The Rock Blog

I joined anthem4england many moons ago as I think England should have its own national anthem, with my personal preference being Jerusalem. Some fine fellows have lodge a petition:

Anthem - epetition reply

16 November 2007

We received a petition asking:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to initiate a Parliamentary debate on the adoption of a national anthem for England that is distinct from the British national anthem.”

Details of Petition:

“The British anthem - God Save the Queen - should not be sung by the English as an English anthem. It is disrespectful to England, Scotland and Wales to conflate England with Britain in this way; for England is a nation every bit as much as Scotland and Wales, and those Scots and Welsh that still consider themselves British are now obliged to boo their own anthem for fear of being regarded as traitors by an increasingly nationalistic tendency. http://anthem4england.co.uk/.”

* Read the petition
* Petitions home page

Read the Government’s response

There are currently no plans to introduce an official English anthem, but the Government recognises that the constituent parts of the United Kingdom may quite properly have national songs for which they have a particular attachment. However, the choice of anthem at sporting events is entirely a matter for the sport concerned. The English Cricket Board, for instance, made the decision to play ‘Jerusalem’ when the team took the field. Any such suggestions are best addressed to the relevant sport’s governing body.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the response is a cop-out. Alfie is on the case however…

I am proud to be British, I’m a Unionist, a Monarchist but I’m also English. I’m a fan of ‘God Save the Queen’ but it should be cherished as the UK’s national anthem, perhaps then there might be a strengthening of bonds between our increasingly dis-united Kingdom.