What do you think of the flags?

[Latesummersunset]

Apologies if this has been done already.

I live in one of the areas where the flags were started. We couldn’t understand what they were for until it popped up in the news. Apparently the councils are going to be taking them down.

I don’t really have much of an opinion either way but my concern is that they’ll soon become tatty, fall down and leave a mess everywhere. But it seems lots of people are loving them. They do look quite cheery at the moment.

What do people think?

Yabu - they are a mess/racist/health and safety hazard

Yanbu - they are cheerful and patriotic. Keep them

🥱

Wales and Scotland fly their respective flags everywhere. I don’t know about NI, but it’s time England took some pride in its flag too (though not PRIDE)

Wales and Scotland fly their respective flags everywhere. I don’t know about NI, but it’s time England took some pride in its flag too (though not PRIDE)

Wales and Scotland fly their respective flags everywhere. I don’t know about NI, but it’s time England took some pride in its flag too (though not PRIDE)

Wales and Scotland fly their respective flags everywhere. I don’t know about NI, but it’s time England took some pride in its flag too (though not PRIDE)

As always, with these threads, bingo card at the ready ✔️ ✅️

I’m in Wales and having a Welsh flag is not a big deal and quite common if your town is hosting an Eisteddfod. However my little town has suddenly become insanely patriotic, putting flags up all over the shop because there is a rumour about asylum seekers being housed here. The flag by itself means nothing. The intent behind flying it is everything.

I was born in England but long time resident of Scotland.
Union flags and St George flags give me imperialist vibes.

@Dangermooi take it you don’t like the flags ?

Bingo!

This was done the other day. Only the English flag is slated. Simple as that.

imperialist vibes? For the love of God!

People have had years and years to put up flags if they want to. Suddenly asylum seekers are all over the news and NOW they decide they need to put them up?

The council put them up in my Surrey Village a few weeks ago. They look celebratory and no one here seems to have a problem with them.

It was tedious the first time, but 4 times 🫣.

I think it’s obvious that they are politically motivated.

But people are allowed/entitled to make a point providing that they aren’t being violent/breaking the law.

I think people should be able to fly their national flag on their own property if they choose (hint, they can). Those attached to public property should be removed, as any other banner or flag is.

If you love your flag so much you want to display it, you should know which way up it goes. A vast % of the ones I've seen are upside down!

Do you live by town M? I am just up the hill from you in B if so

I think what people will argue in Birmingham is that the council is bankrupt.

The bin men have been on strike for months.

There are enormous dangerous potholes in the roads.

But the council will find the money to remove the flags.

I have no particular issue, although aesthetically I prefer the Union Jack to the St George’s. Having lived in the US where nearly every home had a flagpole, it became very normal to see the Stars and Stripes.

I also think that if I were in a town that was being used to home asylum seekers I may well be inclined to hoist one as a sign to the powers that be that it’s not OK to not have a plan on how to properly plan, inform and protect both the local population, but also the asylum seekers themselves.

I think Councils taking them down (or telling people to take them down) is just going to add more fuel to the fire. If they had any sense they'd ignore them. How can you tell someone to take down their national flag? I mean, we all know what most of it stands for but mandating that they are illegal is playing beautifully into the hands of the far right and the front page of the Daily Mail. If they're going to do that, then they should dispense with all flags - Palestinian, Ukranian - the lot. Then there's no argument.

I'd be curious to do a survey of the views of people who put up the flags and what opinions they have on other political issues.

Did/are they finding the money to remove Palestinian ones? (my council did). Did that create outrage?

Yes, let's start with the Palestinian flags then.

It's obviously a political statement, but I think the fact that flying our national flag is a political statement is ridiculous. I do certainly think it's absolutely atrocious that other countries' flags are allowed to remain whilst the English one is removed! But probably the only way to stop it being politicised and used by racists is to embrace it ourselves and fly it with the same patriotism that other countries fly theirs. So maybe the best thing to do it to smile, comment on how they brighten the place up, and refuse to rise to them. If councils start putting them up themselves, I think that would help. And then after a few months of mad flag-flying, most could come down and just a few remain.

Or we could just remove any and all flags unless there's a specific reason for them, like on an embassy. I'd probably prefer that, personally.