The government is urging schools to celebrate One Britain One Nation Day tomorrow to “enhance the image of our nation".
One Britain One Nation Day is set to be celebrated on 25 June as part of a campaign set up by a friend of Tory MPs.
Children will be encouraged to sing the official OBON anthem, and clap for a minute in a tribute to people who helped during the pandemic.
What is OBON?
One Britain One Nation Day (OBON) is a private campaign which has been backed by the prime minister and education secretary in parliament, prompted by Esther McVey MP and Philip Davies MP respectively.
The OBON campaign was launched by West Yorkshire-based former policeman Kash Singh, in 2005.
Mr Singh said the concept was “born from my dream as a police officer” after coming to the UK as a six-year-old boy who “couldn’t speak a word of English”.
Singh is thought to be a close associate of McVey and Davies, a married couple, as he lives near Shipley, Davies’ constituency.
While a handful of schools, mainly in Singh’s area, have previously celebrated “OBON day,” it is not a widely celebrated event.
According to the campaign’s website, the goals of OBON include:
– Promoting the concept of “responsible citizenship” and instilling a sense of personal pride in being British
– To “encourage the involvement of all our local communities in raising Britain’s economy through prosperity born from passion and pride in the Nation”
– Re-appropriating the flag of Great Britain “so that it represents all people of good conscience”
– Promote a National Day to encourage a “sense of national solidarity, allegiance and respect for our Great Nation” and to “enhance the image of our nation"
The campaign is backed by Joanna Lumley, Brandon Lewis MP and a number of former MPs, including Lord Norman Tebbit and Lord David Steel, as well as faith leaders and business-figures.
What is OBON day?
As part of the campaign, OBON wants schools all over the UK to celebrate “One Britain One Nation day on Friday, 25 June.
This involves a one-minute clap at 10am, plus the singing of an anthem, titled “We are Britain and we have one dream to unite all people in one Great Team”.
A leaflet published byOBON also suggests that children should dress in red, white and blue.
The Department for Education has also encouraged schools to take part in the day, which ha been met with derision and criticism.
A message shared by the the official DfE Twitter account said: “We’re encouraging schools across the UK to celebrate One Britain One Nation Day on 25 June, when children can learn about our shared values of tolerance, kindness, pride and respect.”
The Tweet also included a link to OBON’s website.
Some have pointed out that despite ostensibly being about promoting unity across the UK, the day is scheduled to take place when most schools in Scotland will be closed for a holiday.
What are the words to the OBON song?
🚨 | NEW: The government is urging children to sing this song on June 25
— Politics For All (@PoliticsForAlI) June 22, 2021
pic.twitter.com/Sq8ZUUgvYf
Below are the lyrics to the OBON official anthem:
We are Britain and we have one dream, to unite all people in one great team (x2)
Our nation survived through many storms and many wars
We’ve opened our doors, and widened our island shores
We celebrate our differences with love in our hearts, united forever, never apart
We are Britain and we have one dream, to unite all people in one great team (x2)
So many different races, standing in the same place
So many different faces, moving at the same pace
We all stand together with pride in our hearts, united forever never apart
We are Britain and we have one dream, to unite all people in one great team (x2)
Strong Britain, great nation (x4)
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