According to the Guardian, Andrew Motion and a leading group of poets have written a new liturgy "exploring "Englishness" in a much-changed England, and are attempting to reclaim the patron saint, St George, from far-right groups such as the BNP".
I am always a bit dubious when I read about the "reclaiming" of flags, saints, languages etc- nobody ever gave permission to the various fascists to make such things their own in the first place; simply because the BNP would wrap themeselves in the Union Jack or for too many years St Patrick's Day was a Provofest in Belfast didn't mean I had to "reclaim" either the emblem or the saint, they were always mine to begin with.
Anyway..... here's the introduction from the liturgy:
Whatever the individual wants it to be and become would be my short answer.
I am always a bit dubious when I read about the "reclaiming" of flags, saints, languages etc- nobody ever gave permission to the various fascists to make such things their own in the first place; simply because the BNP would wrap themeselves in the Union Jack or for too many years St Patrick's Day was a Provofest in Belfast didn't mean I had to "reclaim" either the emblem or the saint, they were always mine to begin with.
Anyway..... here's the introduction from the liturgy:
Minister What is this England?
We have a patron saint
What does he stand for?
We have a flag
Sometimes it speaks of sporting passion.
Sometimes it speaks of pomp. Sometimes it speaks of grief, at memories of war.
Sometimes it speaks of vicious hatred.
But when it flies upon this church it speaks of something else.
What is this country called to be, and to become?
Whatever the individual wants it to be and become would be my short answer.
2 comments:
It's not Jerusalem, is it.
No, I can't see it inspiring a charge out of the trenches!
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