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Saint George is Cross

Legend has it that there was once a man named George, a courageous and brave individual who held a high-ranking position in the Roman army around the late 3rd century. On one occasion (so the story goes) he visited a town in Libya which was being terrorised by a dragon. He decided that the dragon must be stopped at all costs, and so took it upon himself to kill this brutal beast, thereby saving a local Princess from its jaws and releasing the town from the grip of this winged colossus. The exact details of the story differ according to which source you trust, some claim the dragon inhabited a flat topped hill in Berkshire, others have the dragon living in a lake in Silena, but the basic structure of the tale remains the same in each version.

As well as being a successful dragon-slayer, George was also a passionate Christian soldier, so dedicated to his faith that it would eventually lead to his execution. In the year 302ad, the Roman Emperor Diocletian began to mercilessly persecute Christians, using his vast army of men to carry out vicious attacks. George was unable to hide his anger about this, and so made a personal complaint to the Emperor, who subsequently sent him to prison to be tortured. George showed true strength of character, and was defiant in the face of Diocletian's brutality. He refused to renounce his faith, and as a result was dragged through the streets like a beleaguered donkey, before being relieved of his head on April 23rd , 303ad.

George was later canonised for his efforts, and he is remembered across the globe each year on Saint George's Day - the 23 rd of April. In the 1340's King Edward III proclaimed George to be the Patron Saint of England, a position which he still holds to this day. George is also Patron Saint of numerous other countries, clubs and societies including: Georgia ; Aragon ; Moscow ; Catalonia ; The Knights of the Round Table; and The Scout Movement, to name but a few. In Barcelona (capital of Catalonia ) huge street parties are thrown each year on Saint George's Day and people give gifts to their partners as a form of remembrance. Embarrassingly enough, very little is done in England to mark the anniversary of our Patron Saint, in fact many people aren't even aware of when it falls. As a nation we are far more concerned with marking the occasion of Saint Patrick's Day by drinking chilled Guinness in a local Irish theme bar, singing songs by The Dubliners and dreaming of the Emerald Isle.

George is only recognised in lowest category of Saint by the Roman Catholic Church, due to the fact that so little is actually known about his life. Practically none of the fantastic tales associated with him can be verified in the literal sense, in many cases they are more palatable as illustrative teachings on how to lead a good Christian life. The spectacular battle with a dragon is suspected to be a metaphor for his heroic rebellion, with the Princess representing the Church, and the Dragon representing Satan (or possibly Diocletian). This uncertainty has not stopped centuries of armies and soldiers looking to Saint George for guidance, in fact there have been numerous accounts of him appearing to English soldiers, offering them encouragement on the eve of battle. We (Great Britain) still award the Saint George's Cross for acts of great heroism and/or courage, which is second only to the Victoria Cross in terms of British Military decoration, and the English national flag is the official banner of Saint George, the red cross of a martyr on a white background.

To be English and proud now has certain negative connotations associated with it. Recently several councils across England tried to ban people from displaying the flag of Saint George on their cars, as they felt it was inciting racial hatred. The ban was hastily retracted, however the fact that it ever existed in the first place is an extremely depressing reflection on our society. We are currently facing a battle against a dragon of our own in this country; an invisible creature who wields a gigantic battle axe fashioned from politically-correct media hype and seasoned with ignorant hooliganism. It has captured our right to celebrate being English, and we the people must retrieve it.

If the legend of Saint George has taught us anything, it is this: If you make a stand against an injustice on your own, chances are in the long term you will end up losing your head in some fashion, be it literal or otherwise. So perhaps all that is needed is a little teamwork? If we all make a point of remembering Saint George's Day next year, maybe even go to the wild extreme of greeting a passer-by on the occasion, then suddenly it becomes a day where being English and proud of it is a positive thing. Then again I am sure we will be far too busy complaining about the weather whilst eagerly awaiting the dull happenings from a pretend street in Weatherfield.

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