Children asking about the current influx of England flags…

[aperolspritzbasicbitch]

How do you explain it?
children are 11 and 8, just walked through an area with a few houses that are all grouped together with a LOT of flags displayed, they asked what was happening, I said nothing is and they’ve asked why there are so many flags. I’ve tried to explain it but to be honest I don’t really understand it fully myself, and think I’ve just bumbled out a lot of rubbish that they don’t really get.
Any ideas on an age appropriate way? I’ve even looked at newsround for guidance 🤣 but nothing doing!

I’ll tell you what else is reductionist.

This “left elite” idea. Or “highly educated” left as you put it.

It is possible to be working class, therefore definitely not “elite” and left leaning.

Not all working class people are represented by someone painting a roundabout.

I grew up on a council estate in the North East, in abject poverty, and wouldn’t thank you for a tin of red paint.

Neither would any of my family, many of whom work in traditional working class manual labour and factory jobs and would fall into the “underrepresented working class” category people bang on about.

You don’t have to be “highly educated” to not agree with TR, Farage and similar, and immigration isn’t a solely working class “problem.”

@SleeplessInWhereverI literally said ‘which is highly debatable’. The point is that both ‘sides’ are more similar than they think, using the same arguments on one another!!

exactly this

Full of leftie c this place
Happy OP.?
Traitors

I would disagree, in that I don’t believe there are any similarities.

My hometown was absolutely by battered bin throwing scum bags last year. I have never been more embarrassed to be working class, than I was then. Absolutely mortified to share a post code with those people.

The rest of the working class population has absolutely nothing in common with them. Nothing. And most of the time we’re embarrassed to have any association with them.

Blimey. 🤪

Eta: if you are being satirical, I withdraw the 🤪

That’s not what’s happening though, is it?!

In my area they were put up mid-August for VJ Day. My neighbour, who is in the British Legion, says they will be coming down early September.
As far as I know permission was sought in advance from the LA.

But apparently some would claim the British Legion and its support for retired service personnel is being racist.

Operation Raise The Colours is racist, or at the very least organised by known racists.

That’s only been going on for a week or so, which has nothing to do with VJ Day. Or the British Legion.

It isn’t the flag, it’s the context.

I’m working class and live in a deprived working class community where many folks are displaying these flags. Please remember that most are NOT flying flags. And I’d like to think that the vast majority wish no ill will on immigrants. People in our street are diverse and we all muck along, nod hello, bring each others bins in etc.

Yes people are frustrated with politics and the degradation of services. Poor people solely rely on state support services (like NHS for example) as they have no means to opt out, and if they perceive an unfairness in allocation of resources, or feel that some animals are ‘more equal than others’ then there will be anger. And useless politicians, who appear to just speak weasel words and just seem all out to feather their own nests, don’t help either.

It’s an ugly thing that is raising its head for sure but we are not all dumb shit frothing racist morons and to label ordinary working class as such, is just as bad as xenophobia imo. And not to mention politically counterproductive. Dismissing these people’s feelings as ignorant and irrelevant is a sure fire way to put Farage into number 10. You’ll be as culpable as if you put the x on the ballot paper yourself.

There's a house near us with a flag pole which usually has a flag flying. Sometimes St George or Union Jack, sometimes pirate 😆, sometimes Manchester United. I thought I'd go check what they've got at the moment... Nothing. No flag. That at least tells me they're decent people.

Tell them the truth. It's a bunch of people with nothing better to do.

It's what my DM told me when I asked about the posters going up in the 70s.

Thanks for the input - turns out i explained it in a way that I’m happy with anyway.
We’ve just got home from the shop and as we were pulling in to our street the youngest said ‘so, because there’s no football and we’ve got no flags up that means that anyone coming to the street today will feel welcome, won’t they?’

we’ll talk more in depth about it as and when the time comes.

I think that's it, isn't it?

There is nothing wrong with people flying the flag. But anyone choosing to fly the flag right now is making a political statement.

I agree with absolutely everything you've said. The sneering comments on here I've seen about working class people being 'knuckle dragging racists' are the reason Brexit won the majority and the reason I predict Farage will get in at No.10 next GE. Just blanket covering all working class individuals flying flags as thick racists that can't read is as narrow minded as the actual far-right racists.

Local to me

Daughter is 10, mixed race. She hasn’t noticed the flags, lives in her own world. She’s heard her dad and I talking about it just saying it’s our town’s turn now with the flags. My stance is that the flag is what you make of it. My daughter is British born and bred, I don’t want her to pick up on any fear around the flag, I don’t want her feeling othered by thinking she’s got to be weary. She belongs in Britain, as do I as an Indian born woman who lives here legally and contributes. The flag is ours also. Any racists with or without the flag will be told in no uncertain terms to sod off.

I told my son that people only fly the flag if

It is the Olympics/a football event
It is the Jubilee
They are not fond of non-White people

I think the vast majority of flags draped around the place ATM can be filed under option 3.

I'm still convinced the majority of people who put these up would be outraged if it was widely believed to be in favour of Women's Rugby, so I'm sticking with that. If they get upset they've not put the flag up for anything other than racism as far as I'm concerned.

Exactly, I live in Wales, married to a Welsh man and I love seeing this flag. Why is the English flag seen as racist and the Welsh and Scottish ones not?

Because the English historically bulldozered the Welsh and Scots into submitting to their rule (Wales by force, Scots by marriage eventually). Flags of defeated nations indicate pride, flags of victorious invaders indicate crowing (to me anyway).

My mum's Welsh :D

Nope. Being working class doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try some critical thinking and should just accept the lies and misinformation told by the likes of Farage. If you fall for it and believe it then you’re entirely responsible.

Immigrants are not the reason the country and public services feel fucked.

Tell them that we're at WAR.

If you side with the racists you have to ask yourself why.

If I ever made a choice that put me on the side of Farage I'd actively work my way back to where he was lying and why that drew me in. It's a con by a rich man to control the poor man. Surely his supporters can see that? His kids went to one of the richest schools in the country and he doesn't pay tax - why doesn't that annoy any of you?

I also believe he has made the most money out of his position and does naff all for his constituency. Everyone loves a cheeky chancer.