Why not this much celebration on St. Georges day??

[HeadingNorth]

All this is extremely recent. I'm sure we have only seen this kind of plastic paddy day since about 8 or ten years ago. It definitely never happened when I was in my student days.

Looks to me like an imported marketing gimick from USA where (according to the simpsons) they have irish parades and green guinness.

 

It's extremely recent to England, yes. It has grown out of a twofold impetus; Guinness wanting to make a big advertising gimmick out of it, and the English eagerly hooking onto any excuse to get drunk.

 

The notion of Saint's Days having any siginificance at all, though, belongs exclusively to the Catholic church, which was effectively outlawed in England in 1553, and has never recovered. There have been times where even mentioning that it was "St. George's Day" could get you into serious trouble for being a closet Catholic. Although we still have the same flag that we used to have, we really don't have any right, nor any need, to claim a patron saint. April 23rd just doesn't really mean anything to the English, and there's no particular reason that it should - unless you wish to celebrate Shakespeare's (alleged) birthday.

[Lockjaw]

So why are idiot ENGLISH people celebrating it.

 

Um ... because they want to have fun?

[JFKvsNixon]

You are ssoooooo missing the point. Oh dear Paddys day is IRISH! Not ENGLISH! So why are idiot ENGLISH people celebrating it.

 

Maybe for the same reason that many non practicing Christians celebrate Christmas?

[Lockjaw]

Many times on St.Georges day the police have been involved in celebrations and made people take flags down. Try reading at the time.

 

I can read all the time so show me some evidence.

[damien666]

Rubbish, under what law are people prohibited to fly the English flag? During the World Cup there are thousands of them.

 

Excuse me, it happened, last St.Georges day. Fact.

[samshe]

So I will return the question, whats the point in the ENGLISH celebrating an IRISH tradition? This country cant even support its own day, silly individuals.

 

You are missing the point of tonight. How many people that are out tonight are celebrating the fact that Patrick drove the snakes out of Eire and helped bring Catholicism to the country? None as those gullable enough to believe that rubbish are either children, in a psychiatric ward or at a church. Those out tonite are just getting hammered for fun

[HeadingNorth]

Rubbish, under what law are people prohibited to fly the English flag? During the World Cup there are thousands of them.

 

It is prohibited to fly an English flag with the word ENGLAND written on it; for arcane reasons I never did really understand, that counts as advertising and requires planning permission. There have been instances where people have been obliged to take their flags down, but it's always been for that ridiculous reason.

 

The ridiculous reason of not being allowed to fly their own flag in their own country, has never actually happened.

[JFKvsNixon]

100% agreed but there are some thick, mainly students, English people who seem to be celebrating an Irish day. Maybe they were dropped on their heads at birth.

 

Does it often bother you when you see other people having fun?

[JFKvsNixon]

Excuse me, it happened, last St.Georges day. Fact.

 

So I imagined all the thousands of English flags flying during the world cup?

[Lockjaw]

Excuse me, it happened, last St.Georges day. Fact.

 

Ah, I see: "Fact". That's me convinced then.