Would you fly a flag for your country?

Allira

Allira
Iam64
Late to the party for a number of reasons. I’ve read through this thread and without wishing to be frivolous - I’m largely team grannygravy.

Of course some racist Tommy Robinson types are flag waving to cause trouble. The disgusting demos outside places housing asylum seekers are shameful. Don’t let thugs claim our flags
Don’t let thugs claim our flags
👏👏👏

I think that is the point some of us are trying to make; unfortunately others insist that everything is an extreme.
Fly a flag and you are a Tommy Robinson-style racist thug. Refuse to fly a flag and you are a decent, caring human being.

You are not allowed to fly the flag and be decent and caring, it is apparently not synonymous.
If you are a Christian, you are cruel and unkind and anti-immigrant, according to a couple of posts I saw! This is despite the fact that Christian groups are volunteering their help to asylum seekers and another devout Christian I know is on a pilgrimage to raise money for a charity helping people suffering from injustice and displacement.
That is true. but at the same time followers of Jesus are supposed not to let one hand know what the other hand is doing.
I don't quite follow that; if you mean they should do good in secret then how are those who need help supposed to know that the volunteers are there to help them?”

So according to some posts I read on here, everyone who is flying, or would fly the English flag is suspect of evil-doing, or is ill intentioned, far right, etc. etc.

Do the same people making this blanket condemnation, suspect all immigrants of evil doing or ill intention, or is it only the flag flyers who can possibly be guilty?

I’m sure it will be worth the effort Allira, you will definitely be doing you.

Casdon

Allira

Apparently, it's only the English flag which is offensive.

It’s just going round and round again, there’s nothing any of us can do to change other peoples attitudes. Never was the phrase ‘you do you’ more appropriate.

At the risk of repeating myself, I'm going to make a patchwork one! Every country's flag, plus the Ensign.
It could take some time.

MaizieD

Goodness, it's like groundhog day on this thread.

I'm sure that the flying of the Welsh flag in north and south Wales was discussed a few days ago, by the same people...

Indeed!

And still we have the accusers insisting that it’s racist/right wing/extremist to do so…🤣

I maintain that the middle need to reclaim their flags!

Allira

Apparently, it's only the English flag which is offensive.

It’s just going round and round again, there’s nothing any of us can do to change other peoples attitudes. Never was the phrase ‘you do you’ more appropriate.

I don't care about flags, I never have.

We live in dangerous times and anything which fans the flames if probably best avoided.

Apparently, it's only the English flag which is offensive.

Goodness, it's like groundhog day on this thread.

I'm sure that the flying of the Welsh flag in north and south Wales was discussed a few days ago, by the same people...

Allira

Iam64

Late to the party for a number of reasons. I’ve read through this thread and without wishing to be frivolous - I’m largely team grannygravy.

Of course some racist Tommy Robinson types are flag waving to cause trouble. The disgusting demos outside places housing asylum seekers are shameful. Don’t let thugs claim our flags

Don’t let thugs claim our flags
👏👏👏

I think that is the point some of us are trying to make; unfortunately others insist that everything is an extreme.
Fly a flag and you are a Tommy Robinson-style racist thug. Refuse to fly a flag and you are a decent, caring human being.

You are not allowed to fly the flag and be decent and caring, it is apparently not synonymous.
If you are a Christian, you are cruel and unkind and anti-immigrant, according to a couple of posts I saw! This is despite the fact that Christian groups are volunteering their help to asylum seekers and another devout Christian I know is on a pilgrimage to raise money for a charity helping people suffering from injustice and displacement.

That is true. but at the same time followers of Jesus are supposed not to let one hand know what the other hand is doing.
I don't quite follow that; if you mean they should do good in secret then how are those who need help supposed to know that the volunteers are there to help them?

I agree Eloethan. For me too this new wave of so called patriotism raises what many would consider to be reasonable questions about the motivations behind these displays.

Pantglas2

That’s how people who flew/waved a 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 were seen in Wales not so many decades ago Casdon, as Welsh Nat/Plaid Cymru extremists/racists.

It was only rescued by Welsh people, regardless of politics, language and colour, adopting a mindset that it was for everyone in Wales to celebrate and until that happens in England with the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 the accusers will keep on!

In North Wales I presume you mean Pantglas, it was different in the south, as I’m sure it is in different areas of England. I think maybe it was easier in Wales as the tradition of flying the flag was always stronger than it was in England?

Why are flags suddenly being flown now? Have people only just discovered that they are English and that they are proud of their country? Why is there this sudden rush of what is reported to be patriotism?

This country has never been particularly into running flags up flagpoles in their gardens - unlike the US. It is no coincidence that the current wave of anti-immigrant feeling (some of which has always lain under the surface and has not been exclusively directed at so-called "illegal" immigrants) has elicited this tendency for some to use the waving of a flag as proof of their Englishness. Meanwhile, thugs like Tommy Robinson and the people arrested in Epping wave their flags in between attacking the police - very patriotic.

I apologise. Please scrub the word "your"

Allira

Iam64

Late to the party for a number of reasons. I’ve read through this thread and without wishing to be frivolous - I’m largely team grannygravy.

Of course some racist Tommy Robinson types are flag waving to cause trouble. The disgusting demos outside places housing asylum seekers are shameful. Don’t let thugs claim our flags

Don’t let thugs claim our flags
👏👏👏

I think that is the point some of us are trying to make; unfortunately others insist that everything is an extreme.
Fly a flag and you are a Tommy Robinson-style racist thug. Refuse to fly a flag and you are a decent, caring human being.

You are not allowed to fly the flag and be decent and caring, it is apparently not synonymous.
If you are a Christian, you are cruel and unkind and anti-immigrant, according to a couple of posts I saw! This is despite the fact that Christian groups are volunteering their help to asylum seekers and another devout Christian I know is on a pilgrimage to raise money for a charity helping people suffering from injustice and displacement.

That is true. but at the same time followers of Jesus are supposed not to let one hand know what the other hand is doing.

Flaunting opinions is okay for keyboard warriors like me but waving your full frontal nationalism in my face is unaesthetic.

Please don't stop contributing, Grannygravy13.

All opinions are needed and should be welcome.

GrannyGravy13 👍🏻
A wise decision 😃

Iam64

Late to the party for a number of reasons. I’ve read through this thread and without wishing to be frivolous - I’m largely team grannygravy.

Of course some racist Tommy Robinson types are flag waving to cause trouble. The disgusting demos outside places housing asylum seekers are shameful. Don’t let thugs claim our flags

Don’t let thugs claim our flags
👏👏👏

I think that is the point some of us are trying to make; unfortunately others insist that everything is an extreme.
Fly a flag and you are a Tommy Robinson-style racist thug. Refuse to fly a flag and you are a decent, caring human being.

You are not allowed to fly the flag and be decent and caring, it is apparently not synonymous.
If you are a Christian, you are cruel and unkind and anti-immigrant, according to a couple of posts I saw! This is despite the fact that Christian groups are volunteering their help to asylum seekers and another devout Christian I know is on a pilgrimage to raise money for a charity helping people suffering from injustice and displacement.

GrannyGravy13

PoliticsNerd there is only one person on here othering posters/citizens and it is not me.

I do not expect everyone to agree with me, I do not bully and insult them to get them round to my way of thinking.

I have decided not to engage with you on here anymore, your continued misinterpretation of my posts are unwarranted and too personal for my comfort.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

PoliticsNerd there is only one person on here othering posters/citizens and it is not me.

I do not expect everyone to agree with me, I do not bully and insult them to get them round to my way of thinking.

I have decided not to engage with you on here anymore, your continued misinterpretation of my posts are unwarranted and too personal for my comfort.

GrannyGravy13

PoliticsNerd I do not attack posters who’s opinions are different to mine.

I respect their opinion and in return it would be nice if they could respect mine.

I have never flown the flag (any flag) but I reserve the right to do so without being labelled right wing or racist.

I do put up 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 bunting for jubilees, coronations and on VE Day during the first coronavirus lockdown.

I cannot see why English citizens should let our national flag be a symbol of any sector or group, it belongs to us all.

GrannyGravy13 just as you may feel this is "becoming personal" I felt your original post on half full/half empty re peoples view of flags was an attack on all those don't share your view. I have simply been trying to unravel that since you posted it as you used to two different bases to write from.

Who labels every flag waver racist? You seem to now be saying this has all been about you and simple flag waving. Isn't that a little disingenuous? You were the one who accused others, should the hold a different opinion to yours, of being "less than" you by being a glass half empty person.

That’s how people who flew/waved a 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 were seen in Wales not so many decades ago Casdon, as Welsh Nat/Plaid Cymru extremists/racists.

It was only rescued by Welsh people, regardless of politics, language and colour, adopting a mindset that it was for everyone in Wales to celebrate and until that happens in England with the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 the accusers will keep on!

Iam64

Late to the party for a number of reasons. I’ve read through this thread and without wishing to be frivolous - I’m largely team grannygravy.

Of course some racist Tommy Robinson types are flag waving to cause trouble. The disgusting demos outside places housing asylum seekers are shameful. Don’t let thugs claim our flags

Mmm. That's one way to look at it. Do you see that as making you "glass half full" or "glass half empty" because your last paragraph seems to put you in GG13's half empty group (I think!).

Whichever it is, do we really need the "othering*" of another group of people? How does that help? Especially when when it is written in a "heads you win, tales all those you disagree with lose" way. Playing down the challenge to democracy from the far right is one way of having an easy life - for now. Is that really a glass that's half full or simply a glass which has contents that smell bad and make you ill if you drink them. The positive person believes something can be done about that. Others just look the other way while commenting on its interesting colour.

*A process that denies the humanity of targeted individuals, and promotes inequality, discrimination, and persecution.

I don’t disagree with what you say GrannyGravy13, but there is no getting away from the fact that in the current state of the country, if you display a flag, some people will label you right wing or racist. It’s up to you to decide if you are going to fly a flag all the time, riding the storm and hoping the tension settles down, or to fly the flag on high days and holidays as most people always did, or to not fly it at all. Everybody has a choice, but we can’t change what other people think.

PoliticsNerd I do not attack posters who’s opinions are different to mine.

I respect their opinion and in return it would be nice if they could respect mine.

I have never flown the flag (any flag) but I reserve the right to do so without being labelled right wing or racist.

I do put up 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧 bunting for jubilees, coronations and on VE Day during the first coronavirus lockdown.

I cannot see why English citizens should let our national flag be a symbol of any sector or group, it belongs to us all.

MaizieD

Caleo

GrannyGravy13

So Caleohow we perceive our national flags is all done to our individual mindsets

Those of us who are positive about the U.K. and are glass half full folks do not have a problem with our flags.

And then there are those who are negative glass half empty folks who look for the downside will have a problem with our flags as they equate them to values which are not their own…

No. It's the opposite.

Glass half full folks think our country is not beyond redemption despite its history of slavery and colonialism .

Glass half empty folks think our country can only be sorted by gesticulating with national flags and fearing foreigners/

I don’t think I’m at all confused, PN. I think that you are.

Obviously, that too is possible. I was certainly confused by GrannyGravy13's attack on those who didn't share her views on who is a positive person. But it's quite possible that this confusion led me to misunderstand that she was saying. It happens to each and all of us.