23rd April 2023

 St. George’s Day - when we should be celebrating all that is good about England.  Trouble is, the English keep running the country down. I’ve never seen anywhere else with the same attitude. When I was writing An Englishwoman in America (mybook.to/Ed2anenglishwoman), the contrast was enormous. The first thing every US child is taught is allegiance to the flag, the Stars and Stripes freely flying from buildings and homes.  So, what’s wrong with the English? There are so many things we should be proud of: our world-class armed services, the NHS, our King, Prince William, our ceremonial excellence, the Red Arrows, Cadbury’s chocolate, our humour, etc. But these days there’s the irrational feeling, especially by those on the political left, that to overtly support England is somehow ‘unpatriotic’ and paradoxically ‘UnBritish’! And yet, in the US, JFK was very patriotic yet centre-left Democrat!  So, if Americans on both sides of the political spectrum can love their country, why can’t the English?  As JFK used to say: “..ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” So, when the emergency alert sounds at 15.00h today, let it remind ourselves that whatever your politics or faith, be proud of being English.