Patriotism - what do you think about it ?

If Patriotism means being proud of your country then that’s fine and to be encouraged.
If it means that you think your country is better than elsewhere that is bad, even worse is using patriotism to achieve a dubious goal

The National Anthem covers the four countries, assume changing it would have to be agreed by the four

"God save the King" was written on the equivalent of the back of a fag packet during the Civil War. Perhaps it is time we had a song that has had a bit more thought to it.

Yes Callistemon Commander of the British Empire

One of my favourite Connolly jokes Grany

School was celebrating some particular Royal occasion. My young grandson rushed in excitedly from school and said to his atheist mum "Mummy, mummy you must believe in God now because he saved our Queen"!

Anniebach

SIR William Connolly CBE

Yes!

Joined the elite ?

SIR William Connolly CBE

Grany

That made me laugh

Grany your post makes it quite clear.??

What does she need saving from?

I would have thought that was obvious!
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From Quora

Why do the Brits say the phrase "God save the Queen" (e.g, in the anthem)? Is the Queen in danger? What does she need saving from?
Billy Connolly did a funny routine about this, stating that he was unaware that the Queen was, in fact, in danger. However, if she was then he was sure that God was the very man to save her. He moved on to the issue of the anthem itself, which is roundly recognised as a terrible dirge. Connolly felt it was impacting our performance at international sporting events and suggested that it should immediately be replaced with the theme music from the BBC radio series, The Archers.

vegansrock

There are plenty of English songs if you want one.

Yes, but they're not as good

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vegansrock

Nothing wrong being proud of your own achievements but being a particular nationality is not an achievement. It’s all this superiority implications that come with being proud of a particular nationality that can lead to unpleasantness.

But that doesn't make sense because you said the French are proud of their scenery, beaches, weather etc. That has nothing to do with their own individual achievements. It is rightly a feeling of national pride with no superiority attached, just how it is and forever will be.

There are plenty of English songs if you want one.

Nothing wrong being proud of your own achievements but being a particular nationality is not an achievement. It’s all this superiority implications that come with being proud of a particular nationality that can lead to unpleasantness.

Forsythia

That’s really interesting. Then perhaps we English should also have our own song, in the interests of fairness.

Good idea

The Welsh have got songs and an anthem

Not a royalist then Grany ??

That’s really interesting. Then perhaps we English should also have our own song, in the interests of fairness.

The Scottish one is a song, not a National Anthem, Forsythia.

The Welsh National Anthem is played not just at sporting events but also national events eg Remembrance Day etc, after the UK National Anthem.

I consider myself English in the same way the Scottish and Welsh consider themselves. I don’t think British. As a matter of interest, don’t Scotland and Wales have their own anthems at rugby for example?

The Guardian view on the Queen’s jubilee: time to face change

This newspaper believes that Britain needs to talk more – and talk more publicly and seriously – about what should come next. As a nation, we are not good at doing this, partly out of deference to the Queen. The family dimension of the Windsors’ lives is endlessly reported and discussed in the media, while television dramas like The Crown generate vast audiences. But the practical constitutional questions about how this monarchy should work in a modern democracy are still treated as almost completely taboo.

A question for modern Britain

The best way for this to start is in Britain’s parliament, through a select committee – possibly specially convened for the purpose – that can take and collect evidence in public, including from members of the royal family and household if necessary, about a large range of issues. These could include the appropriate constitutional, political and military roles of the monarch, including with other nations; the regulation, financing and accountability of the monarchy; the size of the royal household maintained by the state; the laws of succession and the appropriate ceremonies for the inauguration of the new monarch, including their religious dimension, the coronation and the coronation oath.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/27/the-guardian-view-on-the-queens-jubilee-time-to-face-change#comments

In the comments that followed there were many calling for end of monarchy after queen goes.

As long as we learn from the past - different times, different priorities, different standards.

I don’t condemn England now for the brutality of english coal mine owners , I wasn’t brainwashed because my grandfather taught me to speak Welsh because it wasn’t taught in school.

I have even forgiven the English for killing the Prince of Wales
- joke before I am put under fire

Australia has a lot to be ashamed of
Maybe the ethnic Australians should choose the anthem

Am I patriotic? no I don’t think I am, I m ashamed of many things we have done and still continue to do, then there are other times when for instance a lot of money is made for a disaster or we send aid or people to help, then I feel a tiny bit of pride, but it can never make up for what’s gone before and Scotland, Ireland, Wales and other European countries who were as bad should be equally ashamed
Do I defend it no I cannot forgive colonialism, slavery etc even if other countries did the same it can’t make it right
It’s a sadness to me that I can’t see my very beautiful country in a different light
But Patriotism should come from the heart voluntarily not learned from a baby to stand, salute, sing etc that is brainwashing

We could do with a lot more Patriotism in the UK. I cherished the days when Tv used to finish at night with the National Anthem, and at the end of the film in the cinema. On a visit to Canada quite a few years ago, every business had the Canadian flag outside. We could do with a bit more of that here!