Just a week after the celebration of Easter we come, this year, to St George's Day (OK, it's liturgically tomorrow because of Easter but hey . . .). St George, of course, is legendary for winning his battle against the dragon. He was not entirely successful as, just next door to England is Wales and it turns out that the dragon just went over the border and looks in fine shape.
Wales, given its Revival History might be expected to have a more Christian flag but it turns out that England has it. Yet this is not necessarily something to gloat about. Its origins likely lie in the Crusades when the European princes wielded their power, largely unsuccessfully, in military support of the Christian Mediterranean against the Mohammedans. The main intention of it was to identify the wearers as being on the same military side.
This dodgy history of this cross continues into its contemporary favoured contexts such as nationalist groups and sports fans. If you concentrate really hard when looking at the English flag you can almost smell the beer and almost hear a bloke shouting obscenities. He probably doesn't give too much thought to the Graeco-Roman origin of St George (the real martyr behind the legend) or the Italian adoption of the red cross on white to mark his honour on several of its flags and emblems.
Though the cross of St George has become associated with, first, military, then political, then sporting victory it is deeply ironic that St George actually represents that most enigmatic of victories to the unbelieving nation - the victory of martyrdom when following a crucified, risen Saviour.
On reflection it would have better suited the spirit in which this flag has been used militarily, politically and in sports teams to have had instead the dragon: a show of might which has no ultimate meaning or reality.
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