The council should be taking down England flags in public places?

Anywhere and everywhere is not synonymous with widely displayed. For the last time: I am not offended by the flag, I have no issue with it being displayed - I have no issue with it bring widely displayed.

I have an issue with groups unilaterally forcing this on others when they have no right to do so and then insisting it is ridiculous for the rest of us to feel so much as mildly disconcerted despite it coming amidst a whole barrage of anti-immigrant, rightwing messaging.

I also take with a pinch of salt how unifying and patriotic this all is when the first reaction to any criticism from their fellow citizens is to belittle them.

Most councils are because of what these flags represent - racism, and many non white people will find them offensive and threatening. Council therefore have a duty to remove them but maybe don’t have the resources to remove them all immediately. If you find any particularly offensive tell the Council and they will probably prioritise them

Not one of the Swedish flags I saw in Stockholm was cable-tied halfway up a lamp post. In my view the councils should reclaim the St George's Cross, and fly it alongside county flags on municipal buildings, maybe around parks too. The people tying them to lamp posts however are not the sort of people who will reclaim the flag from the racists.

The Welsh have put up the England flag in support. They were placed across Conwy bridge in tandem with the Welsh flag. Ditto on the dual carriageway into town. We like flags

I wouldn't mind a few flags which are properly erected at the top of flagpoles. Not cable-tied halfway up lamp posts. Contrast the difference:

You know why.
There are also lots of people who want them up.

Ok let's remove the england flags and whilst we're at let's remove any other countries flag as well. Its a flag for goodness sake it isnt hurting you. It doesnt symbolise racism it symbolises England and guess where we live... England. Get over yourself.

I don't have any objection to the Union Jack, George Cross being flows, interestingly in Scotland and Wales there isn't the same outrage to the national flags. However, I do understand the point that they are not authorised to be hoisted on lamp posts etc and appreciate that this is a fair point - however, if these flags are to be taken down and the rule is no unauthorised flags then that should go for all flags, Palestine, Ukraine, Pride etc etc. There needs to be a consistent approach. I have no objection and actually think it would be good thing if the national flags were authorised to fly more freely but that is a separate matter.

The Police have been taking them down in my area, as if they haven’t got more important things to do 🤨

It's as much their job as taking down any other form of fly-posting. In other words they should do it, but don't expect it to be quick.

You said ‘anywhere and everywhere’ - and yes, the national flag is widely displayed and flown in many countries.

I find your being extremely offended and demanding they be pulled down as offensive, far more difficult to rationalise than people wanting to fly them to express that they are nationalistic and love England.

Im not offended if I see a Palestinian flag, I’m not offended if I see a Ukrainian flag, I’m not offended if I see an English flag - all at their root are flown to show solidarity with national identity, as an mentioned previously - they are being flown in England.

Why would you want to take down this country's flag?
People of other nations aren't ashamed of their flag, so saying that you are, and you won't allow other people to be proud is an extreme position.

No, it’s not normal. I’ve lived in three other countries beside the UK - including the US - have visited many more, and in none of them did I see flags tied to every lamp post and phone mast. There seems to be a weird concerted attempt to portray this as the norm for other countries when it isn’t.

Your second paragraph makes no sense at all. I’m talking about the intent behind flying the flag, you’re talking about the reaction to it. Not to mention, I haven’t had a ‘massive melt down’ at any point. You’re resorting to mockery and straw men.

Flags appeared in the town I live in and nobody asked me about them. Seems the flag flyers get to tell other people how to live.

Flags are hung all over the place, it’s normal.

You can distinguish the difference by not reacting and having a massive melt down when you see one.

I’ve seen far more hysteria about the presence of flags, than I’ve seen flags.

Yikes when did MN suddenly become so rightwing?

It's tacky as hell OP and that's without the horribly racist undertone. I expect a lot of these arseholes were football hooligans back in the day, or are the kids of them They just have to have some supposedly patriotic 'cause' as an excuse to kick off. Most of them don't have 2 brain cells to rub together and probably barely worked a day in their life.

I don't assume that at all. There will be plenty of people innocently flying flags for the women's rugby etc, as they do for various other reasons.

But of course I assume that the flags which have popped up in communities recently as a direct response to the calls of the racist Tommy Robinson and his cronies have been put up by racists. Because it is abundantly obvious that they have.

Yanbu. They look cheap and nasty.

I've reported the ones in our town to the council who said that a contracted out company called Enervo deal with lampposts. It'll be weeks before they're dealt with. They make our shit town look even worse.

Private citizens are tying flags to public property en masse in Scandinavia? I didn’t know that.

If you’re going to reclaim the flag, I’d say you need to be pretty clear that’s what you’re doing. I’d quite happily get behind a reclaiming campaign that is careful to distinguish itself from the whole Raise the Colours nonsense. Problem is if you can’t distinguish between them.

So much faux or real naïveté about why there has been a movement to put these up. There honestly can’t be a single person in the country who truly believes this is not a “protest” move.
BUT, as protests go, I just feel it could be so much more overtly aggressive.
If they are just left there, the sting gets taken out of the tail.
They are after all “just” flags.

A loose carrier bag hit my windscreen while I was driving.

Is the council liable for that too?

Probably not.

Cheap nylon flags attached to lampposts with cable ties are an accident waiting to happen, imo - high winds + torn nylon + fabric wrapping itself around motorcyclists’ visors and car windscreens. I wonder who would be liable if the council had ignored the flags?

Why do you feel uncomfortable by a flag ?

So perhaps stop assuming that every flag has been put up by a racist?