I admit to being very worried about the European and local elections on Thursday. The collapse in confidence in the three main parties as a result of the financial greed of some of their MPs has opened the field dramatically to smaller parties not so implicated. In many ways this is a good thing as our political system denies representation of minority parties who consequently rarely receive any funding from the business world. But in some ways it is not.
We are likely to see an increase in votes for Celtic parties such as the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Mebyon Kernow in Celtic regions of the UK and UKIP in England – no problem there. However, the BNP too will most likely see a resurgence in England. The rise over the years of the BNP, paralleling that of English nationalistic identity, worries me greatly – it missed a Euro seat by a whisker last time and will certainly win seats this time. Heaven knows what will happen locally in places like Bradford Council where it already has eight council seats.
What also worries me too is the well-meaning naivety of churchmen who think it is fine every St George’s Day to fly his flag and say it is about time we started celebrating Englishness more (the Church of England does fly it all the time anyway of course). One prominent figure recently was the Archbishop of York, no less.
It is a small step from celebrating Englishness, to celebrating English national identity, to promoting English Nationalism; and as William Hague wisely said, English Nationalism is the most dangerous of them all. Why he said this, I don’t know, but there is something of the night in it for sure, something the BNP thrives on.
I received this from a good and wise friend who is English, but who has a deep understanding of such matters and empathy with us Celts:
I very much agree with you on this, Andy. I was in Stoke-on-Trent a couple of years ago at about that time of year [St George’s Day]. What with all the red and white flags I felt that the BNP had certainly got a grip there. I said to my host that if I were a young Muslim and thus aware of the flag's origin as a Crusader emblem, I would very much fear for my safety.So English clergy - be like Hercules and do not listen to the siren voices that would draw you on to the rocks for the sake of cheap popularity. Stop up your ears, tie yourself to the mast and just sail serenely by. To do otherwise is to discredit Christ by playing with fire, and risking a lot of innocent people getting badly burned, perhaps literally….
Hi everyone! Well, I've got my feet under the table with HMS ALBION and am realising my life will not be the same for the next 18 months. This is a parish which moves about! However, we must make sure the Cowethas moves forward during this time.
