New public holidays: St George's Day and the politics of Saints
18:00 Fri, 31 Jul 2026
It seems odd to me that
Ireland has a public holiday for St Patrick's Day but
England doesn't have an equivalent public holiday for
St George's Day.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights tells us everybody
is equal. Therefore, we have a right to equal holidays. I don't
feel there is anything unreasonably nationalistic about this. The
people of every country and culture like to reflect on their heritage
for a day. Whether you are a lefty or a conservative, I feel you have
a right to celebrate your national day and your national Saint as
you see fit.
In my earlier
blog about youth crime and social media, I proposed we need more
Saints like Carlo Acutis. The question of who qualifies to be
a Saint is a question for each religious institution. Nonetheless,
many countries also give great political significance to their Saints.
For example, the decision to have a public holiday for St Patrick or
St George is not a decision for the Pope or the Archbishop of
Canterbury. Likewise, deciding to name parks, roads, lakes and entire
villages in honour of a Saint is not a religious decision. Those
decisions are made by the state.
If new Saints are created by any religious institution then I'm
entirely in favour of naming holidays and places in their honour.