WITH reference to “Sentamu cheers England united” (The Press, April 6).

Many times I am not happy concerning comments made by the Archbishop of York – he likes to be in the limelight too much.

But in the case of his comments about making St George’s Day a public holiday, I totally agree with him.

Everyone in the UK should be flying a Union Jack or a St George’s flag and show the world how patriotic we English care about this country of ours.

Come on Government, make St George’s Day a public holiday – end of story.

Tom Mitchell, Mendip Close, Huntington, York.


* There seems to be something un-English in the recent clamour to mark St George’s Day as some sort of celebration (Speaking up for St George, The Press, April 7).

The logic seems to run that just because the Irish, Scots and Welsh wear funny hats on particular days we English are somehow missing out.

Surely, it is a mark of our self-confidence as a nation that we continue to observe our national day in a typically understated way. St George himself would approve – he resisted, to the death, the authorities of the day (the Romans) dictating what he should think.

The last thing we need right now is a creaking Establishment telling us what a splendid thing it is to be English. We are perfectly capable of working this out for ourselves.

David Farnsworth, Old Orchard, Haxby, York.