A PATRIOTIC former town councillor has launched a petition for England to have its own national anthem because he feels the country lacks the identity it should have.
Will Richards, who used to represent the Malvern Link ward for Malvern Town Council, is calling on people all over the country to back his campaign and has suggested Sir Edward Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory to become the nation’s anthem.
England currently has no unique national anthem but during sporting events in which the country competes as a separate entity from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the UK’s God Save The Queen is often played.
Campaign group Anthem 4 England launched an online petition earlier this year to establish an English anthem but they only reached 2,000 signatures.
Petitions need 10,000 signatures for Government to reply while 100,000 signatures are needed for it to be considered for debate in Parliament.
Now the campaign has been restarted and Mr Richards is hoping his petition, which runs for six months, will be more successful and told the Observer it’s all about giving England its own identity.
He said: “People will probably call me a ‘little Englander’ but I do not understand why we do not have our own national anthem.
“I find it ridiculous that we have not got a unique anthem for England. We should not feel guilty or ashamed because we want our own anthem.
“It’s not bitter, racist or xenophobic, it’s about having identity. Wales has its own anthem and so should we.
“Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory is a well-established and rousing song. When you listen to the Welsh anthem it is a rousing song about the pride of the country and the pride of its people.
“I find it absolutely bizarre that our Government needs to be pushed or forced into discussing these kind of things from petitions.
“It would be fantastic if England had its own national anthem and I would feel a small sense of achievement because I then would have done something for my country and the people in this country.”
Sir Edward Elgar lived in Malvern for several years and a statue of him is located in the town centre. He died on 23 February 1934 at the age of 76 and was buried next to his wife at St Wulstan’s Roman Catholic Church in Little Malvern
A survey conducted by the BBC showed 55 per cent of public would rather have Land of Hope and Glory as the national anthem and last month a campaign had been launched to make it the official anthem of Worcestershire.
To support the petition, visit https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/162588.
n Do you think England should have Land of Hope and Glory as its own unique national anthem or keep God Save The Queen? Email your thoughts to [email protected].
