Archbishop of York calls for Wales to sing God Save the Queen before sports matches
The Archbishop of York has called for Wales to sing God Save the Queen before international sports games.
Stephen Cottrell suggested that when the different nations of the UK play each other in sporting contests that they “belt out our individual anthems” before they “sing our national anthem together”.
Cottrell also complained about Scotland singing the Scottish national anthem Flower of Scotland before its Euro 2020 match with England, instead of both teams having “sung one national anthem”.
But he did praise the “impressive zest” with which the Scottish anthem was sung.
He made the suggestion in a column in the Telegraph, in which he said many people in England feel left behind by “metropolitan elites in London and the South East” and are “patronised as backwardly xenophobic”.
He also called for “an expansive vision of what it means to be English”.
In his column he said: “I’m also a big fan of any game that stops for tea. In fact, after the horrors of Covid, our whole nation would benefit from a tea break.
“A chance to pause, reset and rediscover who we are: a courageous and compassionate community of communities, serving the common good, and delighting in our diversity across these islands.
“Then when the different nations of the United Kingdom find themselves pitched against each other on the sports field, we could belt out our individual anthems. Then sing our national anthem together. And love our neighbour.”
‘What do sing’
He also said: “When England played Scotland in the Euros a few months ago, we faced a conundrum. What to sing before the match?
“Both nations, England and Scotland, belong to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We should, surely, have sung one national anthem.
“But the Scots, with impressive zest, sang Flower of Scotland. And the English sang God Save the Queen. The national anthem of both nations became just the English anthem.
“The question is something more than just coming up with an anthem. It is something about Englishness.”
On devolution Cottrell said: “Various devolutions seemed to be a good development. They emphasised that unity in diversity. They shared responsibility and empowered local government.
“A Scottish parliament and a Welsh assembly were born. But similar developments never really happened in England.
“Consequently, Westminster started to feel like the English Government. And London, with its own mayor and wealth, size and influence, started to feel like a separate nation: even in England, it was London and the rest.
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Unity in Diversity, very woke.
Robotic adherence to centralised institutions and their outdated orthodoxy.
Can’t expect much better from a man whose own institution still covers up sex crimes and preaches the virtues of poverty while sitting on hundreds of £millions invested in all sorts of toxic businesses.
Hypocrisy in many ways is central to the Cof E
I’m English and support them in the 6 nations unashamedly, but I will NEVER sing God Save the Queen. It calls on a deity in whose existence I do not believe to preserve an institution that I consider an outdated undemocratic anachronism.
Plus the Welsh (& French & Italian) anthems are simply better and more stirring tunes….
That’s about as good a summing-up of the unionist establishment mindset as you can get. Telegraph readers will love this. Sadly for him, it’s not going to happen.
Why doesn’t he he suggest that the English sing the Marseillaise before sports fixtures ? After all , their country was a colony of the Dukes of Normandy (and Anjou) or perhaps the Danish national anthem as England was for a long time part of the kingdom of Denmark ? I know that the Anglican church used to be known as “the Tory party at prayer” but I thought they had moved on from Victorian colonialism.
The Normans were the Norse Vikings who settled a bit of France so the Danish anthem would make sense. However, French was the language of the ‘English’ royal court up to the C15 so perhaps a mix of Danish and French for the anthem. Mind you, we also need a bit of German to acknowledge the house of Hanover and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Add a bit of Welsh and Gaelic to remember the Celts and give it a Latin title to give a Roman salute. Some sort of equivalent to the South African anthem seems appropriate.
How about the German National anthem?
They already stole the music from Lichtenstein
Maybe but I won’t sing it. My country already has an anthem. I don’t intend to sing about fictional deities saving queens and I don’t much care for the concept of a language porridge song trying to unify us against our will
I’m pretty sure that a “Roman Salute” would get a negative reception these days .
And her title in queen of england not queen of the uk
sorry to be a pedant, but her correct title is Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, either way, time for the ridiculously archaic monarchy to be abolished along with giving bishops a seat in the upper house,
And my correct title is the Grand High Bard of Earth, Mars and the Colder bits of Venus. It’s as valid a Lizzie Saxe-Coburg Gotha’s title
I think it’s Queen of England Scotland and Ireland (well done of it anyway) , so point taken ;-).
Well said 👏👏👏
Diolch yn fawr .
“The question is something more than just coming up with an anthem. It is something about Englishness.”
He wants the four nations to come together and be English ….
For an educated man he’s a f***ing idiot.
I just wondered if he’s thick or a posh windup merchant. Too late for Boris though – he’s a Catholic.
Over my dead body!
Has the godly gentlemen not heard that Wales is secular and that the Church in Wales is not part of the see of Canterbury or York and that disestablishment has actually happened.
GSTQ is not even an offical national anthem, it is a ‘Royal Anthem’ .
Would be good to see a rebuttal from Wales’ Archbishops towards his comments along the likes of ‘you mind your flock, we’ll mind ours’ but i may have to wait a long time.
Or just flock off!
This will go down well 🙂 I am old enough to remember God Save the Queen (or was it King) being booed out of Scottish or Welsh rugby matches.
I was thinking just the same thing – remember that from my childhood and loved it (the booing that is).
These idiots are so far out of touch its unreal. They’re living in another dimension! His words highlight his complete and utter ignorance of the people of non-England. We have our own national anthems – all superior to that appalling durge GSTQ
Move along bishop, caped crusader or whatever else you’re supposed to be.
This is yet another example of that Anglo-centric British nationalism which sees England and GB as one and the same thing, much as the way in which Serbs regarded the rest of Yugoslavia as a Greater Serbia. That did not end well.
Just stop. You know as well as I do that ‘anglo-centric’ simply means referring to England and the established English view of the world. There’s no implication of racial purity at all. It is commonly used by English people as well. No Welsh nationalist expects, wants or ‘leans on’ racial purity in any sense. The people of Wales will be the people who live here, acknowledging that they are citizens of Wales. We want Wales to be a completely international nation. Eevn the English welcome, as long as there’s no endless “Well, in ENGLAND we…”
Dim problem – dwi’n meddwl bod chi jyst yn chwilio am broblem! Does a wnelo purdeb hiliol ddim â’r ymadrodd “Anglo-centric” yn y cyd-destun hwn a dw i’n amau bod chi’n gwybod hynny hefyd. Beth bynnag, dw innau o dras Seisnig ar un ochr fy nheulu! Beth yw’r gair Cymraeg am “disingenuous”?
Please observe Oxford Uni. british dna clusters. In case of difficulty try You Tube.
Nationality is not about blood unless you’re a fascist. If you live in Wales you’re Welsh, not indigenous perhaps but naturalised unless you choose to be a settler.
I for one have no english or western european dna thank god.I also have no interest in your mixed up distopian royal family or for that matter their anthem.the great bishop need’s to move into the present centuary.I’m not holding my breath.
It is the link between Anglicanism and British jingoism and flag-waving militarism that finally caused me to turn my back on the Church in Wales. I am repelled by the ubiquitous battle standards, banners, regimental chapels, and trappings of rampant imperialism. And the special prayers for the Queen of England as supreme governor. And archbishops telling me I should be belting out Rule Britannia. For me, the answer was to look away from the state church to a universal church. As in the words of the Nicene Creed, “I believe in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church”. I am converting… Read more »
You have obviously travelled a long road. Croeso!
Welcome home 😉
the man is a diddy
but we know that by the way he dresses
Ah, the poor put-upon English who refused devolution out of their terror of taking responsibility then voted for Brexit in order to “take back control”.
Stark, staring bonkers the lot of them but Cottrell is an avowedly evangelical Catholic who is number two in the established church of England. Truly schizoid.
Is this bloke real? Why on earth should we sing an English anthem that was originally German. He should stick to his fairy tales.
Haven’t sung the Hanoverian dirge since I was a child. Won’t be starting now. Don’t think I’d remember it if I wanted to. I don’t want to
What is England’s “individual anthem” again? I must have forgotten.
Jerusalem…
Which suggests Jesus walked ‘on England’s green and pleasant land’. The Anglo-Saxons didn’t really invade until the 5th Century so England didn’t actually exist at the time JC’s feet in ancient times could have walk upon the land of Prydain. Of course, given that some English person came up with ‘If English was good enough for Christ, then it should be good enough for everyone’ they wouldn’t let little things like historical facts get in the way of their narrative.
Ah, but England owns Prydain.
Outside England, the suggestion is usually made as a joke because it’s been the favourite in polls despite the title failing to mention anything English, and because a national anthem whose title is a city in another country carries a strong connotation of imperialism.
Da iawn 😊
Well Jesus couldn’t have been English, I’ve seen loads of pictures of him in sandals, but Never sandals and socks 😂😂😂
Why on earth would we give a toss about an old woman from another country – not to mention a monarchy in 2021 is absolutely ridiculolus and totally ‘undemocratic’. Not to mention that GTSQ is monotone dirge – Whereas Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is a an absolute belter. Go away with your Brit Nat god fearing nonsense – seriously, leave Wales to be Wales
Invaders want us to sing their tragic national anthem. Clown. Like we will ever take on the opinion of an organisation of child molesters.
So if GSQ is the UK anthem England must have an official English one. Never heard of it. ‘Jerusalem’ sometimes mentioned but not official. Speaking as an ex-Englishwoman (until I was 40, 30 years ago) I can recall GSQ sung very occasionally at public events in England. Most of the English stood silent considering it appallingly bad taste (your love for your country is a personal matter not for showing off).Cinemas used to play it at the end and there was a mass rush to exit before it started up and embarrassed everyone. It did take some adjusting when I… Read more »
Jerusalem is usually mentioned tongue in cheek because the title contains no reference to England (though neither does The Soldier’s Song) and because a national anthem whose title is a city in a different country has a strong implication of imperialism.
Wikipedia has an entry for ‘National anthem of England’.
Having moved from England to Wales in 2008, I remember being transfixed with wonder when I first heard Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau sung in the Park and Dare in Treorci. I started learning Welsh and trying to memorise the words of the anthem. The latter took me a year, I am still persisting with the former. In the meantime, I discovered Wales to be the homeland I had longed for all my life. As a child of Polish parents who as members of the Free Polish Army were given the right to settle in the UK after WW2, I struggled… Read more »
Anders’ Army, they were brave. I have a good friend whose dad was a member and also settled in East London.
Da iawn, croeso i Gymru 🏴
Mae llawer o bobl o Wlad Pwyl wedi ymgartrefu yn ardal Llanbedr Pont Steffan 😊
Ac yn Wrecsam ar ol y Rhyfel.
If you feel the hiraeth, that’s enough qualification to call yourself Welsh as far as I’m concerned.
Do they still play it on the BBC when the programmes end?
It’s a belter of a hymn. I love it!…….. “oi, umphrys, the bar shut alf an our ago!”
There is no way in hell the FAW would ever allow this. On the other hand, the bootlickers at the WRFU would probably go for it.
Yep – they are fine with the 3 feathers of the English “Prince of Wales” – I am so glad that our football team is different
Sorry rugby would never allow this. Give us some credit
Rugby fans and players might not. The WRU definitely would. Their emblem is the coward’s feathers and they’ve just agreed to merge the Welsh 7s team into a Team GB
Do you remember in the London Olympics how the gammon in England had apoplexy when Welsh players in GB team didn’t sing GSQ before matches?
Mind your own shop, fat lad. It’s not my national anthem.
Yes it has nothing to do with the Archbishop of York, he should focus on his own business.
Is this bloke real ?
The Scots and us welsh not to sing o flower of Scotland and mae hen flad fy naddau before a game and instead sing god save our queen u r kidding me
We don’t want to be colony’s of England anymore
He wants Scots to sing an English Nationalist ditty that contains the verse,
“Lord grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the Queen!”
Only an insensitive English Prelate would make such a suggestion!
No, we won’t. End of!
Backward patronising xenophobic complains about being called patronising backward and xenophobic
Is he round the bend?
Hmmm A simple answer to that is No!
The first thought that came to my mind was what has it to do with him? I had to check twice what the heading said, that he is the Archbishop of York and not even the Archbishop of Wales 🏴
The Archbishop of York and his boss The Archbishop of Canterbury are making a habit of interfering politically in the affairs of Cymru and Alba. They speak only for the established Church of England and have no remit outside of the geographical borders of that nation. The equivalent of their church in Cymru is The Church in Wales in communion with the See of Canterbury but owing it no fidelity. One believes that these lofty and arrogant prelates are being manipulated and manoeuvred by a Westminster Government fearful of presiding over the dismemberment of the U.K. Cottrell and Welby must… Read more »
What A Burgess called “The Morganitic Gift of a Syphilitic Monarch”. And millions watched Downton Abbey.
Sing something stupid…One of Fat Shanks’ choir…
Speaking as a political appointee not as a ‘man of the cloth’.
Why should God only save one person?
No. Just No.
Good of him to confirm what we always knew – that the church of England are the tory party at prayer and nothing more. To be honest I couldn’t give a rats ar*e what this arrogant d*ckwad thinks anyway. Religion is as irrelevant to the 21st Century as the monarchy and the sooner we do away with both the better. The c of e should be disestablished and all religious groups should lose their charitable statuses and get taxed just like every other business – for that is what they are, money making businesses. I have far more respect for… Read more »
No to be confused with the Duke of York, of course….. maybe we should sing ‘god save the children’ sexually abused by many members of your church
The Grand old Duke of York
He walked about the town
Sometimes with his trousers up
And sometimes with them down
And when they were up they were up
And when they were down they were down
And when they were only half-way up
He was arrested
(with apologies to the late great Spike Milligan)
Are you watching, Boris? This guy is clearly pitching for the Canterbury job.
Hasn’t he any altar boys to bugger?
Why are conservatives, so in thrall to the idea of markets correcting themselves, laissez-faire, private enterprise being King and all that, so terrified of extending the overarching idea of ‘trusting people tend to their own arrangements to the aggregate good’ to the nations of these islands? Are the Conservative Party and their cohorts, that b*****d obtuse to not realise that these sorts of ‘forced Britishness’ initiatives will do nothing but sow dissent and grievance. Why can’t the Invisible Hand of kinship and the ties of shared history, culture and values be left to do its thing between the citizens of… Read more »
Silly old fool
Archbishop of York calls for Wales to sing God Save the Queen, Wales calls for the Archbishop of York to **** off!
This is the Archbishop’s Communications Officer’s response to email today!!!:
The Archbishop wrote his comment piece on the subject of Englishness in order to encourage a sense of pride and responsibility as a nation belonging to something larger than ourselves. Without strengthening regional identity there is a risk that we carry on defining ourselves against things.
The Archbishop commended the different nations to ‘belt out our individual anthems’ but he also suggested to sing our national anthem together and love our neighbour.
https://youtu.be/DiF4QI5nIIY
Eh sorry but no. The Welsh should sing their own anthem as should any other country that has one. The grand old halfwit of York should know better.
Worth a note that she sent the monarch of Cornwall either, it’s a duchy and old Charley boy is it’s monarch
I have been dumbfounded by the Archbishop of York’s championship of a version of ‘Englishness’ which, rooted as it is in some Enid Blyton fantasy, is seriously out of step with the times. His call to abandon or downgrade the national anthems of Wales and Scotland at public events, like sports meetings, in favour of a hearty chorus of God Save The Queen, is rooted in an ugly English colonialist mentality. It is unwanted. He seriously underestimates the feeling of identity, of un-Englishness, felt by many of the Scots and Welsh. I myself identify first and foremost as Welsh, and… Read more »
It’s sad to realise that the venerable institution of the Archbishopric of York is in the hands of a Tory tosser.