St George's Day

The late Duke of Devonshire, lord of Chatsworth House, looked very grand when clad in ermine and scarlet he attended the House of Lords for the State Opening of Parliament, but was usually to be seen shuffling about his estate in a comfortable of old cardigan and baggy-kneed corduroy trousers.

He wore his aristocracy likewise, easily, modestly and unmistakeably.

So it is with being English. And therefore, you will see few demonstrations of patriotism on the streets and in the pubs of England today. We leave that to little, nervous nations and conquered countries, like those from South America or Africa, where national days are celebrated in a desperate attempt to forget that imperialist dominion was overthrown in favour of local despotism. They are the modern equivalent of the Romans' 'bread and circuses'. Keep the mob happy and distracted.

In any case, who needs a patron 'saint'. It's a quaint (and heretical) Roman Catholic idea that some dead individual (who probably never existed) is constantly on hand in Heaven to stand up for our interests, like some kind of celestial ambassador.

England has always been a protestant country. Even when the papacy was ruling Western Europe with fire and sword, England was semi-detached and unruly. Even when the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth I and called for her to be assassinated, English Catholics generally ignored him. They were English and she was Queen of England, their Queen.

England is still protestant, if not in the religious sense, and still distrusts any continental calls for unification 'in everyone's interests', be they Pope or Hitler, Napoleon, Stalin or that little man in Brussels, whatever his name is.

By the way, Happy Birthday, William.

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.