Bob of Speakers' Corner

And yet he popularized an Anglo-Saxon saint.

St.

Patrick, who converted the Irish, was probably a Saxon.

St.

Andrew is a saint from Israel.

He's one of the original apostles, one of the original followers of Jesus.

So the thing is, being patriotic in a Christian way does not isolate you from the rest of the world, but it unites you to a much larger Christian world.

And that's what's really important in this struggle, is that by celebrating the saints, we connect ourselves to our own past, but we also connect ourselves to a wider world.

And that's why they're important.

They're things to rally around.

And they're also, and this connects why they're important to me, they're also embodiments of Christian virtue.

Christian courage, Christian faith.

They're embodiments, examples of people to look up to and people to emulate.

I hope if ever I'm persecuted for my faith that I have the courage of St.

George.

You know, I hope that I can have the holiness of St.

Edward the Confessor.

I hope that I can have the resolve of St.

Edmund the Martyr.

You know, they shaped our economy.