Not convinced by anthem choice

I am loath to contend with the illustrious and ubiquitous Stuart Parr but, if I were of a narrowly English disposition, I would wonder why I should adopt the ravings of a madman about the capital city of a foreign country as my tribal anthem.

We might as well chose Ultravox's "Vienna" or "Arrivederci Roma" or, if Mr Parr is insistent on Blake, "Let the Brothels of Paris be Opened".

Lord knows (and he's probably the only one who does) what Blake meant when he wrote "Jerusalem" but it wasn't the quaint pastoral idyll so fondly imagined by the "green and pleasant land" fraternity. At face value it appears to about urban relocation from Palestine to Britain - although the "arrows of desire" phrase hints at something naughtier than brick-by-brick removal.

"God Save the King/Queen" is far more an English anthem than a British one (albeit it was written for a German).

The verse about General Wade "crushing" the "rebellious Scot" doesn't do much for pan-brittanic harmony. It's no wonder that the Welsh and the Scots want no part of it.

As for our esteemed MP, this is just another bandwagon on to which Daniel K has made a flying leap.

Might we hope that one day he will cease his constant "look at me" antics and get on with the serious job for which he was elected?

Charles Jerrett Shropshire