DH and his flag pole dream….

[Lilysienna1]

DH mentioned a few years ago, that he has ‘always wanted’ to have a flag on display in the front garden. A proper flag on a pole, that we would raise up every morning, and ‘fly at half mast’ when the occasion calls for it.

I have never ever even thought of having a flag. We are British and I know it’s quite common in America, but not so much here. DH isn’t a football fan, so it’s nothing to do with the flag flying we see during the World Cup and the like.

last year, for Christmas he said the only present he would wish for, was to have that flag. He was most disappointed with the watch and aftershave he received instead.

He has now mentioned it to 13 year old DD who thinks it’s ‘kinda cool’ and she could imagine using it behind her for tik tok dances.

So now, I’m being made out to be highly unreasonable and a bore, for saying I do not want to raise a bloody flag every morning and see it outside the front of my house every day. I did try to compromise by saying ‘maybe’ a small one in the back garden, but DH says it’s to go out the front only, and why should we be ashamed of patriotism.

We don’t live in a grand estate home, just a detached house in a redrow cul-de-sac. The neighbours wouldn’t be affected as there are large trees between our only neigbours drive and ours, and we are on the corner.

However, everyone that comes in and out our road will see it as it’s the first house.

what would you do?? Give in and say yes to DH and his flag pole or put your foot down? Am I really being that unreasonable and boring? Does anyone else fly a flag? 🤦🏻‍♀️

Why can’t you believe it? Have you not heard of the flag shagger stereotype lol

I think your DH sounds like a lovely guy - give the man his flagpole!

Maybe we should start a movement to take back the flag from the racists and get back to being proud to be British, have a bit of self respect again. You don’t see Germans dying of shame over their national flag.

I bought a house across the road from a person who flew a ukip flag and had a big billboard on his hill that said ‘vote Farage for freedom’ which was hilarious and was there for yonks - I didn’t assume they were racist I just accepted that had different political ideas to me and passionately believed them.

Personally I feel best to bury in the past, rather than justify and compare with others 🤷🏼‍♀️

I secretly have this wish to do I'm with DH. However, I appreciate it's odd and others may think I'm a jingoistic bigot so that puts me off. I'm also sensitive to noise so that puts me off too.

Several people have them where I live, also Cornwall. All in back gardens, but visible from main roads as the houses are built that way round. Nobody takes much notice except to notice when they're changed. There were lots of "NHS" rainbow flags during lockdown. The noise of the ropes clattering during windy periods is much less than the boat masts at the local boat yard.

You can’t just bury the past, it’s part of who we are our daily lives are shaped by it. If you bury it and pretend it never happened you stand a very real risk of history repeating itself

Two houses near us have flag poles. They both change the flags regularly depending on what’s going on, St. Patrick’s day, St. George’s day, etc.

All the local children love walking past them to see what flying.

Haha no I'd not but googled it now, learn something new everyday! But it's the hypocrisy of it, they don't like racists because racists judge people based off the colour of their skin, when they're judging them based on having a flagpole in their front garden!

@Passingthethyme erm we’ve hijacked the thread - sorry OP.
in summary I am pro flag

Agree, sorry OP. I'm anti 🙂 (in gardens, front of house etc anyway)

We have one at work and we have flags for all sorts of calendar days - a Halloween flag, a Xmas, currently the Valentines flag has just gone up.
But we are in the countryside and on a windy night when you're on night duty the noise the blimming thing makes is unbelievable, twanging cables and clinking metal bits.

I would happily bet £100 they are racist though. Farage doesn't have 'different political ideas', he's a fascist.

Well, yes. Unless it's football season, flag flying in the UK seems to be seen as racism rather than patriotic, it would appear. I live in a Nordic country and it seems every other house has a flag flying, but its seen as extremely patriotic. My neighbour has his flag flying (from a different Nordic country). He put a fresh, new one up about 8 months ago (because his friend from his homeland was visiting) as the old one was extremely frayed. The new one is already frayed - note to OP, he'll be getting through flags like nobody's business.

Go for it!!! It's your flag, nothing wrong with flying it

What a stupid ridiculous assumption!

My neighbours have one (also Cornwall). I've never seen them fly the union jack but it changes pretty regularly: country flags for sporting events/nation days, celebration flags for birthdays, Christmas etc. Ironically the only one I haven't seen yet is St Piran so perhaps they aren't actually Cornish. Definitely not flag-shagger gammons or raging brexiteers. I don't mind it at all and quite enjoy seeing what they put up but I wouldn't have one in my front garden, mostly because I couldn't be arsed with changing it.

I think you'll be surprised by the cost involved. It won't be cheap and there are different flags for different occasions. Oh you'll need planning i think.

Make a joke of it and buy him a toy flag - be oblivious to the real thing. Get a pirate one too!

It seems ridiculous perhaps, but if such a thing would make my wife happy, I would put it up.

Flag Flying outside homes are truly horrible. I would actually go so far as move if I was your neighbour. It would bother me that much. They are incredibly tacky and nasty. I remember when we were moving last and it was a totally new area, a couple of villages we visited had a house with flagpoles. That was a hard no to move there for that reason. It brings the whole area down.

I also thought there were some rules about flag flying in the UK but perhaps these relate to businesses or organisations...

The only acceptable flag to raise ones garden is a pirate flag.

Compromise on one of those house bracket flag poles like in the USA, particularly as who knows whether a flag pole might fall foul of neighbours and council if proved to be nuisance /not in keeping with tone / fall risk in high winds etc etc neighbours etc

But if it makes me happy I'd go for it (pirate flag only)

A handful of houses in my little town have flagpoles and fly flags. There were also quite a few on our allotment site when I had one. They all fly a variety of flags; Union, England, County, Ukraine, EU, Jolly Roger, smiley face, the one for people campaigning for St Edmund to be the patron saint of England and loads I don't recognise.

I like it, I enjoy the jolly little tink tink noise they make, they look cheerful on a sunny day. Def not racist.

Like pp, we have neighbours with a flagpole. They have a lot of different flags and fly them for various occasions, eg the national days of Scotland Ireland, France etc. Last week it was Tuvalu! I often have to look them up - they've recently flown the flags of Gambia, South Africa and Chile. I think people on here are a bit narrow minded - it's a bit of fun! Go for it.

Racism is based on hatred and is actively dangerous, judging someone for having a flagpole is pretty innocuous!