British Anthem - Booooooo!
British Nationalist First Minister Rhodri Morgan has criticised the barrage of jeers, whistles and horns that met the British national anthem in the Wales v England game in Cardiff on Saturday, icwales.co.uk, he said:
"It's very unfortunate and it's totally different from rugby culture where it's ingrained into you from an early age to enjoy the singing of the other team's national anthem as well as your own."
But what Rhodri and his British Nationalist friends do not understand is that the Welsh were NOT booing England's National Anthem, they booed the 'British' national anthem, as they did against Northern Ireland in an earlier match at the millenium stadium.
British Nationalists like Rhodri Morgan need to realise that the 'British' imagined community is at an end. Wales and Scotland have their own strong national identity, and the English are also re-creating their own national identity. Many English fans have called for England to adopt a new National Anthem instead of 'God Save the Queen'.
Booing an opposing team's national anthem is generally wrong, but booing 'God Save the Queen' by the Welsh and Scottish is totally understandable. The Welsh are NOT anti-English, but rather anti-British, and the British imagined community, originally created to quash Welsh and Scottish Nationalism.
Thankfully, the British Nationalists are in decline, and in their place we are seeing Welsh, Scottish and English Nationalists. England, Scotland and Wales need their own independent states, and the sooner this happens, the sooner we can all live in harmony, without the need to boo!
Posts
7 comments:
An interesting site. I look forward to reading more.
An open question for debate: is it permissible to regard Britain and not England/Wales/Scotland as one's nation?
I began reading that with dread, but I agree with every word. Speed the day when England has a national anthem.
Here's my take and here
That is a fair question 'normal mouth'. I actually believe that most people within the UK would state that their nationality is Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or English first, and maybe British secondly. i don't think that there are many people that would claim to be only 'British', but it is a fair point,
I also support Toque's view that England should have a new national anthem, what do you use at the olympics?
I've commented on this on my blog and would invite you all to have a look at it and leave your observations:
http://normalmouth.blogspot.com/
Let's put it another way: do you think it is legitimate for someone to think of Britain - and not one of its constituent parts - as their nation?
Less and less people now consider themselves to be British (especially amongst young people). The concept of Britishness is dying which makles it more and more absurd that the UK government is trying to promote Britishness as a response to the bombings on 7/7 . Personally, I always say that my first nationality is Welsh and my second nationality is European, thus avoiding Britishness altogether.
How can Welsh people be anti-British when they are British? Are they opposed to themselves? How many of you haven't got any relatives from Scotland or England? I accept the fact that Wales has a distinctive culture of its own but then every country in the world has regional cultural differencies. Is this on its own enough to make a true nation? I don't think it is. Are Bavarians not Germans?
Post a Comment