Page 1 of Rule Britannia - NO MORE!

I have just heard some shocking news on our UK BBC Radio 4.

Our annual classical music concerts, final night ‘Last night of the Proms’ is going to drop “Rule Britannia” and “Land of Hope and Glory” from the finale!

These two most uplifting and patriotic songs have been in every years concert, since the start.

The program goes out on Saturday night. There will be incidental ‘mood’ music like Barber’s “Adagio for strings” instead.

I hope, the Americans understand if we start chanting, through your Nations composer, a few of our national songs in some of the quiter moments. Any Briton here got a ticket? You know what to do!

Political correctness, forced on us from above will not work!
It is not being halted for the American tragedy, but to stop patriotism in our own country as the Pakistani’s Muslims wont like it.

Britain…never…never...never…shall be slain.

Message to Tony Bliar and his cronies – You are not worthy to wipe Bin Laden’s ass.

You are OUT, next election. I may stand instead!

This item was edited on Friday, 14th September 2001, 21:21

Happy..how many other proms have you been to this year??..or is the only musical event of your life bawling along to third rate Elgar (he hated the use of those words himself) and big-band Thomas Arne (he wrote `rule britannia` - from an opera, just in case you wanted to know). As for having a more American theme..yes, they`re playing Barber`s `Adagio` but hardly just as `mood music` , but also adding that famous American Beethoven as well. The flag waving and general over the top merriment was considered to be inappropriate after the week`s events...I think the BBC is just showing respect to peoples feelings, which is a nice gesture.....it`ll be back next year, so you English Nationalists can carry on with the most pointless night of the prom season.

Firstly, no I havent been to the Proms this year.
The ticket allocation is 6,000 or so for the Albert Hall with about 20,0000 wanting to go.
You have to book ahead as always, so as usual I missed my calling!

Sure its easier to get in for the other nights, but we`d meet snobs like you. Some of us like to party occasionally and pull an easy rich bird!

I bet you wouldn’t be seen dead blowing whistles and banging balloons.
How common?

What’s wrong with flag waving? I`m English, is your flag so inferior?
Oh, I see from another thread youre Welsh - No need to answer.

Who considered our great anthens ‘inappropriate’? The BBC?
Have the Americans deemed it inappropriate? I don’t think so. There`s plenty of flag-waving going on in New York at the moment. Decency hasn’t affected them!

Wouldn’t be loony lefty, politically correct luvvies at the beeb?
I bet you think it was courtesy to the American Conductor!
Fooled you, didn’t they? Islam is the real point. BBC didn’t want to upset them.
Jesus Christ man, cant you read between the lines?
BBC News 24 - UK Viewers complaints rising about UK Islamic condemnation of America. BBC wishing to bring racial harmony in these trouble times!

Your MEGA-PATRONISING comments and little lesson on music, sum you up perfectly.
You lot seem to treat music as a fine wine, only to be enjoyed by a chosen few. Everyone is inferior if they don’t follow your tastes.
Last Night = English Hooray Henrys, eh? Welshman not welcome?

Put your extra thick brown, sheepskin lined trousers on, I`m going to wipe the floor with you!
I can slaughter you on Classical music knowledge. I`d bet my entire sullied reputation on it.
My open challenge to you is to put up or back down.

Scared everyone her will see through `your` hand-waving gestures?
I have already.

Just name the date/time! I`m free this weekend. ;)
Sorry, if my words seem harsh, I just hate music snobs.
I’ve yet to meet one, who knows half what I know.

Make my day!

This item was edited on Saturday, 15th September 2001, 06:23

Islam is the real point? What are you on about? And I`d be interested in hearing the way you carefully worked out how I`m a musical snob just because I can`t stand Land of Hope and Glory, and please don`t try and give me any musical lessons...you have no idea what you`ll be letting yourself in for, and would probably have to apologise in a grovelling fashion. "You lot seem to treat music as a fine wine, only to be enjoyed by a chosen few. Everyone is inferior if they don’t follow your tastes." - where did you get this idea from? You have the idea that opinions on classical music makes me a snob? Not liking Pomp and Circumstance and thinking the Last Night as a trite ending to a great music festival makes me a snob? Me and millions of others then....I`d be far happier is every prom was live on BBC1 as I think it should be. BBC are the snobs mate - not me.

This item was edited on Saturday, 15th September 2001, 12:00

Dear Happy Ex Hitachi Owner,
I think you should get out a bit more.can I suggest a walk along a beach, there a fantastic one at Harlech in North Wales, near Portmerion where they shot The Prisoner. You can`t write lines like "Jesus Christ man" and" I can slaughter you on Classical music knowledge" and be expected to be taken seriously.What sort of creature are you? Primary or Comprehensive? Or just plain old lonely tosser?
Carry on old mate you make me laugh. You don`t half get a bit worked up though, why don`t you take a stress pill, switch off your computer and lie down. Close your eyes but don`t drop off and start dreaming about how beautiful Land of Hope and Glory is with Richard Baker commentating in a fairy dress and that bespectacled loon conducting from the front row of the audience.
(Or are you he? In which case you whole year must be up the creek and you DO need to get a life)
Whilst you are there in the land of near Nod, think about other people in the world, think about what you`ve said over the past few days on this site.Think that when you write something not all people will agree with you and that is how it should be - you should be able to speak your mind. But remember also that those who won`t tolerate other viewponts start wars. A bit simplistic in its excecution I know but I want you to understand. Think about the words: "There are people that don`t share my views. I shouldn`t rant and rave".
Repeat:
"There are people that don`t share my views. I shouldn`t rant and rave".
Repeat:
"There are people that don`t share my views. I shouldn`t rant and rave".
Now, don`t you feel better???
Don`t reply to me unless you`ve got news of rare uncovered footage of Oh Mr Porter or any Will Hay film for that matter.

"Islam is the real point. What are you on about?"

Have the Welsh heard of television?

If last night (and the night before that), you had been watching the BBC News 24 channel (in English), you would have seen a clear attempt by the BBC to simmer tensions between the those of different religions in our green and pleasant land.
Not only was the live “BBC Question Time” cited as a possible cauldron of problems, but also the "Last Night of the Proms" was altered to `bring `racial harmony in these troubled times.
But don’t take and Englishman’s word for it, because I might very well be just another raving loon! Ring up the Beeb.
Perhaps I do need to take along walk along the beach as stanthe suggests and breathe in all the fumes from my nearby power plant at Dungeness.
You see I have been having these visions for a while now.
As in the ‘Prisoner’, do you think my local TV transmitter has been tampered with?

"There are people that don`t share my views. I shouldn`t rant and rave".

Now say after me…

"There are people who don’t know what they’re talking about so they show a complete lack of intelligence by repeating their mistakes and posting them instead as merely `different viewpoints`"

One really can’t have two different viewpoints on this. One is either right or wrong.

Please respond after you have done a modicum of research.
But please no Taffia mob next time.
There is no `welcome in the hillside`. I`ve been! ;)

BTW As there are no internationally acclaimed Welsh composers, I`ll put your responses down to sour grapes and ignorance.

Happy - turn the volume down a bit mate, can`t hear meself think here...

As usual you make some interesting and noteworthy points, but stan has hit the nail on the head - there is more than one point of view : doesn`t matter whether you consider it right or wrong. Your "right" is another`s "wrong" and vice versa - such is life.

And what`s with the anti-Welsh statements. I ought to point out at this juncture I work at the Employment Tribunals and a Welsh bloke recently won a case because he was fed up with the "sheep-shagging" comments - it was covered as a racial discrimination case. I`m sure Alan won`t take offence, but please bear in mind you are being racist, whether you intend it or not. And, consulting my much-thumbed copy of the Forum Rules there`s a big red line under racism...

Your views on why the English "up and at `em" songs have been pulled from the Proms have been duly noted - we heard you the first time. Interesting theory that I`m sure neither of us could disprove, nor would we have the will to do so. It`s a fairly meaningless point at the end of the day.

And inverted snobbery doesn`t really suit you either.

Cool it, matey, for the love of lard...

Clayts
Moderator
DVD Reviewer

Clayts,
Thanks for making those points, and I`m sure Happy would be interested, if he read the comment below mine, that it wasn`t me who made any reference to The Prisoner. It was also not me who said "There are people that don`t share my views. I shouldn`t rant and rave". Please try and read what is written before launcing yourself into any diatribe.

As for comments on sheep and hillside welcomes...hohoho...haven`t heard them before..honest. In reply to the `Islam comment` I made....from reliable `insider` information I have, the changes were made purely because the feeling in this country, and all those to who the concert would broadcast live (including the US) is not really suited to the same old crash-bang-wallop the last night constantly produces. This is just another, and quite valid way of showing respect and sympathy for what has happened. I heard today that someone from my home town of Swansea, who is the same age as me, and who went through much of the same musical training I did at the same time, is missing in New York. I assume, just like me that she changed careers, and this took her to the wrong place at the wrong time. I for one will be thinking of her when the `mood music` of the Barber is on tonight.

The Proms are an inernational music festival and have been for years, taking up cultures of many different countries and quite often moving away from the standard `classical` tag that people attach to it once they realise an orchestra may be involved....and as far as I`m concerned the more variety the better!
Not sure why the line about not having many internationally reknowned Welsh composers has to do with anything at all, but I`ll leave that alone.

And if Happy does want to meet up to `discuss` things then I shall be playing in a concert in St Mary`s Church, Rye (East Sussex) at 5.00 pm tomorrow. Schubert and Beethoven are on the menu for this one.

This item was edited on Saturday, 15th September 2001, 17:16

Clayts - You are of course right about them cute, four-legged, woolly, passionate mammals.
I would love to see a copy of the transcript of that plonkers court case. :)
Can you get one with your contacts?

Last chance saloon?

The excuse to change the Proms was indeed promoted as sympathy to the Americans. But that was on Wednesday!
By Thursday and again last night, a quite different slant was made.
This inference was not instigated by me, perhaps `a perceived racist`, but by the BBC. Believe me the bland politically correct news you see in daylight hours is not quite to `safe` after dark.
An article showing the "Last Night of the Proms music", followed by clips from an angry BBC audience on Question Time (which I missed, unfortunately), was linked together for the reasons I gave earlier! See my Islamaphobia thread later tonight. I will have some new shockers from todays news.
Like the terminator, "I keep detailed files." ;)

Alan - Interesting you come from Rye! I`ve been to Rye a few times, so you have my condolencies, but it sure does beat Wales ;)

I live in Hastings and a regular visitor to St. Mary`s in the Castle.
We might have even spoken!!! I do have a serious side, so you probably wont recognise me from my posts here.
I would love to meet you but there is the Ironduke factor to worry about!
He might set some Muslims on me! :(

Furthermore, I didnt pick you apart earlier on Rule Britannia coming from an opera as it is an easy mistake for beginners to make. ;)
Of course it is actually from a masque (masquerade). Gone out of fashion now and quite a different thing! Operas really werent around in the 16/17th century (later here), they were more of an all-encompassing affair. Singing, dancing, pantomime etc. Perfectly suited for the `Last Night". ;(
So BIG RASPBERRY to expert! ;)

Seriously though, I thought you were getting at me for being a nationalistic footy hooligan. Now I know you are serious about music, I will leave you to lick your wounds and retire. ;)

This item was edited on Saturday, 15th September 2001, 19:00

You`re right..not an opera..my apologies. No, I don`t come from Rye, just playing there tomorrow...the phrase `my home town of Swansea` may have given it away, but I`m not judging people`s geography skills this evening. No mention of footy hooligans either.