[Marxism] national anthems

[james daly]

Some listers may be interested in this contribution to a discussion of
national anthems on LBOtalk -- JD.

www.geocities.com/Heartland/Forest/8483/anthem.html



This is the URL for an imperfect but lively and characteristically
good-humoured recording of an instrumental version of the Irish national
anthem, with bilingual lyrics, written by Brendan Behan's uncle in 1907. The
words are on the national liberation theme -- which seems to me
acceptable -- that "No more our ancient sireland shall shelter the despot or
the slave". It used to be played at the night closing of the state TV, with
the accompanying image of the national flag flying from the historic site of
the uprising in the Dublin General Post Office. When in the 70s the armed
anti-imperialist struggle developed in Ireland that programme was removed,
and a sluggish, soporific version of the anthem was played, to the
accompaniment of "poetic" images of running brooks and dewy spider webs.

A Catholic priest called in the media for a "less militaristic" national
anthem which would reflect our English, Welsh and Scottish heritage. I
replied that while we were at it we should devise a new national flag which
would do the same, and that a perfect answer would be the Union Flag (Union
Jack) -- which by the way in the six counties we call the butcher's apron
(blue stripes covered with red blood) -- and hate to see on film and TV used
as a "cool" decoration in American student pads.


Nobody called for the French anthem to be criticised for proclaiming the
imminence of the hour of glory and calling for watering the fields with
impure blood. Nor the Hanoverian British anthem for calling on God, in the
second verse, to confound the politics and knavish tricks of the Scots.
(The august hotel which hosts government events in Belfast, UK, is called
after the bloody Culloden field).

J. D.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Doss" <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com>
To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:19 PM
Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Fun with search engines: Write more lyrics