In this column, Frodsham MP Mike Amesbury discusses the story of St George, the 'perfect saint to represent England in the modern age.'

I'm proud to celebrate St George's Day and the best of England in honour of its dragon-slaying patron saint.

While the English are coy about expressing pride in their nation, our neighbours - the Irish with St Patrick, the Welsh with St David and the Scots with St Andrew - really push the boat out.

A small minority have historically tried to tarnish our flag by claiming it as their own for their extreme right-wing nonsense.

It's a shame, especially for someone whose surname, Amesbury, is so tied up with English history, being the town adjacent to Stonehenge. The name has its origins in the ancient Norman culture that arrived with William the Conqueror way back in 1066.

I believe we should reclaim these symbols of nationhood from the Little Englanders and get away from the 'us against the world' mentality. Because, actually, that's not who we are.

As my personal history demonstrates, England is and always has been a melting pot of different cultures. We are a nation of immigrants, whether Romans, Scandinavians, Irish, French, Jews, Italians or Dutch. After the end of the Second World War, immigration was encouraged from Britain's former colonies in the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Caribbean to help rebuild a shattered economy.

All these influences have enriched our lives in a multicultural society generally known for its liberalism and tolerance.

One mouth-watering spin-off is the cuisine we enjoy from around the world. And it's why chicken tikka masala is our number one dish. Although, interestingly, it stands as a culinary metaphor for social integration with ethnic food historians Peter and Colleen Grove concluding it "was most certainly invented in Britain, probably by a Bangladeshi chef".

Today curry is as much part of the English scene as fish and chips. Personally I love both, as I love a pint of real ale in a decent pub, another quintessentially English feature we are lucky to enjoy in abundance here in Cheshire.

There are so many reasons to be proud of our fabulous country. England is known for its lush countryside, quaint villages and characterful market towns. Again, I need look no further than my hometown of Frodsham and its surroundings to see why.

England can also be proud of its contribution to the world in so many ways; from the arts and creative industries to the beautiful game of football, medical advances and the NHS, plus so many inventions, from the steam engine to the internet.

Finally, just a thought about St George himself. He's popularly identified with England and ideals of bravery and honour associated with the legend of slaying that dragon but actually he wasn't English at all.

Little is known about the real St George, but it's believed he was born in what is now Turkey in about 280 AD. Raised as a Christian by parents of Greek origin, he joined the Roman Army as a young man but was tortured and then beheaded in Palestine by Emperor Diocletian for refusing to renounce his faith.

He is patron saint of not only England but also of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice.

Whatever our backgrounds, I firmly believe we have more in common than that which divides us. Being something of a global citizen, I feel George is the perfect saint to represent England in the modern age. I will raise a glass to him this evening.