Laurence Fox/Dame Vera Lynn versus BBC

I for one will be buy a copy of Dame Vera's Land of hope and glory this week.

I think that Johnson's admonishment of the BBC will go down very will with his supporters and apologists, and go some way to getting him out of his current mire, so the BBC may have overplayed its hand.

As for Lawrence Fox - I lost all respect for him when he was so arrogant and boorish on Question Time, so the fact that he is jumping on the bandwagon doesn't surprise me in the least.

I'm glad I'm on my way out and not just born into this lot.

It s a sad state of affairs when Cardi-B with swearing and blatant sexual references is currently at No.2 in the charts which the BBC publish/acknowledge but the BBC will not have the lyrics to two of the iconic proms songs broadcast.

You'd have to hold a gun to my head to get me to buy a download of Vera Lynn singing anything but I'm glad Boris has taken the Beeb to task.

There's a good article by Richard Littlejohn in today's DM asking what would happen if anyone dared to criticise the Notting Hill carnival because it excludes the majority white population.

I am trying to keep an open mind on all this but its a once a year celebration of traditional songs with outdated words that don't really mean anything these days unless you are determined to find fault. No reason for them to be banned especially as we are not the only country with a history of rousing choruses to 'rally the troops.'

If the Woke Brigade get their way I wonder what the next target will be?

It's like Fawlty Towers " don't mention the war " said by John Cleese and said episode was removed because of it.

And we call this a democratic country ? Never.

Maybe the BBC would like to consider this. If the British Empire was all bad, how come most of our ex colonies, (52 at last count) flocked to join what was then the British Commonwealth when they were given independence? They are still members of the Commonwealth of nations as it is now called of which our Queen is still the symbolic head.

15 of those commonwealth countries still have our Queen as Head of State and there are 2.5 billion people worldwide living in Commonwealth countries.

Many of those countries have adopted our parliamentary democracy, legal system and civil service. During both world wars, around 4 million men from our then Empire volunteered to fight.

The commonwealth has been a force for good in the world in it's fight against poverty and championing democracy.

This is something about which we should take great pride.

Ooh look! A dead cat!

Are you disputing what I said Ilovecheese?

The BBC has claimed that the orchestral version will be used purely for artistic reasons, as without the usual 5000 people in the audience belting out the lyrics the songs just wouldn’t be the same.

I’m not altogether sure I believe this though.

Oddly enough I haven't read the Littlejohn article, but 'the majority white population' aren't excluded from the Notting Hill festival, and anyway, the songs in question aren't questionable because they exclude people.

I don't know that I care either way about their being sung at the LNOTP, but I don't think they are relevant to today's society, and wouldn't lose sleep if they were replaced.

(I'll ignore the Woke Brigade dig, as we are all supposed to be playing nicely )

Ilovecheese

Ooh look! A dead cat!

Is this fake news. From what I've heard the BBC has not made such a move.

varian

Is this fake news. From what I've heard the BBC has not made such a move.

Johnson was on the lunchtime news complaining about it, so I assume it is true, although there has been a partial U turn.

Belt it out in your garden with the flags and bunting

Maggiemaybe

The BBC has claimed that the orchestral version will be used purely for artistic reasons, as without the usual 5000 people in the audience belting out the lyrics the songs just wouldn’t be the same.

I’m not altogether sure I believe this though.

I don't believe this either. The BBC singers would be more than capable.

They still belt it out with out music .who needs the BBC bunch of outdated men in suits

They will be back next year, Rule Brit and Land Of.

And so they should be.

I wonder how many people atually know the words to these songs anyway? The chorus-yes. The verses -no!

Congratulations Bluebellwould and Urnstomgran - Elgar's "Land of Hope & Glory". The resonance of his beautiful "Pomp and Circumstance", and its added lyrics, indicative of a proud nation who tested by circumstance would and will not yield.

Laurence Fox and Question Time, for me told it as it is and how refreshing someone unafraid to speak out.

Urmstongran no, I'm not disputing what you said, what I am saying is that this business with the songs at the proms is to deflect attention away from the latest actions of the Government. In particular the A levels fiasco, and the delay in btech results.

ach urmston you almost had me there and then you did it .....you "gave" these countries independence ..now can you tell me what right the DISunited Kingdom had to have had power over them in the first place....Independence is a right NOT A GIFT . Just like the UNION is a treaty not a deed of ownership..so why should WE have to ASK permission to make our own choice of government,Westminster didn't ask us before Brexit!!There you have it Arrogance ,imperialistic and those songs say it all andare 100 years out of date.The EMPIRE is long gone ,time to accept it

What have Lawrence Fox and the late Vera Lynn got to do with the Last Night of the Proms?

There is a petition for keeping these patriotic songs in last night at the proms. www.change.org/p/tim-davie-bbc-director-general-save-rule-britannia-and-land-of-hope-and-glory-from-last-night-of-the-proms-ban?redirect=false hope link works.