Flying the flag

Callistemon

^It's not the flags she's equating, it's their purpose.^

Absolutely, MaizieD!

I think growstuff is getting muddled between flags of a country (and every country has its own flag) and that of a party such as that of the Fascist Party led by Hitler, which took precedence over the national flag as the republic became a one-party state.

I'm afraid it's you who are muddled, Callistemon.

The purpose of those flags was to reinforce attachment to the regime. A fascist regime; authoritarian, dictatorial and emphasising the supremacy of the State. And emphasising it by requiring allegiance to the symbols of the state; in this case, flags.

As far as other countries are concerned they can have as many national flags as they like at their press conferences. All I am trying to say is that has never particularly been the British way of doing things.

I don't think, either, that we've ever before had a British MP tell the nation that that if they don't honour the flag and the Queen perhaps they should go and live somewhere else... That sounds exactly like the inane comments made by not very bright Leave voters. 37% of the electorate trying to bully the whole country.

Exactly Dinahmo. Do you remember when they all did the power stance? Looked like they'd pooed themselves.

I'm afraid it's you who are muddled, Callistemon.
Not at all

The purpose of those flags was to reinforce attachment to the regime

Well, that was my point. It was the flag of a party, nit a national flag

Gagajo Nice one! They seem to have forgotten the power stance now. I particularly liked that series of Blackadder. I thought Hugh Laurie was brilliant as the Prince Regent.

My other point up thread is that politicians should not try to take over a national flag and appropriate it.

Absolutely agree Daisendl I can’t believe some of the stuff I’m reading on here. Implications that people are racist etc. I’m proud to be British and Welsh and I particularly love our Ddraig Goch (Welsh dragon). Why on earth does everything have to be politicised? The Dragon represents our country, culture and language of which I am proud. In the same way I’m proud to be part of Britain too and see no problem with having the Union Jack on display. Where will all this craziness end? People feeling unsafe in their own homes?

www.worldometers.info/geography/flags-of-the-world
195 flags of countries of the world

I'm not sure why we should be the only country to be ashamed of our flag.

But as some obviously are, remember it's a free country, unlike Nazi Germany was as growstuff has reminded us several times - you don't have to fly a flag.

I've been in Switzerland for getting on for a year and a half now. Not seen a flag anywhere, at any point.

We are not in a one party state. There is nothing sinister about a politician or anyone standing with our flag in the background.

There are a few very arrogant posters. So standing in front of our national flag 'is not British'.....Who the hell are they to decide what's British and what's not?

GagaJo

I've been in Switzerland for getting on for a year and a half now. Not seen a flag anywhere, at any point.

Do they play rugby?

Mamardoit

We are not in a one party state. There is nothing sinister about a politician or anyone standing with our flag in the background.

There are a few very arrogant posters. So standing in front of our national flag 'is not British'.....Who the hell are they to decide what's British and what's not?

Well, actually being British helps. Having been British for a lot of years and observed how we normally behave helps.

And conversely, who has any right to tell me that I'm unBritish for not liking the way our national flag is being used

Snap I'm British too. But your Britishness gets to trumps mine for some reason. I've never called you or anyone on here unbritish.

No one has yet said why the UK should be different to any other country re displaying flags. Apart from it being 'unbritish'. That and trying to compare the union flag to a swastika.

Callistemon

GagaJo

I've been in Switzerland for getting on for a year and a half now. Not seen a flag anywhere, at any point.

Do they play rugby?

I think somewhere earlier GagaJo implied she didn't like football. Too Trible for her or she didn't like the shirts or something. I bet she thinks the same about rugby.

I'm not sure if they play rugby. Cricket is a good game. Not a good day for England they came second in both. Never mind it's the taking part that counts. It's playing the game that's important not the result.........This is me trying to prove just how British I am.

We should all be proud of the Union Jack. It is our flag. If I had a big enough garden I would have a flag pole to fly one on.

"Unfortunately the flag has been hijacked by the far right. It's very sad."
This comment, and others like it, appear only too often.
I'm always intrigued by the way that this seems to be generally accepted as a truism - for absolutely no better reason than the fact that we are continually being told by the Far Left that it is so. Sure the Far Right wave the flag on demonstrations - but they no more own it any more than they do the Palace of Westminster. But because we don't want to be associated with the Far Right (any more than we want to be associated with the equally extremist Loony Left), we choose to keep our heads down and not fly or otherwise display the Union flag or the English flag. It's classic brain- washing: shout loud and long enough, isolate and demonise dissenters, and people will eventually come to believe whatever untruths you are peddling. It's very sad.

Trisha57

Can I be a tad pedantic here and mention that it is only called the Union Jack when flown on a ship? Otherwise it is called the Union Flag. Sorry, I'll go now!

Our flag is called a Union Jack after King James 1 (VI) who was the first to order a flag to honour the union of England with Scotland. James is "Jacobus" in Latin.

Jack as the name of a flag on a ship is a completely separate use of the word that has become confused with the name of our flag only in relatively recent years. Possibly because of well-meaning but mistaken pedants. .

Union Jack and Union Flag are both equally acceptable.

So flying the flag is not traditionally "British". Does that mean we shouldn't ever move on from the traditional stance in all areas, not just flag waving? I thought humans were supposed to progress and adapt, not stay static in the historic past. Let's reclaim the flags, Union flag and the Cross of St George from the far right. I've never heard one word of criticism about the individual flags of the other 3 nations being flown for whatever purpose. My English son, married to a Canadian, living in Canada, flies the Canadian flag on his house. Is he suddenly beyond the pale, or respecting and revering the country he lives in?

And for a bit of balance, my DIL's Swiss mother left Switzerland and would never go back because the Swiss are too racist.

On a related flag waving topic - anyone noticed how packets in the supermarket have suddenly started putting a flag on everything- even when it’s something like vegetables which are grown elsewhere and just happen to be packaged in the U.K.? I like to know where stuff is grown as I don’t want to buy stuff flown in from half way around the world , so I do read the packets. I saw a flag on a bag of ice cubes - thought that was OTT.

If I see our flag on a product I tend to be attracted to it because it is most likely to be home grown. There should be more of it. I am also attracted to products with a British flag because I know they have certain standards and values which I support.

nanna8 that’s what they want you to think - they can put a flag on a packet that’s come from Thailand but just packaged in the U.K. ( no doubt by low paid migrant workers). I think that’s akin to fraud, You should only be able to put a flag in a completely home grown product. I want to buy local which is why I don’t just pick up a packet with a flag, I would read where the product actually originates from.

I have a friend who has a flagpole in his garden and he flies the national flag of the country of anyone who is a visiting guest. I find it decidedly warm, welcoming and friendly when I go there. Lovely, in fact.

“I’m Backing Britain” turn the clock back 50 yrs buy British
Oh wait a minute, we don’t actually make much now!. LOL

Seriously, nothing wrong with being proud of the national flag it belongs to all of us, if you don’t accept that go and live somewhere else - if they’ll have you.

I don’t mind flags being flown etc but I do think they look daft in somebody’s sitting room!

Also please whatever one’s politics are can we not have the horrible “if you don’t like go and live somewhere else”. Apart from the fact t that this is not always possible are we not allowed to take issue with things we don’t like whilst still liking our country ?I don’t believe any citizen of any country loves absolutely everything about it.

I always check the country of origin of products, flag or no flag. I also check whether they’ve bothered to show the flag correctly.
I’m trying to think of a room colour scheme where a union flag would look anything but weird. Blue walls with red and white stripes, vertical or diagonal . . . Nope!