Patriotism and support for the monarchy are not the same thing.

Yesterday saw a service at St Pauls Cathedral for a Battle of Britain memorial service.

While all the attention should have been on giving thanks to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, attention quickly wandered to what people were wearing and what they were singing.  I am referring of course to the dressing and vocal activity of Jeremy Corbyn.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn did not to sing the national anthem.  Shock horror.  It has certainly generated many column inches in today's papers. Mind you, there a good few Tories like me who for the same reasons of believing in democratic accountability and everyone should be able to achieve the highest office in the land similarly stand in dignified silence. So it is not a Labour v Tory thing.  

The London Times reports that the decision by the staunch republican Labour leader to (in his own words) stand in "dignified silence" while God Save The Queen was sung was "met with fury among the Royal Air Force veterans, former military commanders and politicians". 

So condemned if he doesn’t sing words of praise to an hereditary monarch.  But if he had uttered the words God save the queen, would we not be now branding him a hypocrite?  I would.  Everyone knows he would rather have a democratically elected head of state.  So for him to align himself with words that he finds repugnant declaring long live a hereditary monarchy, he really would have been hypocritical.

And, just for a moment, can you think of any other national anthem in the world where a person is the theme?  North Korea?  Nope, not even North Korea.  It’s all about the fatherland, being industrious and counting tractors.

Should a national anthem not be about the country and its people?  As Republic's CEO, Graham Smith, said yesterday: "It hardly mentions the nation.  It's wrong to accuse people of being unpatriotic for not singing God Save The Queen.  Patriotism and support for the monarchy are not the same thing."

Most of us claim to believe in democracy, we value our freedoms and believe we have the right to hold people to account. But if we really believe in democratic values and opportunity for all to achieve anything then there is no place for an hereditary monarchy.

One day we will have a national anthem we can all sing with pride, including Jeremy Corbin.  And me.

Now, round off your day by having a look at some myth busters about the monarchy.