to think my neighbour might wise to remove his flag?

[IamMrsElf]

I just think in the current climate that it might be ill advised to fly a Polish flag.

I'm not against national pride and patriotism. I don't particularly like seeing the St George's cross - unless it's St George's day.

I just think it might not be a good idea at the moment. Am I being a twat?

[IamMrsElf]

I had to google it myself, just to check - that would have been super embarrassing

[SacreBlue]

Lol @ Dino true, there was a whole kick up with a school here flying the other side's* flag which turned out to be the Italian flag duuurrr!

*TM NI

Elle that is what I have tried to impart to my DS, but (and it is a hugely disappointing but) not helped when sections of a community refuse to move away from the stereotype :( I can't count the number of conversations that we have had that have ended with "but c'mon, all the ones we know are like that" it's bloody frustrating trying to give another view of a section of the community when the only ones we know are behaving like arses.

[NotYoMomma]

MrsTP

Just out of curiosity and having no polish friends/ relatives.

How do people look polish+ :s.

Genuine question x

[IamMrsElf]

I used to live in Southampton where there are large Polish communities. My 2 SIL (one an ex-copper and v. right wing, the other a teacher and v liberal) started off arguing about the influx of Polish immigrants and after a year they were agreeing. One SIL does live in the middle of a new Polish community and not all of them were a delight - I do believe all nationalities have their dicks and fuck wits - but for her to change her opinion so dramatically really worried me. I visited her and couldn't see what her gripe was, there were some men hanging around drinking cans of larger, that happened to be Polish. There were a bunch of drunk English muppets sitting outside the pub. But she was more scared of the Polish ones, for no reason other than their nationality.

[IamMrsElf]

[SacreBlue]

Ahh, see MrsElf that would be easier to rebut, anti social behaviour from students mostly of native population helped me explain to DS how we can all have idiots in whatever section of society/community/nationality

This is why a flag of any nationality outside of UK and Eire or boozing or fighting would pose no problem to explain to DS - in fact it wouldn't even come up.

It's harder when one problem is isolated to one community - which is why I hoped that talking with the organisation specialising in helping that community could help - even if by introducing us to people within that community with a different attitude.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

NotYoMomma think Meryl Streep even though she's not Polish. I'm blonde, ski jump nose, flat, wide face and white as milk. My ex-H went to Poland once and said that after years of never having seen someone that looked like me, EVERYONE there did. Weird.

[IamMrsElf]

That sounds very sensible. A clear channel of communication is needed to help break down prejudice and integrate communities.

[SacreBlue]

Flying a flag I don't think is unreasonable unless in NI when it seems always a problem, and sometimes for good reason

[limitedperiodonly]

I'm not against national pride and patriotism. I don't particularly like seeing the St George's cross - unless it's St George's day.

I'm puzzled by this statement. Why is the Polish flag welcome but not the English one except for on the saint's day?

Personally I'd be fed up if my neighbour flew any kind of flag outside his house. Not because I'm racist but because they look tacky. I'd feel the same way if he stuck a flashing Santa on his roof at Christmas.

[IamMrsElf]

That's my feeling, I don't like flags, but if there is a reason for it then I can understand, but do feel they look tacky. It is all personal taste though.

[limitedperiodonly]

I don't see the reason for flags other than on embassies or at a pinch, cars during international football tournaments.

I?m just expressing a resolutely English trait: a horror of anything that might depress house prices

[limitedperiodonly]

To be serious, I?d agree with sacreblue, that flying a flag is quite often a very provocative act. It?s something that English people don?t understand and something they find charming in foreigners in the muddled spirit of inclusiveness.

In some cases that is mistaken. There is a very sinister amount of flag-waving in all parts of the world, middle and eastern Europe included, and I don?t want to see it in Britain.

For all I know, your neighbour is lovely and he?s probably quite justifiably annoyed at xenophobes. But I don?t welcome blatant displays of nationalism from wherever they come. He is wrong. For me, flag flying isn?t the British way whether you?re born here or not.

I became politically aware in the late ?70s when the National Front were draping themselves in the Union Flag and anti-racists were ashamed of it, because it had been hijacked. Now English racists in the BNP and EDL are using the Cross of St George in the same way but there isn?t that same late ?70s shame and horror towards the symbol.

I don?t know how old you are, but in 1978 I would be scared and angry at an English pub that had a union flag outside and I?m white. Now if I saw a pub with the Cross of St George outside I would just think they were showing anything from football to darts on Sky.

Things have changed in this country and that?s how it should be. You don?t show anti-racism by being nationalist. People who live here should understand that wherever they started out.

[limitedperiodonly]

We'd need a ginormous flag to drape that populist clown Pickles in, wouldn't we?

[JollyPurpleGiant]

Where I live, I don't think you would get hassle for flying any flag. A St George's Cross would be most likely to cause issues I suppose, but anything other national flag wouldn't get a second glance.

[mum11970]

My dad has a flag pole and the Welsh flag flying. Certainly not unusual to see the flag flying all over Wales.

[Isiolo]

Ive taken ours down we had 2; Union Jack and an African 1. I do feel its a bit risky just now...

[SacreBlue]

I wish it didn't matter and it was just a happy celebration of whatever but then I do think it's tacky like the flashing Santa in any case

I have no problems with flag flying when it's a celebration - but in NI, it's too often a piss up the wall, marking territory bs that I can't abide.

Seriously doubt your Polish neighbour thinks of it that way tho, I imagine it's more of a reminder of 'home' than anything else

[edwardsmum11]

I thought this was a free country... oh right, it is...

[happyAvocado]

3rd of May in Poland is a national holiday an Anniversary of the First Polish Constitution.
en.poland.gov.pl/National,3rd,of,May,Holiday,10196.html

I guess this is why your neighbour has his flag up for that day.

[ComposHat]

My favourite comment of the past few weeks, a journalist was doing some sort of vox pop thing in the street and asked a bloke what he thought about migration from central Europe.

To which the said idiot responded:

'My granddad didn't fight the second world war for a bunch of Poles'

Erm...I think you'll find he did.

My pet peeve: people describing Poland as being in Eastern Europe, look at a pissing map! It is in central Europe! Grr.

[IamMrsElf]

I haven't looked at a map since school, I think it's described that way from the old Cold War days, the Eastern Block and all that.