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Happy St George’s Day!

Royal Society of St George at Covent Garden, London

You’ve got to feel sorry for the English.

Unlike my Welsh compatriots and fellow Celts, the Irish and the Scots, they’ve never got the hang of this Patron Saint day thing.

Apart from the fact that no one seems to know who the chuffin’ ‘eck St George was (actually a Turkish fella who never set foot in England), it’s hard to find anyone capable of summoning up much enthusiasm for the day.

Caught between the fear of appearing racist with too much flag waving and looking deeply uncool by hanging out with hanky-waving Morris dancers, most seem to seek solace in pubs bedecked in St George’s flags.

Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s not exactly what I’d call the best way to celebrate England’s long history.