Freeeedom!
Freedom for England!
You are now entering Free Essex!
I don't mean to imply that the 1945 victory was solely an English victory. Not for a second.
It was a victory of the whole English/British Empire, along with the Allies.
Maybe England fans should remember this when they sing: "Two World Wars and One World Cup!"
(The Soviet Union - a country that no longer exists - was also one of the victors in World War 2.
Just because the country no longer exists it doesn't mean that Russians and others who fought for the Soviet Union should be less proud and less reverent of this victory and what it entailed for that country.
The same could be said for the positive aspects and aspirations - however few - of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union itself.)
Essex and Kent were heartlands of the Peasants Revolt of 1381.
One of the slogans of this rebellion was
"When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"
This rebellion nearly ended in regicide.
If contemporary depictions of this event are to be believed, it is possible that St.George's flags were flown by these rebels, over 200 hundred years before the first "Union Jack" even existed.
During the English Revolution and Civil War of the 17th century Essex was mainly a Parliamentarian area.
In the English Civil War more people were killed as a proportion of the population of the time than were killed in World War Two. It was a brutal war with civilian casualties. Now it seems like a meaningless colourful episode but the changes of this period warrant the term revolution.
It was the beginning of many modern democratic ideas.
England was briefly a democratic republic.
The English Revolution's date of 1640 is based on the book by Christopher Hill "The English Revolution - 1640", written in 1940.
He also wrote a book about radical ideas in the English Revolution called "The World Turned Upside Down" (1972).
The English Revolution to use the term broadly was eventful, profound and rich in ideas; as was the French Revolution. I think it should be rediscovered and appreciated.
[ The Siege of Colchester was also an interesting and dramatic episode at this time. This was of course also in Essex:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Colchester ]
Essex was an important area during the Battle of Britain of 1940.
RAF Hornchurch - quite an important base during this amazing Battle - was in Essex.
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I love England and the English and I think England is the greatest country in the world.
England has effectively stood for freedom on so many occasions - even at its very inception in the 9th century when it was founded by King Alfred the Great to defend Christianity.
The Anglo-Saxons had the zeal of converts and one big factor in the unification of England was defence against Viking Paganism.
I dislike nationalism - who doesn't nowadays? - but if England has had a "mission" as a nation it has so often been to defend liberty - for itself and for others. Maybe it still has that mission. And as a libertarian I believe in freedom. Though nationalism is highly dubious as an ideology, libertarianism is not.
Freedom was certainly defended by England in 1588 and in 1815, for example. And of course in 1940.
Looking back, and taking advantage of the hindsight of history, the two World Wars - especially the Second - probably did need to be fought and won.
The First World War in particular was of course a horrific slaughter and we should never forget the message of Harry Patch - who fought in both wars - that "war is organized murder." We should never forget the horror of the wars. And we should never forget the suggestion of the War Poets that the First World War in particular was futile and wicked.
But though it would have been good to avoid both wars were it possible, it is now clear that liberty was defended by England in both of them.
I hate war and I hate nationalism. But I believe in freedom.
Perhaps the two world wars needed to be fought and won by the UK. And I would always respect a Union Jack for this reason. Even though it may one day no longer be our national flag.
Also - the current Union Jack was only 14 years old when it flew at Waterloo. This battle also needed to be fought and won - and Napoleon, the "Stalin of the French Revolution", had to be stopped.
And the Brexit vote of 2016 - primarily an English vote of course - was, I believe, in a large measure a vote for freedom.
And a vote that possibly could once again save Europe as a whole from tyranny - as England has done before - by forcing the European Union to democratize.
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Some quotes that are relevant:
"Patriotism has nothing to do with Conservatism. It is actually the opposite of Conservatism, since it is a devotion to something that is always changing and yet is felt to be mystically the same. It is the bridge between the future and the past."
George Orwell.
"No real revolutionary has ever been an internationalist."
George Orwell.
"I believe in England and I believe that we will go forwards".
George Orwell.
"If you know your history,
Then you would know where you coming from."
Bob Marley.
"England expects that every man will do his duty" was a signal sent by Admiral Horatio Nelson, from his flagship H.M.S. Victory as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805.
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Another note on the above design:
The above design of course draws its inspiration from the "Free Derry" wall in Derry, Ireland.
And of course from the mural painting traditions of the north of Ireland.
I just thought, why shouldn't England have the same pride in and awareness of its tradition of rebellion and standing up for liberty as is obviously the case in Ireland?
Why does being English mean that you have to have a view of the dispute in the north of Ireland that supports only one side?
I don't mean to support either side in the dispute there, but I would point out that Northern Ireland has disproportionate power within the UK political system at the present (2018). And this has been the case for some time.
Northern Ireland and its reactionary nationalist politics effectively dominates the politics of England and the rights of the English.
If Northern Ireland could and should rule itself, why can't England?