Richard Littlejohn's latest column

And goodwill to you too ...
SOME days it’s difficult to know where to start. This being Christmas, I had hoped to bring glad tidings of comfort and joy.

Fat chance of that in Blair’s Britain. This year the festive bucketload brimmeth over. It’s just a question of who gets it first.

So here goes, in no particular order. Let’s begin with the Red Cross, which has banned its 430 charity shops from putting up Christmas decorations on the grounds that it might be “offensive” to non-Christians.

A spokesman said: “The Red Cross is a neutral organisation and we don’t want to be aligned with any particular philosophy.

“We don’t want to be seen as a Christian or Islamic or Jewish organisation because that might compromise our ability to work in conflict situations around the world.”

Cobblers.

The Red Cross is a Christian organisation. Where do they think the cross comes from?

Muslim countries have their own version, called The Red Crescent.

Are they abolishing Ramadan because it might be “offensive” to Christians, or Jews, or Hindus, or Zoroastrians? What do you think?

In any event, I’d have thought it was pretty offensive to most Muslims — apart from Captain Hook and his hatemongers — to even suggest they might be offended by Christmas.

Let’s get something straight, right now.

The modern Red Cross is decidely not a neutral organisation. The leadership has fallen to the Guardianistas, like almost every other charity in Britain.

They ruthlessly pursue an anti-British, anti-Christian, ultra-Left agenda.

This is the same organisation, don’t forget, which bankrolled the Sangatte departure lounge and closed residential homes in Britain to concentrate on helping asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.

My advice today is the same as it was then. Boycott the Red Cross.

Stay away from their shops and don’t give them a penny on flag days. I’m sorry if this upsets the thousands of decent, selfless people who volunteer for the Red Cross.

But there are plenty of other deserving causes who would appreciate your precious time and hard work.

Why stay with an organisation which hates this country and most of the people who live in it?

Another once-respected organisation now also firmly in the grip of the Guardianistas is the NSPCC.

This year it has refused to accept second-hand toys for needy children, claiming such gifts breach European safety regulations.

It says it would be too expensive to submit all the toys for inspection.

The law the NSPCC quotes has been in existence since 1989. So why hasn’t it been invoked before?

Needless to say, the NSPCC refuses to comment.

The people in charge prefer to deprive children of a much-needed gift at Christmas rather than run the risk of facing accusations of being “bad Europeans”.

Anyone with a shred of common sense or humanity would simply have ignored the rules or challenged the Eurocrats to take them to court.

Since 1989, how many children have been killed or injured by teddy bears, fluffy bunnies and cuddly toys donated to the NSPCC?

Precisely.

Big charities these days are big businesses, run by self-regarding, Left-wing professionals hired out of the jobs pages of The Guardian.

I refuse to give to any of them, preferring to support smaller charities with no political agenda and where you know where the money’s going.

Hatred of everything remotely British is a defining characteristic of the people who run most public organisations these days, from the National Lottery to the Old Bill.

A policeman in Blackburn has been disciplined for displaying a postcard-sized Union Flag in his patrol car.

His superior officers decided that this was “inflammatory” and could offend Asians.

And, incredibly, the cops’ union, the Police Federation, supported the decision.

“We are supposed to be impartial. We are not allowed to show allegiance to any political party, union or anything,” said a spokesman. All police officers swear allegiance to the Crown. The Union Flag is the symbol of our nation. There is nothing political about it.

The Guardianistas have been waging a relentless war against the flag because it represents everything they despise.

The fact that it has been appropriated by the knuckle-scraping scum in the BNP is no excuse for banning it.

We should fly our flag proudly from all our public buildings, as the French and Americans and most other nations all do.

If anyone has a problem with it, they can always move to a country where the flag is more to their liking.

And they can take the people who run the Red Cross and the NSPCC with them. Merry Christmas.

Edited by Penge Eagle (25 Dec 2002 6:25pm)

st george's day,

or the lack of it.

st patricks day is more evident and celebrated
in London and thats not just by the irish.

great history lesson but sadly irrelevant,
you mention history and heritage but what
bearing does that have today !?! the uk is
as cosmopolitan as ever with british asians
fly their flags at cricket and you have black
music awards. the scots don't use the union
jack execept rangers fans for political/church
reasons. my point is that "being welsh" and
"living in england" i see a comparison of
cultures and sadly england appears oppressed
maybe for "political correctness" reasons
and the maybe the image of being patriotic
"english" gives the impression of being racist.
st davids day in wales where all the schools
perform concerts in the morning celebrating
the country's culture and given the afternoon
off as a holiday. would that happen in a
english school on st george's day?. the answer
to that question might explain why in my view
where the problem lies.

up the eagles!!

Well call me a pedantic tosspot if you desire, but I do give a s*** as it happens. I wouldn't mind a day of patriotic focus myself, I just think someone like Edward the Confessor, y'know, an indigenous saint that some people have heard of, would be more fitting. In any case, the relative obscurity of St. George's day is down to the practical issue of unimaginative English brewers not using it as a marketing opportunity; who'd even know when St. Patrick's day was if it weren't for the omnipresent Guinness-related publicity in every pub?

By the way, when Ken Livingstone laid on a St.Patrick's day bash in Trafalgar Square, when he wouldn't dream of any such largesse to mark St.George's day, no-one was more infuriated than me, so when you direct me to 'get off my arse' you're preaching to the converted.

I'm always ready to argue England's case, it's just that I have to be honest with myself and say that I have never suffered any stigma, persecution or censorship whatsoever on account of my identity or opinions thereupon. If you and others have, then obviously that is a great shame, and I wouldn't dream of begrudging you your umbrage.

Happy New Year

I post when I'm pissed
I post when I'm piiiiiiiiiised
I'm streathameagles
I post when I'm pissed

Yeah good points Streatham. The only brewer that I know of, that has a good English patriotic image is Charles Wells, it's them that's running the campaign; [Link]
but the problem is, they aint high profile enough, they brew superb ales and my favourite beer out of a bottle is their Bombardier, but us ale drinkers are in the minority, it needs to be a brewer of Lager really, but most of 'em are German, Belgian or Danish.
I agree with your patron saint argument also, but I wouldn't want to see a return to the Confessor, it was his bleedin' fault the Normans invaded and conquered us! Patron saints are a funny old business, I mean St Patrick was an Englishman! How about St Bobby's Day? He captained England to world cup glory after all, he's a saint in my eyes... Bloik!

My Rocksteady band...
[Link]
[Link]
IT'S NOT SKA, IT'S ROCKSTEADY!

How about ST SIMON "JOLLY" RODGER.........he's got his own flag already......

Edited by dicky boy (29 Dec 2002 12:10pm)

ROY HODGSON's RED''BLUE ARMY

Ohhhh Lukaaaa ooooooh....
Ohhhhh Lukaaaa ooooooh....
He come's from Serbia...........
He'll F**king Murdaaa Yaaa..........
Ohhhhh Lukaaaa ooooooh........

Pete,

Bombardier out of a bottle is definately a fine ale

I'm down the lane on Sunday morning, hung over and forever yawning.
I look for trousers that will fit me, she buys a yellow shirt that's sickly
A sarsparilla drink turns white teeth shades of pink