FURTHER to the correspondence about Rule Britannia at The Proms: in addition to the UK’s history of colonialism and slavery, I can think of more reasons for a healthy cringe of embarrassment and a quiet phasing out of the song.
In the modern age its words are the opposite of the truth on two counts. Britons will indeed be slaves, to dirty and polluted US industrial farming businesses when the Brexit rush for trade deals sells out food quality and the farmers. And doing the bidding of the US, Britain’s main naval power consists of US subs carrying US weapons, controlled by the US, but which we are forced to pay for – that’s not ruling the waves, it’s being a vassal state!
Derek Ball
Bearsden
READ MORE: BBC U-turns on singing Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory at Proms
I DON’T want to say it, but in my letter of August 27, castigating the BBC over Last Night of the Proms, I wrote “who knows, London-generated U-turns are on the up”. Now the BBC U-turns, so I will say it! I told you so! Thank you, The National, first again with a forewarning.
Selma Rahman
Edinburgh
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