View Full Version : Should we have a British day?
From BBC News
Are the British patriotic enough?
Gordon Brown is to put forward a proposal that Britain should have a day to celebrate its national identity.
In a speech to the Fabian Society, he will call for Labour supporters to “embrace the Union flag” and reclaim it from the far right.
All comes down to the single question: "What is britishness?"
Queen and country? Not to the republicans!
Immigration? Definately to the right wing!
Its all so part of the problem!
People dont know
The other patriotic days are barely celebrated. What would be different about this?
why do we need a british day? although i live in england, i don't feel particularly patriotic. if saints days aren't celebrated then what will be different?
Mind you, if its like the 4th of July in America, then i wouldn't mind!
Its just like a huge party really. Loads of parades and stuff. It looks really good.
ah, kinda like bastille day in france then?
yeah, it sounds like it... maybe it would be good, but people might just celebrate instead of remembering what it means
Yeah, it could become really pointless.
.:SpIcYsPy:.
14-01-2006, 12:47
If it's a school day off :p...
:rotfl: Its meant to make ya patriotic!
the_watts_rule
14-01-2006, 15:32
I wouldn't mind if we had a British day.
i would really like it, esp if it was like the 4th of july in the usa
no no no no no. No one celebrates st georges day so whats the point. It would just turn into a stupid day for the Queen.
I wouldn't mind an extra as an holiday.
.:SpIcYsPy:.
14-01-2006, 16:30
A holiday/school + work day off, one day... Yes!! But not for the Queen but as Britian itself I think.. If that made sense lol...
but the royal family think they are Britain. If there was no such thing as the royal family id be well up for it. dont get why theyneed a seperate one as we already have st georges day which is meant to be patriotic.
di marco
14-01-2006, 17:45
but the royal family think they are Britain. If there was no such thing as the royal family id be well up for it. dont get why theyneed a seperate one as we already have st georges day which is meant to be patriotic.
yeh i think if we had a british day it should be on st georges day instead of having another day
squillyfer
14-01-2006, 17:55
i think this is a good idea people in this country arent patriotic enough
The other patriotic days are barely celebrated. What would be different about this? I agree,I was brought up to celebrate st george day, and when I was younger every body celebrated,every one wore a red rose, But not anymore,I wrote to Ken livingstone as each year he puts on something for st patricks day, devali ,chinese new year all in trafalgar sqaure but not for st georges day. I was told there would be something,a small celebration was put on in covent garden,which was rubbish.I even have to call my flag the union flag, it was always the union jack. Bring back the old days.
squillyfer
14-01-2006, 18:06
I agree,I was brought up to celebrate st george day, and when I was younger every body celebrated,every one wore a red rose, But not anymore,I wrote to Ken livingstone as each year he puts on something for st patricks day, devali ,chinese new year all in trafalgar sqaure but not for st georges day. I was told there would be something,a small celebration was put on in covent garden,which was rubbish.I even have to call my flag the union flag, it was always the union jack. Bring back the old days.
here here i couldnt agree more. This country spends too much time trying to be every country but britain
di marco
14-01-2006, 18:49
I even have to call my flag the union flag, it was always the union jack. Bring back the old days.
this may sound stupid but why cant you call it the union jack anymore?
di marco
14-01-2006, 18:50
here here i couldnt agree more. This country spends too much time trying to be every country but britain
i agree, all our british things are ignored so we can bend over backwards for everyone else, if we went to their country they wouldnt care about our celebrations at all
willsmummy
14-01-2006, 20:17
I'd be all for it, providing it meant a day, preferably a week, off work.
And here's something about the Union Jack. "Jack" in this sense doesn't have racist connotations apparently:
Is it a Jack or a Flag ?
The Union Flag is often referred to the Union Jack, much to the annoyance of those who think they know better.
Most often these people will say that the Union Flag is not a Jack because it is only a Jack when flown at sea. To some extent this is a correct view, although many are surprised to learn that the term Jack, for a small flag, preceded the name of the Jack Pole upon which it is hung from upon ships.
The legitimacy of flying the Union Flag at all is also somewhat questionable, as the Union Jack was initially created to be flown at sea only with the permission of the monarch. When used at sea, the Union Jack is reserved for use by the government for specific purposes and is specifically the Jack of the Royal Navy, which is why it is illegal for civilian ships to fly it.
On land, the use of the Union Jack is an issue which has never been resolved in legal or constitutional terms and it has never been officially adopted or defined as the national flag, no matter what one wishes to call it.
Permission appears to have been given to allow the Union Jack to be used on land as far back as 1800, and there have been many authoritative confirmations since then that the Union Jack should be used as the national flag.
The argument that the Union Flag and the Union Jack are two separate entities is therefore entirely false; the Union Jack is the flag which was designated to be flown at sea, and permission has been granted for it to be used on land, and it has taken on the mantle of being the national flag.
As recently as 1907, the Home Office has confirmed the accepted status of the Union Jack, stating that the, "Union Jack is the national flag and there is no objection to its general use by private persons on land" [HO 45/10287/109071].
The Union Flag is what many in Britain call our adopted national flag, and is the Union Jack used on land. The notion that Jacks can only be used at sea is a recent and entirely superfluous argument; quite clearly, they are one and the same, and as such, it can be called the Union Flag, the Union Jack or even the National Flag.
And this view is officially supported by the Royal Family ( who should know the truth of the matter ), who make no distinction between the three possible terms, and the UK government, who state explicitly that, "The flying of the Union Jack over government buildings is the responsibility of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport".
So there's the definitive answer; Union Jack, Union Flag or simply National Flag - call it whatever you want.
pookie1968uk
15-01-2006, 18:33
we need to be reminded that britian is still british!! it would do us good to celebrate our nationality and our flag too!
~charlie-lou~
15-01-2006, 18:54
I'm a total mixture of nationalities but I look, feel and act totally British as I have been brought up here all my life. I am very patriotic! :D
i am the total opposite i am real republican, i never celebrate st georges day but always st patricks day, i dunno why as i am English i am only a tiny bit Irish. I dnt suppor the football team or rugby team or anything. THis whole British day is stupid, i mean France dont have a french day do they.
squillyfer
15-01-2006, 19:27
This whole British day is stupid, i mean France dont have a french day do they.
well technically they do July 14 is Bastille Day, the French Independence Day when all french people have the day off work and celebrate their heritage and what it means to be french
exactly its Batille day to celebrate their independance not some stupid day someone wants to make up it actually has a meaning, if you no what i mean.
squillyfer
15-01-2006, 19:35
I get what you mean but the fact remains that it is rarely celebrated as bastile and is more of a day when people remember what it means to be French. It isnt so much about the storming of the bastille anymore and if that is the case why not have British day on Trafalgar Day october 21st
if he day had a certain meaning fine but im under the impression that they just wnt to name a date "british day" which has no meaning whatsoever and therefore is a bit pointless.
di marco
15-01-2006, 20:16
i am the total opposite i am real republican, i never celebrate st georges day but always st patricks day, i dunno why as i am English i am only a tiny bit Irish. I dnt suppor the football team or rugby team or anything. THis whole British day is stupid, i mean France dont have a french day do they.
i dont celebrate st georges day either, but i do support the football and rugby teams
im Ireland all the way., and i dont get what St georges day is even meant to be about.
di marco
15-01-2006, 20:33
im Ireland all the way., and i dont get what St georges day is even meant to be about.
isnt it about someone killing a dragon?
probably as there is a story about st george and the dragon. Ill have to find out. My history never been that good.
di marco
15-01-2006, 20:50
probably as there is a story about st george and the dragon. Ill have to find out. My history never been that good.
no nor has mine! thats the only thing that i can think of about it!
mind you i dont know what st Patricks days about apart from it involves a well and rocks. Shows how patriotic i am. I know we all get drunk, and thats about it.
di marco
15-01-2006, 20:55
mind you i dont know what st Patricks days about apart from it involves a well and rocks. Shows how patriotic i am. I know we all get drunk, and thats about it.
haha lol! :D
Patricks day is huge in Ireland but we have other saints days that are not celebrated as much, st Bridgit and st Brendan (who was apparently the first person to go to america but Chris got the credit)...
If we did have an "irish day" or "british day" then we would just have a day off and get drunk wave a very lame flag...
i think it would be a great idea
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