I've just been doing some research into union funding (by the government no less), and while I was rooting around the Parliament website, I came across something which I thought was a little strange. Below is a list that details the occasions on which the Union flag is flown from Portcullis House.
20 January
Birthday of the Countess of Wessex
6 February
Her Majesty’s Accession
19 February
Birthday of the Duke of York
10 March
Birthday of the Earl of Wessex
12 March
Commonwealth Day (second Monday in March)
21 April
Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen
23 April
St. George’s Day
9 May
Europe Day
2 June
Coronation Day
10 June
Birthday of The Duke of Edinburgh
16 June
Official Celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday
17 July
Birthday of The Duchess of Cornwall
15 August
Birthday of the Princess Royal
11 November
Remembrance Day
14 November
Birthday of The Prince of Wales
20 November
Her Majesty’s Wedding Day
When I looked at the list, I thought "that's funny, why have they listed VE Day as Europe Day?"
It turns out that it says Europe day because it is actually Europe day! Apparently May 9th, marks the anniversary of the day in 1950 when the European Union was conceived. French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman gave a speech calling for European countries to combine their coal and steel production under a single European institution, paving the way to our current European Union.
I must say that I am very disappointed that the day someone came up with the idea of the EU is considered more important than the day that marks the end of the Second World War.
2 comments:
VE-Day is indeed a very important day, and I agree more so than "Europe Day".
However, VE-Day was 8th May 1945 and not the 9th, so check your facts before you go off on a Tory Rant.
Dear Anon,
VE-Day was on the 9th in Britain you tosser - check your facts!
All active operations were to cease at 23:01 Central European Time on May 8, 1945. However as the British were operating on British Double Summer Time this was 00:01 May 9 in London
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