0:00
What is it about England that makes us ashamed of who we are
0:02
Well, of course, Mr Stephen Sounders of Pound, first thing this morning, when I started talking to him about it
0:08
put me straight and said it's not being celebrated till next Monday. That's right. Because of the rules that you can't celebrate in Easter week
0:14
you can't celebrate in Easter. That's the church, the Christian rules. The church kick it into the next week
0:19
Yeah, but nevertheless, the 23rd of April is St George's Day. Now, I'm the most patriotic man you'll come across
0:27
I'm very English. My father fought in the war for six years from the age of 17
0:32
But I've given up trying to celebrate since George's Day because you were singled out as a bit of a freak
0:38
I'm sorry, but you are. You know, if I walked around today with a Union Jack waistcoat on
0:44
or something like that, I would be regarded as odd or a saddo or an extremist
0:49
And so I don't, because I don't feel I have to climb onto the rooftops
0:53
and shout, I'm English, you know... But how did that happen? It's happened since I was a kid
0:58
One of the first jobs I ever did, oh, I've got a great idea, I said to my newsletter on the Chester Chronicle
1:04
On this day, on my first year in journalism, I said, I'm going out into the streets of Chester
1:08
and I'm going to ask people if they know what day it is. It was April the 23rd. Voxpott. Thank you very much
1:13
Took a photographer with me, he took pictures of me. Not one single person out of six in Chester
1:18
you know, a great Roman city with great heritage, knew it was St George Day It was also the Queen birthday wasn it And Shakespeare birthday But certainly Shakespeare as we think We think Shakespeare was born and died on that day He certainly died on that day Yeah yeah 1616
1:32
Can I just calm you, put your mind at rest? Sure. Come to Ealing next Sunday and you will see the Greenfoot and District Scouts
1:39
and the Ealing and Hanwell Scouts having a massive St George's Day parade
1:43
as we do every single year. Yes. Now, I think that's a good thing
1:47
I think that virtually every Scout group I know in this country will celebrate St George's Day
1:52
And normally we have a couple of beavers dressed up as dragons running around the place
1:56
It's a really great occasion, and it's a patriotic occasion. But Mike makes a very important point
2:00
We don't, as a nation, celebrate St George's Day. No, we don't. The Irish celebrate St Patrick's
2:04
No, exactly. And even the Scots do. But, I mean, yesterday, I think, today
2:09
Keir Starmer actually had a big reception at Downing Street, and he actually served them up pork pies
2:15
You know, is this the British national dish? As long as they're melting Mowbray
2:19
Well, fish and chips, I think they're Jewish and Portuguese. I mean, round my way, we tend to eat sort of moussaka and pizza
2:25
Well, it's funny you should say that, because we've been talking about food this morning. For 23 years in this country
2:31
the nation's favourite dish has been chicken tikka masala. Chicken masala. Which doesn't exist anywhere outside this country. Exactly
2:39
But actually, for the first time last year, it was number two on the list
2:44
and it was beaten by fish and chips, which is quite right. Which is very surprising because fish and chips is now a very expensive dish
2:51
I'm just saying it's expensive. Very expensive
