Quite right Margaret , I always feel uncomfortable at the last night , we should have " Scotland the Brave "" instead

Proms not inclusive, says Hodge

Flag waving is now the norm on the traditional Last Night

The Proms attract too narrow a section of society, culture minister Margaret Hodge has suggested in a speech.

She praised "icons of a common culture" from Coronation Street to the Angel of the North and said culture could "enhance a sense of shared identity".

But the Proms was one of several major cultural events many people did not feel comfortable attending, she said.

Tory leader David Cameron said she did not "get it" and said the Proms were a "great symbol of our Britishness".

He also stressed the numbers of other Proms during the concert season - such as Proms in the Park and the Electric Proms.

'Feel at ease'

In a speech to the IPPR think tank on Britishness, Heritage and the Arts, Mrs Hodge said a "shared sense of common cultural identity" was a key part of social integration and cohesion.

She said she wanted to "challenge our sectors square on".

"The audiences for some of many of our greatest cultural events - I'm thinking particularly of the Proms - is still a long way from demonstrating that people from different backgrounds feel at ease in being part of this," she added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7276684.stm