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Greg Mulholland-Working Hard For Leeds North WestMulholland tables Parliamentary motion calling for English national anthem
April 24, 2012 5:13 PM
Member of Parliament for Leeds North West and long time campaigner for and English national anthem, Greg Mulholland, has today tabled a Parliamentary motion welcoming calls and campaigns for an English national anthem from a number of groups including British Future and Anthem4England.
The motion (EDM 2992) praises the campaigns from groups such as British Future and Anthem4England, as well as supporting a letter signed by Members from across the House, calling for England to have its own national anthem, just as Scotland and Wales do when they compete as individual nations. It calls on the Government, in light of St Georges Day and ahead of Euro 2012, to get behind the campaign for an English national anthem.
Greg commented:
"God Save the Queen is the UK national anthem it is absolutely right that this should be played when teams are competing as the United Kingdom.
"It is quite wrong that England use the British national anthem when competing as England rather than as Great Britain, particularly when playing the other home nations who also have God Save the Queen as their British national anthem"
"It is time that England had an anthem it could call its own that we could celebrate whenever an English team or athlete takes to the sporting arena. The run up to Euro 2012 is the ideal opportunity for the Government to speak up for our English identity and get behind the campaign for an English national anthem"
END
The EDM
That this House welcomes the calls and campaign for an English national anthem including by British Future and by Anthem4England; supports the letter signed by hon. Members from across the House calling for England to have its own national anthem, just as Scotland and Wales do when they compete as individual nations; believes it quite wrong that England uses the UK national anthem when competing as England rather than as Great Britain or the UK and that this confuses England and Britain/the UK and is damaging to the unity of the UK; notes that an English anthem for the talented and diverse teams that represent us on the sporting field would help modern patriotic pride to defeat prejudice; applauds the British Future campaign and Anthem4England for their work on this issue; adds that St George's Day, ahead of Euro 2012, is an ideal moment for the Government to speak up for English identity and an English national anthem; and therefore calls on the Government to get behind the campaign for an English national anthem calling on all English sporting associations to adopt an appropriate song that English sportsmen and women and the English public would favour when competing as England.