Axing Land of Hope and Glory and patriotic songs at Proms will fuel racism – Yorkshire Post Letters

BY axing the words of two patriotic songs from Last Night of the Proms, the BBC will alienate most English people.

This will not help racism, indeed it will make it worse.

Listen to the words of Land of Hope and Glory. These very words tell a story and a resounding patriotic voice.

Black lives do matter but not at the expense of our history.

From: Paul Morley, Ribblesdale Estate, Long Preston.

IS it not now time for the people of Great Britain to refuse en masse to pay a licence fee to the morally defunct BBC?

Not only do they no longer represent us, but they are chipping away at everything that makes this country great and depriving us of our heritage. And what a heritage!

We led the world in abolishing slavery and gave safety and succour to the world’s disadvantaged.

What better way to celebrate this than asserting in song that we will never, ever be slaves.

From: John Roberts, St John’s, Wakefield.

THE educational ignorance and irresponsibility of some people in the media beggars belief. Watching the Sky News Press Preview, the other evening, one individual tried to throw in that the words of Rule Britannia! were in some way celebrating slavery.

For this man’s information, the words (written by A.C. Benson in 1907 to music by Elgar) are saying the complete opposite. Furthermore, if he studies a little history, he will discover that Britain was instrumental in actively starting off the abolition of slavery over 80 years before. Many British sailors lost their lives enforcing the banning of slavery, too.

What chance do we stand if these people flippantly throw out disinformation?

From: Keith Punshon, Willow Bridge Lane, Dalton, Thirsk.

THE Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska, who is to conduct the Last Night of the Proms, is married to the musician great grandson of Sibelius.

She describes Sibelius as an anchor to her repertoire and is keen to share his music with us Brits.

His Finlandia Suite, a rousing patriotic piece, was played on loudspeakers to Finnish front line troops as they fought against a Soviet invasion.

How ironic that she wishes to come here to debunk the traditional fun music performed on the Last Night.

Lord Hall’s hope after Brexit is for the BBC to use its resources to communicate British values to the world.

I hope that it will not spend its talents denigrating and debasing a country that has given the world so much, as the BBC preaches its woke agenda.

If the BBC hates Britain so much, perhaps it should drop the word “British” from its title as it loses the Charter that once made it trustworthy and truly representative.

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

ORCHESTRAL versions of Rule Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory will be played at the Last Night of the Proms (The Yorkshire Post, August 25).

I wonder; would Elgar object if those who wished to do so sang “Land of Hope and Brexit, Mother of The Free” – to do whatever America requires?

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James Mitchinson

Editor