Foundation and Empire

Apr 23, 2012 16:23

So, it's St George's day. This goes largely unremarked, other than by the ( Read more... )

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Comments 9

mobbsy April 23 2012, 17:26:09 UTC
I think the problem with England's national mythology is not so much that there isn't one, but that there are so many to choose from that any identity is fragmentary. People get a pick-and-mix of bits to be proud of, to ignore and to be ashamed of.

It's not so surprising that WWII is the last moment of any sort of unity, since there's little more unifying than a common foe. It's always much easier to put aside disagreements in opposition than when supporting any set of ideals.

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edith_the_hutt April 23 2012, 17:39:09 UTC
What about November 5th?

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pjc50 April 23 2012, 21:27:25 UTC
Now that's an ambiguous date - are we celebrating the attempt to blow up parliament or its failure? The burning of Catholics in effigy has got a bit problematic since the repeal of the Test Acts ..

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swaldman April 23 2012, 19:30:22 UTC
I never thought of the end of WW2 as a "refounding" moment, but I think there's some truth in that ( ... )

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ewx April 23 2012, 21:04:54 UTC
St Patrick has a couple of letters attributed directly to him; TTBOMlimitedK there’s nothing anywhere near as solid for St George. Patrick also actually had something to do with Ireland which I don’t think can be said of George/England even from just the mythology.

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swaldman April 23 2012, 21:27:04 UTC
But did he do anything *on that specific date*?

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ewx April 23 2012, 21:27:54 UTC
No idea, but the saints days are arbitrary anyway, aren’t they?

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ptc24 April 23 2012, 20:47:22 UTC
This may just be an artefact of which books I've read, but there seems to be some key period in the aftermath of the Civil War, giving us the feeling that grand visions and big ideas lead to catastrophe, and that fudge and compromise are the way to go. If memory serves, this might have something to do with Locke and with Hobbes... but even then, they have 'social contract' foundation theories, and I always have a problem with those.

My brain has come up with a slogan, which I'm sure is wrong on so many levels, but what are off-the-cuff thoughts for? "Britain. Some people were born here. Deal with it."

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