We don’t need to ‘reclaim’ the St George’s flag – just get out there and wave it

More could still be done to make St George’s Day a truly national event that brings everyone together to celebrate our English identity. For some on the left, however, this may first entail getting over some of their worries about waving the St George’s flag.

Celebrations of St George’s day on 23 April are getting bigger every year, with more and more festivals, parades and family events in communities right across England. Yet ICM research for British Future found that two-thirds (66%) of people in England still feel that St Patrick’s Day is more widely-celebrated than our own patron saint’s day.

Why is this? It’s not because the English don’t care: three quarters (76%) of those surveyed want St George’s Day celebrated more or at least as much as St Patrick’s Day. 61% feel the flag of St George should be flown more widely across England.

Some still worry that such an outbreak of flag-waving would offend or intimidate  minorities. Yet those fears are misplaced: our research found that ethnic minorities are much more likely to say the St George’s flag should be flown more, not less. And the majority of non-white respondents say they’d like to see St George’s Day celebrated at least as much as St Patrick’s Day.

Many people, in fact, are simply put off because they feel nothing much is happening in their community and the day often goes by unmarked.

That’s why we need to do more to celebrate Englishness. A nationwide St George’s Day party, with everyone invited, would be one way to bring people together. The government could help by offering a one-day “Beers on St George” tax break on the price of a pint of beer for landlords who hold St George’s Day events, helping to bring communities together in their local pub.

According to CAMRA, around £1 in the price of every pint of beer sold in a pub goes to the exchequer: 50p VAT and 50p excise duty. While the European Union sets some minimum tax rates, the government still has leaway to cut the price of a pint for the day.

Not everyone drinks, of course, but encouraging communities to throw a party – and inviting everyone along – would help get over the inertia of those who say that ‘nobody organizes anything’.

And as most of us in England only really celebrate our national identity when there’s a big sports event on, why not hold one on St George’s Day?

English cricket could hold its own equivalent of football’s Charity Shield each year on St George’s Day to help provide a focus for celebrations, with an England XI taking on the county champions to kick-start the cricket season. An event like this would provide a national focus for people to get their St George’s flags out.

Another solution would be to make 23 April a Bank Holiday: 41% of people cite the lack of a day off as a reason why St George’s Day isn’t celebrated more.

Most people in England would like to do more to celebrate our patron saint. We all saw what the Jubilee and the Olympics did to bring people together and people want more of it. If the government, local councils, sporting bodies and even some of England’s biggest companies and breweries really got behind St George’s Day, 23 April could be a moment each year when we all celebrate being English.

There are those on the left who remain wary of St George’s Day and the St George’s flag, feeling it is still associated with far-right groups which have, thankfully, all but collapsed in this country. But most people simply don’t feel this. In the politest and most English way possible, I’d ask them to get over their worries and join the party. If you think you still need to ‘reclaim’ the St George’s flag you are missing the point – you simply have to get out there and wave it.

Steve Ballinger is Director of Communications for the identity thinktank British Future.