To ask if you agree with ‘the flag flyers’

I’ve been travelling around the country recently including to the fairly deprived place I was born. I’ve noticed many more flags in the deprived areas than the nice middle class places.
These would have always been traditionally strong labour areas so does this suggest that flag flying is a left wing thing? Or left wingers have defected to Reform?
Perhaps left wingers aren’t the wonderful, kind tolerant people they portray themselves as.

And that's the thing. By denying concerns are coming from all social classes, the left are just allowing Reform to grow in popularity because they're ignoring the fact that Labour and conservative parties are failing a majority. So why dont people getting agitated about Reform and flag flying divert their energy to lobbying labour to get their shit together?

The flag wavers aren't an homogeneous group, so it would be difficult to agree or disagree with them en masse.

I've only known one person with an English flag in their garden, and that was my best mate's dad. No longer with us, sadly, but he was a thoroughly decent bloke. Treated everyone as an equal and would have gladly had a drink and a bit of a laugh with more or less anyone from any culture, but he unashamedly considered his country and his culture to be every bit as good as anyone else's.

Quite a few of the "flag wavers" are probably in that category, and I broadly agree with them.

The majority are probably doing it as a political stunt, to goad the left into condemning (or appearing to condemn) the English flag and by implication the English people. And the left are marching smartly into this trap. I don't agree with this because I don't agree with treating politics as a game.

There will be a few who are waving the flag with the intention of making minorities feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, and no reasonable person would agree with that.

Educated and at least middle income? I have a BSc. There are tens of millions of people in the world who are smarter than me. I make about four times the average wage. All of this is largely down to luck, and my opinions should stand or fall on their own merit, like anyone else's.

I was in a qualified profession but not anymore

I don't agree if the sentiment is racism which it probably is in some areas however I do agree the govt are not listening to the people in many areas

Small boats
Immigration generally
Send in school
Absence in school
Food Inflation
Utilities inflation
Job market
House prices
Taxing the wrong people

So in some cases I believe it's a general protest against neofeudalism

I pretty sure reform will get in unless this current govt starts listening to the people.

Now here's a thought. Reform are ahead in the polls currently. A majority voted Trump in in Anerica. Is that not telling you something? That the majority.of people don't agree with you so perhaps it's yourself who is just too uneducated to actually understand what people are saying? Think about it.....

Degree, but live in social housing.

I don’t mind the flags but dislike the reason behind them. If I had my way I’d invite every man, woman and child in England to a flag waving fest to reclaim the English flag from the racists.

Ironically there’s not a single flag anywhere in my social housing street…not one,

Working class, grew up on a dead rough council estate, left school after O-levels and have never had a job that paid more than the average wage. I voted Labour until I moved into an LD/Con marginal constituency and now vote LD tactically.

I absolutely hate seeing the flags, and am pleased that there are very few where I live. They remind me of the massed ranks of the National Front marching in the 1970s, when I was a young adult.

And I blame Brexit voters for the current mess, they threw away the UK's right to to return asylum seekers to the first safe EU country. I'd like to see a Venn diagram of Brexit voters and flag shaggers.

Beware the big stupid gammonzilla rampaging around

Garden variety flag flyers yes (but don't forget that other 'side' - the left, believe that people can change sex - the average IQ in the population is low, and half of us are below that!)

Give over. You didn't get the response you guys wanted on the other 500 posts on this and you're not going to get the answer you want on this one too. It's a pretty uneducated and lazy opinion to just label everyone thick who votes Reform. Just saying. Is it the new go to because calling people racist doesn't work anymore? It's just too boring and tedious now. But yes. I love seeing the flag flying. And yes I'm educated to degree level. And no i wont be repeating why because if you are too dim to understand the reasons people posted before, then my guess is you still won't understand them here.

Degree, Agree. Working PT. DH higher rate tax payer and he's got a degree and agrees. I consider myself an immigrant although I was born here but largely brought up abroad. I'm of Asian descent. I don't believe the flags are anti-immigration,they are anti illegal immigration. As am I.

Okay, you keep telling yourself that....

No I don't agree with the flag flyers and I am degree educated. However, they are in essence a peaceful protest. I'd rather people put flags us than incite violence on social media.

The opinions of normal people are being manipulated.
Unless a person is prepared to do a lot of research, read a variety of opinions based on evidence and weigh them in the balance to reach a conclusion of their own, they are susceptible to the lies and propaganda of politicians delivered in easy to digest soundbites, that appear to provide both a reason for their difficulties and a solution in one.
People don't have to be WC, or uneducated or stupid to be prey to these things. Very few of the population could give a detailed and factual account of immigration, the benefits and disadvantages and how this interplays with other social economic factors to effect their lives.
So we are left with most of the population, regardless of class and education having varying levels of information and a vague desire to do 'what's right' according to the own values and self interest.

Depression can be incredibly serious. My friend’s son tried to commit suicide due to depression and was in hospital for many (6?) weeks. A year later, he still isn’t well enough to work. He is in his 40s and has has a good career up until now. He definitely deserves PIP. PIP and LCWRA but both are incredibly hard to get and anyone who manages to get them definitely deserves them (quoting my GP here). No idea why the other poor soul you mention didn’t get them.

Educated up to MSc, professional qualifications, 6 figure salary etc.

I love the flag and I love seeing them everywhere at the moment. I hate the 'you should be ashamed to be British' narrative that seems to have been prevalent in the last few years.

I have genuine concerns about migration (whilst understanding it's a complex subject).

If we ignore that the people putting up the flags are unlikely to all believe exactly the same and you simply mean Farage. I don't agree with everything but I agree with some much like I am with most political parties.

There were MEGA (Make England Great Again) hats being worn at the RacistsUnited Tommy Robinson protest last week.

I hasten to add that I saw photos of them in the paper, I wasn't there personally!

From a single parent family, shit comp, council estate. I beat the odds and have three post-grad qualifications. About three quarters of my family are massively racist/homophobic/sexist and yes, uneducated.

What angers me most is it's not about being proud. It's about opposition to immigration. I hate the use of such a flimsy smokescreen.

I agree with you. I think a more interesting poll would be where do you live and how affected by illegal immigration has your area been

this is a good idea, would be very interesting

Surely, ex-private school are more likely to vote Tory prior to the last election? Where do the Conservatives rank in the survey?

Dh and i didn’t want ir need a degree when we were young, could have gone to uni but didn’t

i do sometimes think that had i known that a degree would make such a difference in an online poll maybe I would have gone 🤔

then i come to my senses

(i am partially joking OP 😀 but inly partially)

I agree with you. I think a more interesting poll would be where do you live and how affected by illegal immigration has your area been. I have a friend who lived in London moved to a Devonshire village 10 years ago who will happily comment how there are no issues with asylum seekers in hotels in her village of 100 odd people and as a result thinks anyone considering reform is racist. Ill bet half of the comments on here do not live in areas where issues are being identified by local people such as Epping thats been so heavily documented recently.

Whoops wrong post quoted..

I also can’t help wondering whether some of the negative narrative being pushed online against flying our national flag is actually deliberate. Could it be part of a wider attempt by rogue states like Russia, to weaken our sense of national identity? If, heaven forbid, we ever found ourselves in another world war, we would be on a much weaker footing if people felt ashamed of their country. After all, if you’re made to feel ashamed of your flag and ashamed to be British, you’re far less likely to want to stand up and fight for it. I genuinely suspect there could be an element of this at play, and it worries me

Do you really think the idiots wrapping themselves in flags and chanting Ingerland would be signing up to die to protect you?

I think privilege is a big factor in the overall situation - privilege comes in many forms (and often isn't under our own control). I'm not sympathising with racists or homophobes or any other negative traits, simply stating that it's not really helpful to label people.