ENGLAND expects that every man will do his duty. Admiral Nelson's famous flag message at the Battle of Trafalgar is embedded deep in the English psyche and continues to echo down the centuries, even as English men and women question the purpose of a flag at all.

Progessive opinion holds that true patriots, happy to celebrate England's inclusivity and tolerance, are gradually reclaiming the flag of St George from the right wing nationalists who would exclude all aliens from our green and pleasant land.

And as St George's Day (April 23 in case you'd forgotten) hoves into view I predict another bout of English navel-gazing as we again debate how we can foster a sense of national pride and belonging without tripping over the old stumbling blocks of bigotry.

Interestingly, the earliest story of St George dates from 303BC when a wealthy Roman soldier confronted the Emperor Diocletian over the persecution of minorities. His actions cost him not only his fortune and his rank, but his head.

It's also worth noting that in al-Khader, near Bethlehem, the church and monastery of St George stands next to a mosque, also dedicated to the saint. Maybe St George is a bridge between the religions of the east and west.

I bring this up as a campaign has been gathering pace to establish a Dorset flag - Saint Wite's Cross. A white cross with red borders on a gold background, the red and white remind the good people of Dorset that we live in an English county while the gold refers to the golden dragon that represented the Saxon kingdom of Wessex at the Battle of Hastings.

Not a great deal is known about St Wite other than the relics which are held in the church of St Candida and Holy Cross at Whitchurch.

Canonicorum are the only relics to survive the Reformation in the whole of England, other than those of King Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey. The remains are those of 40-year-old woman and at one time pilgrimages to St Wite were second only to those to Canterbury.

St Candida is a Latin variant of the old English St Wite and came into use after the 16th century, though who she was is open to question.

Local legend had it that she was a Saxon holy woman killed by marauding Danes in the ninth century; while other theories have her as a hermit who did good turns for the community.

A look at the campaign's website, flagfordorset.org.uk, suggests the flag could be flown on county occasions commemorating events including William Barnes' birthday (February 22), the sentencing of the Tolpuddle Martyrs (March 19), Admiral Hardy's birthday (April 5), the Feast of St Aldhelm (May 24), the Feast of St Wite (June 1) and Thomas Hardy's birthday (June 2).

Given its similarity to the Cross of St George, why not fly the Dorset flag alongside it on April 23?

What harm could it do?