Archbishop appeals for new national pride

Dr John Sentamu urged society to "rejoice the land that we live in", after he celebrated by joining in ball games with school children from Archbishop of York Junior School on the lawn of Bishopthorpe Palace.

The Archbishop called again for the feast of St George, the patron saint of England, to be a day of national celebration and said he was shocked by the decline in national pride in the country.

He said: "To be patriotic, is to appreciate and be grateful for all that is valuable in the country you live in.

"It does not require you to be a xenophobe or a blinkered nationalist.

"The failure to recognise and to appreciate the goodly heritage of one's country of residence is a sign of an all-round ingratitude. Ingratitude in turn breeds cynicism.

"We should be proud of our country and not be afraid to show it.

"I was shocked by the results of a recent report which stated that forty per cent of English people felt England had completely lost its national identity and twenty five per cent said political correctness had left them feeling ashamed of their nationality.

"It also seems that only ten per cent of those questioned in England would happily fly the national flag. Well, I wanted to be part of that group yesterday.

"Though I am a Ugandan by birth, I am proud to live in England and was proud to wave the flag of St George from Bishopthorpe Palace.

"Remember the concept of 'Cool Britannia' during the 90s, where we believed Britain could achieve anything.

"We felt like the eyes of the world were upon us and following our lead.

"That is something that we need to re-ignite in our society – not necessarily the guitar pop and trendy fashions, but the idea of renewed national and civic pride," he said. "Let us be the change-makers. Let us be the ones who set the agenda."