Close X
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
ADVT 
International

Is It Goodbye To 'God Save The Queen'? UK Debates New England Anthem

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 13 Jan, 2016 12:25 PM
    LONDON — Will England bid goodbye to "God Save the Queen"?
     
    British lawmakers agreed Wednesday to consider replacing the royalist song that serves as England's anthem at sporting events.
     
    "God Save the Queen" is the national anthem of the United Kingdom — made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — and is played at the Olympics and other events where the U.K. fields a single team.
     
    At contests where the four areas compete separately, such as the rugby and soccer World Cups, England and Northern Ireland generally use "God Save the Queen," but Scotland and Wales have their own official songs — "Flower of Scotland" and "Land of My Fathers."
     
    Labour Party lawmaker Toby Perkins said adopting an English anthem would "re-establish the idea that the United Kingdom is a union of four separate nations with their own identities."
     
     
    Perkins told the House of Commons that said "Jerusalem," regarded by many as England's unofficial anthem, was the most obvious choice. The song, whose words are by 18th-century poet William Blake, vows to transform an England of "dark satanic mills" into a "green and pleasant land."
     
    Opposing the motion, traditionalist Conservative legislator Jacob Rees-Mogg said an English anthem would divide Britain by encouraging "individual nationalisms."
     
    "What greater pleasure can there be for a true-born Englishman or true-born Englishwoman than to listen to our own national anthem —a national anthem for our whole country, our whole United Kingdom," Rees-Mogg said.
     
    Under Perkins' proposed change, "God Save the Queen" would continue to be sung at British team events. Northern Ireland could either stick with the status quo or choose its own anthem.
     
    Lawmakers agreed to hold a full House of Commons debate in March on Perkins' bill, which calls on the government to consult the public on a new anthem.
     
     
    Perkins said his own canvassing had produced suggestions including "Land Of Hope And Glory," ''There'll Always Be An England" — and even "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by The Smiths.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian in US gets 15 years in jail for backing Hezbollah

    Indian in US gets 15 years in jail for backing Hezbollah
    An Indian citizen residing illegally in the US has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for allegedly trying to provide material support to Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

    Indian in US gets 15 years in jail for backing Hezbollah

    Jailed Indian-origin Doctor In Australia Found Not Guilty Of Raping Third Victim

    Jailed Indian-origin Doctor In Australia Found Not Guilty Of Raping Third Victim
    An Indian-origin doctor in Australia, jailed last year for raping two patients, has been found not guilty of raping a third woman, media reported Thursday.

    Jailed Indian-origin Doctor In Australia Found Not Guilty Of Raping Third Victim

    Smithsonian official dodges queries about Modi

    Smithsonian official dodges queries about Modi
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have won the hearts of the Indian American community in the US but he will have to work harder to win a place at the Smithsonian Institute just yet.

    Smithsonian official dodges queries about Modi

    Two Indian Americans charged in $5.8 mn debit card scam

    Two Indian Americans charged in $5.8 mn debit card scam
    Two Indian Americans have been charged with conspiring to extort victims to load prepaid debit cards with funds that were stolen as part of a scam running into over $5.8 million.

    Two Indian Americans charged in $5.8 mn debit card scam

    Nobel laureate Malala donates $50,000 for Gaza schools

    Nobel laureate Malala donates $50,000 for Gaza schools
    Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, the teenage Pakistani girl once shot by Taliban for promoting girls' education, has decided to donate her $50,000 prize to the UN to help rebuild Gaza schools damaged by Israel during the recent conflict.

    Nobel laureate Malala donates $50,000 for Gaza schools

    Israel slams Swedish recognition of Palestine

    Israel slams Swedish recognition of Palestine
    Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman Thursday lashed out at Sweden's decision to recognise Palestine, saying the "unfortunate" move only serves to reinforce extremist elements.

    Israel slams Swedish recognition of Palestine