Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Corbyn and the anthem
Sir Nicholas Soames, Churchill's grandson no less, has complained that Jeremy Corbyn failed to sing the words of the national anthem when it was played at a service in St Paul's Cathedral to commemorate the How puerile can you get?
Yet this event, or rather non-event, has hit the front pages of many British newspapers. The Guardian, to its credit, has relegated it to a modest half-column on page 8.
In my youth the main function of the anthem seemed to be to clear the cinemas quickly after the last showing. About two thirds of the audience would rush out before it started, the rest of us, unless we had a bus to catch, would stand in respectful silence, which exactly what Mr Corbyn did. Very few people sang. And how many of our footballers sing when this ritual is enacted before international matches?
Given that people claim to want honesty and sincerity in politicians, how can they expect Corbyn to mouth that he wants the Queen and her family "long to reign over us"? Rather he presumably would like them to go into modest retirement.
If we must have national anthems I think it is high time we found some words more suitable for today. "For he is an Englishman" from "HMS Pinafore" might well suit UKIP. Perhaps Prince Charles could commission the poet laureate to compose some more inclusive words to that fine tune, or perhaps to the BBC's "UK Theme."
As a former Wolf Cub I happen to know not one but three verses of the National Anthem. I wonder how many Nicholas Soames knows? To save Mr Corbyn further embarrassment I recommend this third one which he can sing without compromising his beliefs:
Oh Lord our God, arise,
Scatter our enemies*,
And make them fall.
Confound their politics
Frustrate their knavish tricks
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all.
*mainly those in the Labour Party.
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Given that people claim to want honesty and sincerity in politicians, how can they expect Corbyn to mouth that he wants the Queen and her family "long to reign over us"? Rather he presumably would like them to go into modest retirement.
ReplyDeleteI rather think he would, but the vast majority of the population disagree with him there, and they are the ones who buy the newspapers which pilloried him (the ones who do agree with him buy the Guardian).
It's all very well for him to stand on principle, but if he stands on a principle which most of the population think is wrong and get offended by, then you can't exactly say they shouldn't express their disagreement by attacking him, can you?
As it happens I don't agree with him, or the Guardian, on this issue. I take the view that, in the unlikely event of my doing something brave and being awarded a medal I’d prefer to receive it from one of the Windsors rather than, say, Tony Blair, Michael Howard, or even Nick Clegg. I like the idea of a token Head of State, above politics, for ceremonial occasions and as a focus of interest.
DeleteHowever, Corbyn is entitled to his different view and I see no reason why he should be forced to mouth silly platitudes with which he doesn't agree. Even among monarchists surely we can think of something more meaningful to wish for than that our nominal ruler should live a long time.
By standing respectfully during the anthem Corbyn achieved an adequate compromise.
However, Corbyn is entitled to his different view and I see no reason why he should be forced to mouth silly platitudes with which he doesn't agree
DeleteBut surely equally then you can see that it's okay to attack him for disagreeing?
I mean basically, if you are an outspoken anti-monarchist in a country which is overwhelmingly pro-monarchy, you're inevitably going to get some stick for it, aren't you?
(That said, I don't think in this case the story is about his monarchism; I think it's to do with his anti-militarism. If someone who is generally seen as pro-army and pro-troops happens not to sing along with the national anthem at a memorial service, people just assume that they had something else on their mind, or maybe they are tone-deaf and don't want to inflict their voice upon their neighbours, and nobody cares. If, however, someone who is known to have said he wants to abolish the army, and who cheered on the IRA when they killed British soldiers, doesn't sing in those circumstances, then it looks like they are Deliberately Making A Point and that is a story.)
I well remember the panicked rush for the exits in cinemas as the film ended and the national anthem was about to start up. It's difficult to think of anything less respectful. I always thought it funny that if someone was caught mid-aisle as "God Save.." struck up, then the mad sprint would cease and the person would instantly freeze on the spot.
ReplyDeleteI think it was today that The Guardian pointed out that we seem to be the only country in the world which praises the virtues of its monarch rather than the joys of the country itself. Personally, I rather like the rather downbeat Ukrainian anthem which starts something along the lines of "We're not dead yet..." - some small-scale protest in Independence Square today (100 people?) but unfortunately my Ukrainian was not up to deciphering the fluttering banners apart from "National....". The Queen would have been supremely jealous of ex-president Yanukovych's country mansion..
ReplyDeleteI think it was today that The Guardian pointed out that we seem to be the only country in the world which praises the virtues of its monarch rather than the joys of the country itself
DeleteAnd if it were the other way around I'm sure the Guardian would find a way to make that show how awful Britain is too…
There was a thoughtful letter in yesterday's Guardian pointing out that the Battle of Britain service was to honour those who fought to defend our freedom, and now we castigate someone for exercising it.
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