Attila and St. George's Day Bash...

[Pavilionaire]

...I went with 3 mates to the Bar Kick in Shoreditch High Street on Friday Night for an evening of Englishness to commemorate St. George.

It was a top night, some good speakers talking about being English, England fans away etc but it was almost ruined at the end by Attila ranting on about the Albions for what seemed like half an hour plus.

It was supposed to be a night of Englishness. I don't see what Gordon Smith missing in the 1983 Cup Final, Hereford, Archer, Bellotti and our Falmer struggle has to do with St. George.

The fact that he rewrote the national anthem to take the piss out of the Queen on our national day didn't go down well with any of my crowd either.

Not good publicity for the Albion, in my book.

 

[alan partridge]

what's more english than football?

taking the piss is another wonderful national trait too. the queen can handle it

 

[Pavilionaire]

It just looked like a bloke in an Albion top a bit pissed up, ranting on about the Albion and having a go at the queen.

Put it this way, I felt embarrassed to support the Albion, but there you go...

 

[Soton Seagull]

By having a go at the Queen, he was having a pop at the Germans, now what is more English than that?!

 

[fatbadger]

The fact that he rewrote the national anthem to take the piss out of the Queen on our national day didn't go down well with any of my crowd either.

Sounds fair enough to me - if we need the Queen to be proud as a nation, we are well and truly f***ed.

The greatest day in English history was the 30th of January, 1649. On that day, political maturity beckoned. Eleven later we regressed to the pre-pubescent stage. The fact that we still have a monarchy shows just how immature we are as a polity.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I know, it's St George's Day, why not ram my republican rhetoric down everyone's throat?...

Twat.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Funny thing though, to invite Attila.

You could have predicted what he was going to say. I am surprised in a way that he wanted to do it.

 

[Brovion]

I wasn't there so I can't comment but I can assure you that Attila like myself is patriotically English. However our patriotism does not mean we support the Empire, the Royal Family or (imposed) institutions; we support modern England, it's people, it's tolerance, it's values. Attila is also passionately pro-Albion and never misses a chance to 'witness'. I've seen him spreading the word in Germany and he's brilliant. Maybe it was the wrong speech to the wrong crowd at the wrong time (as I said I wasn't there) but I'm afraid that happens sometimes.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Brovian, it WAS the wrong speech to the wrong crowd at the wrong time. However, I'm sure it would have gone down well in The Nelson.

If Attila is all about tolerance, what's he doing getting his reworking of God Save The Queen (entitled She Lives In Slough) printed off and handed out for all to sing at the end of the night?

I respect his republican views but resent being coerced into singing an anti-monarchist song on St. Georges Day.

 

[Gwylan]

I don't understand why being patriotic means supporting the royal family. I love this country and will be fully behind the England team in Euro 04 but have no truck with the royal family, I really don't see why that makes me less 'English' than you.

 

[Brovion]

.... I respect his republican views but resent being coerced into singing an anti-monarchist song on St. Georges Day.

If you are a Monarchist then fair enough - I can see why you would resent it. As you say it was probably the wrong crowd - however I would have LOVED to celebrate St George's day by singing anti-monarhist songs! As I said I'm English first and foremost, British an extremely poor second and European only during the Rider Cup - but being English doesn't mean I support the Royal Family, well certainly not the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Now if we were to celebrate Harold Godwinson, the last true King of England and the last true Earl of Wessex that would be a different story!

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'm not saying you have to support the monarchy to be patriotic, or that having republican sympathies makes you less English than me.

Is singing an anti-monarchy song on St Georges Day tolerant of the views of somebody who is pro-monarchy, on a day that is supposed to be a celebration of Englishness (as it was billed)?

 

[Gwylan]

But wasn't Harold Godwinson Danish and of Saxon (German) descent?

Surely the last true native monarchs were the Welsh princes. Let's all celebrate Llewellyn ap Gruffydd instead

 

[Gwylan]

I'm not saying you have to support the monarchy to be patriotic, or that having republican sympathies makes you less English than me.

Is singing an anti-monarchy song on St Georges Day tolerant of the views of somebody who is pro-monarchy, on a day that is supposed to be a celebration of Englishness (as it was billed)?

You might just as well say that singing a pro-monarchy song on St George's Day is not tolerant of someone who is republican.

Your second statement implies that a celebration of Englishness does mean supporting the monarchy. I just don't understand what the monarchy has got to do with being English.

 

[Brovion]

Pavilionaire - I would be offended if I was expected to sing pro-Monarchist at a St George's day rally. To me that would not be a celebration of Englishness. I think we'll have to attend different events!

Gwylan - Yes, but you've got to draw the line somewhere! I just hate it when people assume English history starts in 1066!

 

[Albion Dan]

Isnt the Queen German anyway?

 

[Pavilionaire]

I wouldn't expect a crowd of English people to have to sing the proper version of God Save The Queen on St. George's Day because, as you point out, some people do not support the queen.

Singing a republican song is a celebration of being a republican, which I'm not.

Anyway, I've said my piece.

On a more positive note I think it's great that people generally made a bit of effort for St. Georges Day this year, so maybe the tide has turned.

 

[Josky]

Surely, if anything (and despite her germanic geneology), the Queen is more correctly associated with Britishness, with the Empire and then Commonwealth of which England, Scotland, Wales and NI are part.

Being English is nothing to do with the monarchy.

I'm sure you weren't forced into singing anything if you didn't want to.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

...I went with 3 mates to the Bar Kick in Shoreditch High Street on Friday Night for an evening of Englishness to commemorate St. George.

It was a top night, some good speakers talking about being English, England fans away etc but it was almost ruined at the end by Attila ranting on about the Albions for what seemed like half an hour plus.

It was supposed to be a night of Englishness. I don't see what Gordon Smith missing in the 1983 Cup Final, Hereford, Archer, Bellotti and our Falmer struggle has to do with St. George.

The fact that he rewrote the national anthem to take the piss out of the Queen on our national day didn't go down well with any of my crowd either.

Not good publicity for the Albion, in my book.

Surely if you were in Shoreditch High Street you went to Browns

 

[Dave the OAP]

it is quite interesting that (unless some clever dickie can contradict me) we are the only country who has a National Anthem about a Monarch rather than the country