National Holiday To Celebrate Britishness Could Be On It's Way

Better than giving them a council house and an interview in the Guardian like we do now I suppose.

The problem with all this is that the people who are most proud of their nationality are the ones who have least to be proud of as individuals. Those with the most enthusiasm will be the ones most ignorant about what it is they're actually celebrating.

Are you talking about national front?

Nope. I'm even just talking about Britain, I mean people in general.

What a load of tosh. Another unproductive day where 30% of the people will have another day off to recover from the hangovers they got celebrating being British. Is this government incapable of any clear thought?

St Andrews day is a holiday in Scotland.
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Cant quite see a day to celebrate being British going down well in the provinces.

Poor Gordy Broon. Jings crivvens help ma boab, maybe if we have a British day we can get more Labour MPs returned and stop Scotland voting for Independance. LOL

I'm all for it. I'll definately take part in it. We should really have St. George's day off as a National holiday though. We have parades in the streets in my town on St George's day to celebrate being English if they fall on the weekends, like a few a years ago and they're awesome. But St. George's day falls on a Wednesday so the parties and buffets and free beer (hopefully haha) will be inside the pubs. Now we'll have a "British" one! Awesome. This is great news to me. Kids swearing oath to the Queen? Great idea! Muslims won't be too keen on that idea though.

Actually there have been plans to do this in the Netherlands too; would be 10th of July or 5th of May. However, they plan to do this for over 20 years now and nothing ever came of it so far. To celebrate Dutchness on 10th of July would be on the occasion of the killing of William (the silent) of Orange on 10 July 1584, the father of the Fatherland as we called him 50 years ago. And the 5th of May would of course be due to our liberation from the Nazi-occupation. I do not care so much about the underlying thoughts and philosophies; to me it would mean an extra day where I do not have to work :)

M-G

I hate that word...

Anyway a John Bull day would be better :)

You hate the word "British?" Tell me you're Polish. I love "British" as much as I love "English."

Do you pronounce the word British as Bri-ish, Arise Sankt Georg?

M-G

'British' sounds old fashioned to me. It also allies us (the English) with people who seem to want to have nothing to do with us (the Celtic fringe). I think its best we go it alone, especially as we are in the EU.

No I pronounce the "T" I think it's about the only word I pronounce the "T" in the middle of the word.

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Yeh but had it not been for BRITAIN we would probably have caved in to the Germans. We wouldn't have survived the Battle of Britain. When Britain unites (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) then we are a force to contend with. The word "British" and "Britain" are powerful words. I am just as much proud to be British as I am English.

Im ENGLISH!!!!!

From an non-Brit's perspective, this is very true. The countries of the U.K. are like brothers and sisters. You'll squable among yourselves, but if anyone else butts in, you'll join together in a flash.

Another holiday is needed in the UK. We have fewer national holidays than most of Europe and why not celebrate being British.
No im not english, im British, never called myself English but then its probably a class thing.

I dont quite follow that...the saying is "an English Man's Home is his Castle" and not "a British Man's Home is his Castle"

It would appear that the "English" have lost their identity and feel uncomfortable with saying "I'm English", whilst the Welsh are feirsly proud and the Irish and the Scotish, it's only the English that are happy with the title "British"..

There is a small village in the North of England with one of my family names and that makes me proud to be English..

I don't feel uncomfortable with speaking of my pride of being English. Just read my other posts in other threads. I'm 100% proud to be English BUT at the same time I am just as equally proud to be BRITISH. I live in a small village in the North-West too with a 100% white community, 98% English community, 2% being Scottish. I'm equally proud to be English AND British. There are Scots that are proud to be Scottish AND British.

Im English and im more than happy to be called British. Hate to be called English.
For me and most of the people i know, being English is associated with drunken louts and chavs. Being British is more about stiff upper lips, crumpets on the croquet lawn and tweed.

Whereas being English is more about upper cuts, crumpet on the back seat and shell suits?

So what, its your country!







Most ppl over here call you limeys...lol jk

Good luck with your Holiday:)

You have Queensday. How many days to celebrate your dutchness do you need?

It's an excuse. We've probably decided that we needed another day off?..

The Dutch actually have the least Bank Holidays. Besides the Christian Holidays like X-mas, Easter, Pentrecote and Ascention Day and the Universal New Year's day there is NOTHING except Queensday. And since this is just the birthday of our queen, they wanted to have a special non-royal house related day just to celibrate a typical DUTCH day. Like said, I don't mind. I like the prospect of another day of not having to work :)

M-G

Fair enough I suppose.

I wonder when we germans can celebrate being german again without someone finding it disturbing

You guys seem to have a Bank Holiday each month, so I would not complain if I were you :)

M-G (was born and raised near the German border and saw his village flooded each German Bank Holiday with Germans looking to buy coffee and cigarettes, so he knows first-hand)

Well yeah we do have a lot of Bank Holidays but none of them are to celebrate our germanness. I suppose we have the 3rd of October which is when were re-united but still it no were close to Queensday or St. Patricksday.

But that's mainly because you only are a democracy and a new republic since 1949. There is no tradition in that department in Germany. I'm sure that before you'd have a Kaisertag or something, but maybe you should do like the Americans (after all, you guys are like the Americans of Europe:) ) and install a President's Day in February or March.

M-G

Or a Towelday in June or July considering that every other nation is accusing us of reserving the sunchairs with towels at 6am

What absolute twoddle...if you hadnt noticed - its called "English" breakfast tea and not British.. We have English tea cakes, not British ones so I fail to follow your logic and actually when people refer to the drunkards they usually say "Brits abroad" !!!!...anyway best of British to you ;-)