interest anyone (who can be bothered to read it)

Dear England? Nationalism and “progressive patriotism” in sport • International Socialism

What has made sport so uniquely effective a medium for inculcating national feelings…is the ease with which even the least political or public individuals can identify with the nation as symbolised by young persons excelling at what practically every man… Continue Reading →

isj.org.uk

That’s a very interesting article. Not to go on a tangent but I really don’t understand what point of England players kneeling achieves. It just comes as gaslighting, activism without no fruits just comes across as an empty gesture.
I never knew Southgate wrote a letter that England players are there to educate fans on social justice, thats new, players were never expected to do that before. Maybe a sign of the times.