As well as being symbolic of England and English traditions; which apparently are viewed as being 'overly problematic' to bring into 'certain areas'.
It was Richard the Lionheart who officially claimed St George as England's patron saint in the 12th century. (During the Crusades an apparition of St George reportedly appeared on the walls of Jerusalem waving his sword and encouraging the English onto a victorious assault on the Holy city.) Two centuries later, following the creation of the noble order of St George and the Standard of St George, which was always carried into battle, the rallying cry of the English army was "God for England, Harry and St George''. And after victory at Agincourt, St George's Day was, according to H P Maskell in his book The Taverns of Old England, "made a double feast and ordered to be observed with the same dignity as Christmas Day''.
Oh, yes, I’m familiar with St. George’s Day. It was one of the few Catholic ceremonies that managed to transfer over as a patriotic celebration after the English Reformation.
The Knight in Book I of The Faerie Queene proves to be St. George of Merrie England.
When some of our children were in school in England while I was a visiting scholar at Cambridge, they performed St. George and the Dragon as their annual Christmas Pageant.
What I was getting at is that, even if they don’t give a damn any more about tradition or patriotism, you’d think they’d be concerned about the city’s prosperity. That’s supposed to be their job.