Hands off Jerusalem, my family heirloom
George Bridges on the part played by his great-grandfather, Robert Bridges, in the composition of Parry’s music to Blake’s lyric: too precious, he says, to be hijacked by separatists
I suspect you had better things to do last Friday evening than stay in to watch the English Democrats’ party political broadcast. I missed it. In fact, I didn’t know the party existed until I was throwing out the newspapers at the weekend, and happened to see the broadcast listed on the TV page. Intrigued, I looked them up online. ‘England: we have a right to be angry. THE ENGLISH HAVE HAD ENOUGH.’ I began to feel as if I had just hitched a ride with White Van Man, raging on about Gordon! Ken! Tax! Immigration! Europe! Everything in capitals, with lots of !!!!!s. And then I read this: ‘It’s time for England to have her own anthem. In fact it is long overdue. “Jerusalem” has consistently been voted the nation’s favourite and that will do for me.’
Well, English Democrats are not alone in their love of ‘Jerusalem’. It is Gordon Brown’s favourite hymn too. No doubt he has it on his iPod. Maybe singing about dark satanic mills appeals to his brooding, fingernail-biting inner self. Well, I agree with Gordon (four words I thought I would never write) but should ‘Jerusalem’ be Engerlund’s anthem? No. ‘Jerusalem’ is not a hymn for England, still less the Little Englanders. The story of its creation begins a year after the outbreak of the first world war with — suitably enough — a letter to the Daily Telegraph. On 4 August 1915, Sir Francis Younghusband, explorer, invader of Tibet (best not to be dwelt on today) and man of imperial derring-do, wrote to the paper that the war was ‘a spiritual conflict — a holy war — the Fight for Right’.
If the Germans won, ‘all who oppose will either be poisoned or, with liquid fire, scorched off the earth’. And so he proposed a movement to rouse his countrymen to serve in the sacred cause, and ‘to impress upon the country that we are fighting for something more than our own defence, that we are fighting the battle of all Humanity and to preserve Human Rights for generations to come’. (European judges and Cherie, rejoice!) Cautious to avoid ‘jingoism and brassy imperialism’, Younghusband wanted to appeal to ‘the whole of Humanity — Hindus, Mohammedans, Buddhists... I do not want to emphasise the Christian part’. Hardly a political ‘dog whistle’ to motivate Little Englanders: more a foghorn to anyone who can hear. Among those who flocked to the banner of his Fight for Right movement were the general secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions, John Buchan, Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Hubert Parry and my great-grandfather, the Poet Laureate Robert Bridges.
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April 17th, 2008 8:08pm"But an English national anthem will not help. We already have a national anthem — one that celebrates the monarchy, one of the few institutions that still binds us together as a nation."
I find it sad that it seems ok for the Welsh and Scottish to have a national anthem, which they play at sporting events, yet the English are somehow wrong for asking for the same?
The English get accused of being arrogant for using the British national anthem at home nation games, by our neighbours. So we ask for our own song, and we get pillared in the press.
What really is the problem with this that scares the political classes and journalists such as you so much?
The comments about Little Englanders as well, have you got nothing original to write how many other hacks bandy this word about. If this where a school essay I think the phrases “must try harder” and “Please do not copy of your neighbour” would be scrawled across it.
Ray
April 18th, 2008 10:17amWhilst I like 'Jerusalem' and its rousing theme, my candidate for an English national anthem would definitely be 'Nimrod' from Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations.
It is neither brash nor jingoistic, but rather its melodic and dramatic crescendo is evocative of everything that it means to be English.
So what if it doesn't (so far) possess any lyrics. As Rod Liddle notes in an article elsewhere, neither does the Spanish national anthem for that matter.
No, better than mere words ever could, it is rather the spirit that 'Nimrod' invokes that counts; a spirit of quiet and reflective thanksgiving for the manifest blessing of God upon this country and its people through the ages, a spirit that ought to dwell in the bosom of every true Englishman.
I simply cannot hear it played without a tear sneaking down my cheek.
Stephen Gash
April 18th, 2008 1:19pmThe hackneyed jibe of "Little Englander" - yawn.
The reason we have 3rd rate politicians in Westminster messing up England is because of 5th-raters infesting our media who stifle serious debate about everything.
An English Parliament does not mean England separating from the UK. Arguably, it is the only thing left that can save the UK.
As it is now, the post-devolution UK is not worth saving and it needs radically changing.
George Bridges shows a mental strife of yesteryear. He says England does not need a national anthem because “we” already have one that celebrates the monarchy. This seamless conflation of England with Britain is exactly what drove the Scots and Welsh to increasing nationalism and adoption of their own anthems.
Laughably, his article actually makes the argument FOR England having Jerusalem as its national anthem, not why it shouldn’t adopt it.
John
April 18th, 2008 1:44pm"But an English national anthem will not help. We already have a national anthem — one that celebrates the monarchy, one of the few institutions that still binds us together as a nation."
God , but you're terribly confused George. Thats the British national anthem you refer to and thats the point.
And the mental fight was about building England not the United Kingdom. Try reading the words.
Dave H
April 18th, 2008 6:36pmFor a supposedly intelligent guy, George Bridges seems to have completely missed the obvious. God save the Queen is the British national anthem, England has no anthem, no parliament of its own either. The jibe "Little Englanders" just wont wash anymore, the English are suffering from institutional apartied by a government who discriminate against them and deny them equality with the rest of the UK. Giving the English their own anthem is only the start of the process of healing this divided kingdom, much more needs to be done or it will be the English that end this farce of Britain and the unionists as well as George Bridges will only have themselves to blame for ignoring us!
Home Rule for England
April 19th, 2008 3:53pmWhen people like George Bridges say 'Little Englanders' the reasoned argument is not to be expected.
The English Democrats are not a 'seperatist party'. They are a party fighting for the rights of the people of England.
Presumably Mr Bridges feels that Scottish Nationalists are 'Little Scotlanders'?
It's funny that we never here the words 'Little Scotlanders'.
Margaret Stoll
April 21st, 2008 11:09amI agree with the comments below. 'We already have an English national anthem'. We haven't! I once watched on TV the impassioned singing before a Wales/NZ rugby match by Katherine Jenkins and Hayley Westenra of their respective national anthems. It was enough to make grown men weep.
At a funeral I attended only last week of a D-Day veteran, one of the hymns sung was 'I vow to thee my country'. I would vote for this, if no better can be found, although I fear it will always be labelled as 'the hymn chosen by Princess Diana for her wedding', as the minister at the funeral service felt obliged to point out.
I suggest Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice could be asked to write a modern national anthem for England, as The Corries wrote 'O Flower of Scotland'.
Among the list of groups who sing 'Jerusalem' one must not forget the BNP. And yes, the English Democrats, of whom I am proud to be one, do sing 'Jerusalem' with great feeling at the end of the autumn conference and the spring conference. I am not worried that George Bridges has never heard of us before. He will be hearing more of us in the future!