to never sing along with God Save the Queen?

[LovleyRitaMeterMaid]

The fact I never sing it comes up now and again and today was one of those times, at our local remembrance day parade. Right at the end the minister said 'and we'll now sing our national anthem'. I can't recall God Save the Queen being part of it,before but regardless I just stand and don't song. I don't make a big thing of it, I just don't sing.

Simiraly the Edinburgh tattoo it was sang, I stood alongside everyone but didn't sing.

I don't make a big fuss and thankfully I'm not at any events where it's sang

Dh says it's rude. I say she's not my queen, I wish her no ill but I will not sing that song.

I, too, have the utmost respect for our service men and women (both the living and the fallen) but don't necessarily feel that honouring them means enjoying my status as a subject ... and as others have said I am a subject whether I like it or not

I suppose we should just be grateful that our present monarch seems, on the whole, a decent lady with a firm sense of duty and some appreciation of how to behave. Whether our troops will be quite as happy to be deployed in the name of her appalling heir remains to be seen

missing r*

I will not be brainwashing anyone.
Sad how things have changed. When I was at school I was allowed to give presentations on why I disagree with the Royal family and I got a lot of praise for them.

My son has not started school yet, but he will not be standing for the anthem and will not be singing it.

Well that's good. He'll be sitting while the whole class is standing and singing. You do know what happens when one child is made to stand out from the rest of the class?
I suppose you'll be blaming the teacher when he comes home complaining of being ignored/teased/bullied by his peers.

I simply couldn't be bothered to be known as "that parent" over something so trivial as my child not learning the national anthem. I think there are far more important things to worry about.

I had thought of that as well Sallying

It is not trivial to me, nor is it trivial to my family.

Hmm. If this is a big deal for you I suggest you pick your battles very carefully.

He may well just sing along anyway.

There was a family who sent their children to my primary school and didn't want their children singing hymns etc. One of the kids in my class, didn't join until year 4/5 so we were all about 9/10. He merrily sang along anyway. Teacher was a bit as didn't really know how to approach it with him.

I think the anthem is outdated anyway. In a multicultural society, why should the anthem refer to God. What about Allah? What about atheists, why should they sing God save the Queen if they do not believe in a god.

I do think it odd that England doesn't have it's "own" national anthem. Just God Save the Queen, which is shared with being the anthem of the United Kingdom.

Ralt supoose the argument there is that Britian is still officially a Christian country.

I don't believe in God or indeed in any religion. Not in a passionate way, in a "I just don't care" way.

Still like some of the hymns etc mind.

Sallyingforth, that's what I say when I object to compulsory worship in schools and the Christians say "yeah, but they are allowed to opt out'.

They usually tell me there's no bullying or teasing over it. That I'm just making that up.

I have no idea which side of the compulsory worship debate you are on, it just struck me that worshipping the queen is very similar.

BackOnly
To me, beliefs are a personal thing and I keep mine to myself.
But I have the greatest respect for others' sincere beliefs and will stand with them (all both senses of the word) when it seems right to do so.

As for compulsory worship in schools, I expect it will continue until a democratically elected government decides to end it.

I had to smile at your suggestion of 'worshipping the queen' :)

"in both*

people choosing not to take part in these things which demonstrate national pride.

I'm not sure that too much national pride is a good thing. Taken to extremes you got the British colonising the world and claiming the natives needed British leadership to prosper. We also have some British citizens who are very patriotic and some are even willing to fight and die for their country. Unfortunately that country isn't this one. They are steadfast in their loyalty to the country they came from.

Some pride is ok if it's something the country did. After all we elected the government and we gave them the money to achieve things, but I didn't do anything to help the Olympic athletes - they did it themselves.

Sallyingforth fair enough.

I know the attitudes to the queen are not quite like worshipping a god, but when people go overboard with the 'oh she's so wonderful. she did such a good job - turning up and cutting that ribbon' it feels like it.

Oh and of course there's supposed to be a tribe somewhere that thinks Prince Philip IS god. :)

all those fallen soldiers,they probably all sang the National Anthem and meant it.

They may very well have sung it, but whether they all meant it is highly unlikely and in any case, something we will never know either way.

you could sing it for them, they will truly live on then

Or we could come up with a song that meaningfully commemorates their sacrifice, and sing that instead. Instead of some craven dirge that doesn't even acknowledge them.

Thank heavens I'm in Scotland. I'm genuinely wracking my brains to come up with an occasion, aside from the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony and subsequent events, where I've ever heard GSTQ sung at a public event up here.

I don't sing it either, but then I never sing in public. I would stand and reflect silently.
If I was present at a remembrance day ceremony then I would reflect on the men and women who died, not on the Queen or a god that I don't believe in.

pumpkin

I also said probably
not definitely.
coz that's what I think.

coz that's what I think

I agree with you that they probably did sing it. But the idea that everyone meant it is highly

Particularly in the World Wars where conscription meant that you were drafted into the British army whether you wanted to serve or not. There will have been people serving in those wars who were Republicans, communists and what have you.

pumpkin if I'm not mistaken this whole thread has come about because the OP is Scottish.

That's why she doesn't think the Queen is her Queen.

Fine, sing, don't sing- it doesn't affect anyone else anyway but it's simply delusional to insist that the Queen is not your Queen just because you don't want her to be.

Ok I have skimmed...... If you live in the uk the queen is our monarch, I am fed up with people denying our queen, our anthem and even worse our customs for example "I want my child to go to brownies/scouts but I can't possibly do parade as we have to go to ikea/sainsburies/swimming" get a grip and teach your children to live and love the country that educates, protects and allows them freedoms unknown in most of the world, better to teach them the differance between pride in ones country and mindless zealotry.

She is your Queen whether you like it or not.

Love the appendix argument!!

Have I mentioned being Scottish on this thread?

No, but please correct me if that's not the reason you refuse to accept the fact the Queen of the British Empire is your Queen.