St George and the Anarcho Syndaclist in Voices Windward

St Georges day ... it tears at us English doesn't it?

For many years now we've seen it become the banner day for racists and fascists, using our collective identity to promote their xenophobia and hatred.

Mind you it's entire birth as a day of celebration and continuation are nationalistic in origin, which is just oligarchy using our collective identity to promote their xenophobia and hatred.

I think it's quite understandable why people could be concerned over the banner waving and the racial threat and intimidation this delivers, even if they don't know it and why activists would rally against the day and all that it represents in many peoples eyes.

Then again I also understand why the vast majority of English people would care to celebrate their identity and community, and feel sad that they get accused of being associated with such scum, it's a day when they are often pushed away from the left, made to feel ashamed to be English...

Thing is, they shouldn't ... It's not a cat call to Anglo Saxony or the Empire or a display of hatred of the rest of the UK to embrace the heritage and culture we share collectively.

So here are some of the things that I love and enjoy about being English born.

• Tea, it's an integral part of who we are,from toffs to hippies it's one with with us.

• Music, We make the best in the world from drifting folk to punk, speed garage to musicals we got this.

• The mixing pot, From the Bell beakers, to the Celts, Normans and norsemen, and in these modern times, the entire worlds blood and identity, we are a mongrel people and it has made use diverse and beautiful.

• Old junk, From The nine ladies to Hadrian's wall, Jodrell bank to the mills of Lancashire we have a deep tapestry we share with few.

• SCIENCE, we made the modern world kids, the spinning jenny to the computer, English people have always had a curious mind,

• Festivals, my first was Divali, my next was Gay pride, but from Notting hill to the Staly splash and The mop we like a day out.

• Weird ass Local peoples shiz... From a three way skum to get the barrell to your pub to chasing cheese down a hill, English towns developed some fantastic habits over the years.

• Stiff upper lip, we are a tough sort of people, toss this in with our repressed (but devious and hedonistic) sexuality, our bashful charm and mild manners and well it's something that makes us. The English in you gets illuminated the moment you step into another country.

• The Pennines, The bleak and forbidding gloom of the moors are something I miss with a passion, I'm sure the Forest of Dean or bodmir speak as strongly to the people there.

• Rambling, camping and caravanning and the all important mogging.

• Windy streets, our towns grew organically rather than being made on paper first and that it still there even in the most sprawling of cities, we are a culture of back alleys.

• Revolution ... We're a bit short on it now, but not so long ago wroking blokes beat the shit out of Nazis, Luddites torn down machines, the workers took their nations, from the high and low of our society we have a underdog and struggling nature and we've won a fair few times, I don't see that fading.

• Arts .... Lowry illustrated the story of half the nation with beauty and he's in good company, we make some wonderful stuff and thats not even starting on the authors who have taken us on adventures into space and into mordor.

• Grub, from Spotted dick to chippy anyone who says we don't have a cuisine is a fool of a took. Lets not forget proper mustard and marmite!

• Booze, it's being kicked out of us all too quick but we make some proper ales and we have the best naming nomenclature in the world, this isn't even starting on cider.

• Summer rain ... I'm yet to find it anywhere else, soft breeze, gentle rain sun shining... Favourite weather.

• The morris,the May pole and Harvest seasons rituals let alone all that other ol' culture we casting off all to quick, I'm a man of the future but the past is our story and it's important and these days no one can even sing Scarborough fair.

• Sport, I hate football with a passion but I'll tip my hat to it but Cricket guys.. if the empire did anything right it was leaving us with other people to play.

• Accent, ait chuck, den yu ba thinkin we dant naw how to tawk, we jus tawk proper to our sweetest more lyrical pants dropping eloquence, we got this too.

We don't need some oligarchs in London nor some nazis from Ukip telling us who we are, England isn't white, England isn't a flag, England isn't fading memorial of imperials or a celebration of our abuse of the world and the cultures that share our isles, England isn't a chant or the fucking queen, It's you and me and anyone who want's to come play, their skin, faith, speech and lifestyle ain't got nothing to do with nothing, We ain't very tolerant true, but these are things there's no reasoning to be tolerant off, they ain't bad, they are English...as English as Bed it like Beckham, A midsummers night's dream and a date based around a few pints of Bishops finger before having some chips down the park in the pouring rain.

Just don't make the mistake of thinking these bastards showing white pride know or care anything about our identity, This Britain first brigands only care for xenophobic dreams, and the parties only wish to secure and lock you into their concepts of Nation, so your servitude comes willing, and you will be easy to bit when "we" are "attacked.

English soil is in my blood, Lancashire/Manchester is a vital part of my story, the ups and to downs. Show love for your community, burn your nation.

Also who gives a fuck about some pseudo religious semi fictional icon that we've been told represents us? Fuck that, we need to rename it Darwin's Day or something.