Respect?

I see that the new boy on the block, Jezza Corbyn has upset a few people for not singing the national anthem at a Battle of Britain remembrance day ceremony yesterday. Personally I don't see what the fuss is about, I couldn't care less. If you think about this rationally (instead of like a petulant child) then it makes perfect sense, he's a republican and an atheist and our national anthem is a boring dirge that grovels to both Gods and Monarchs, hardly surprising behaviour. I would have had less respect for him if he had sung it, I'm damn sure he wouldn't have meant it as I'm sure many others didn't either, respectful, contemplative silence seems wholly appropriate. In actual fact, berating people for not singing a song that panders to a Christian God that a most people don't believe in and a monarchy that many people don't agree with is in itself insulting and opposes the traditions of tolerance and respect for freedom of conscience that this country is supposed to hold dear. I'm sure many of the combatants in WWII didn't conform with these authoritative institutions either, however it didn't stop them serving their country just as it doesn't stop atheists and republicans deeply respecting their sacrifices today, freedom was what they were fighting for after all.

Oh and another thing, it's about time we had a proper secular anthem in this country, one that celebrates the actual achievements of real people in our country and not one that panders to outdated parasitic authority figures, real or imaginary.