Google marked St David’s Day (St David - patron saint of Wales) with a few daffodils, which was pleasant. It put me in mind of the school Eisteddfodau I attended, with all the girls wearing daffodils and the boys sporting real leeks which were munched over the course of the morning.
St Patrick’s day was marked with a shamrock, begorrah, so it was. I didn’t notice what happened on St Andrew’s Day (St Andrew - patron saint of Scotland).
So yesterday was St George’s day, an easy date to recall as Shakespeare conveniently engineered his birth and death on the 23rd of April. What did Google do to mark the day? Nothing.
When I was young the flag of St George was sported by the National Front (a fringe fascist group) and nobody else but latterly the flag has been restored to its proper place as a banner for English people, to mix it with the dragon of the Welsh, and with the Irish and Scottish flags or even the Stars and Stripes. But English nationalism, or even any overt regard for the great achievements of the English, is still frowned upon by the liberal bien pensant, bless their hand-knitted socks.
Google shouldn’t kow-tow to this nonsense. hope for better next year.
This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise; This fortress, built by nature for herself, Against infection, and the hand of war; This happy breed of men, this little world; This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands; This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England
