Wednesday 23 April 2014

Yolande and the Dragon



Actually, my one encounter with St George's Day on BBC Radio 4 was a feature on The World at One (both Today and PM bypassed the event) and it wasn't about how we celebrate St George's Day, here in England.

Oh no. It was a report instead about how St George is celebrated in 'Palestine', courtesy of Yolande Knell.

That same report, in televisual form, has been gracing the BBC's visual-based media outlets today [aka TV], and it followed another TV report, also featured on the BBC News website, called A Palestinian prayer song for St George

Plus there's a full-length website article from the fragrant (and occasionally flagrant) Yolande entitled Why St George is a Palestinian hero

Now, I can't see any overt Israel-bashing in any of those pieces, and I rather liked the incredibly gaudy colours of the Christian church in the latest of Yolande Knell's report, but it is typical of the BBC to see St George's Day through the eyes of the Palestinians - presented, as ever, as if surrounded by a luminous halo. 

Still, to be fair (as I always try to be), the BBC News website does have another St George's Day piece, What would make the English like St George's Day?, from Emma Hallett, which is quite interesting and engaging, if rather frothy and a little droll (in the usual BBC way). A picture of Morris dancers underneath its headline suggests where it's coming from. 

Well, as Tony Hawks memorably said,
The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Nigel Farage, England, and Saint George!'

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