AIBU to ask about this whole ‘painting flags on roundabouts’ thing?

[Ticktockk]

England flags have appeared all over my nice town, painted on to the mini roundabouts. What kind of a ‘thing’ is this? Is it a Reform thing, a football thing or a ‘proud to be English’ thing?
If it’s a reform thing, WIBU to go down and add “England welcomes you to our country” to all the red crosses?

@Somerford it’s not the mood of the nation though is it? It’s just a short lived high profile campaign organised by right wing agitators with their own agenda. It is not a populist movement where everyday folk are rising up against their oppressors. It’s just the rich and powerful pretending to be oppressed by the poor and powerless to rile up a different set of the poor and powerless to sow discontent. 101 divide and rule. Reform are not the Nazi party. They won’t win the hearts and minds of a nation that fought the nazis to right wing ideology. They just tinker around the edges. Nasty hatred of the most vulnerable but ultimately defeatable by the larger counter movement that is genuinely populist. Normal folk who don’t buy into the politics of hate as an easy and simple way of solving social problems.

Ok sure. Lets chat about it after the result of the next election.

I hope this is true, but we all thought brexit wouldn’t happen and trump wouldn’t win an election.

Anyway, my town now has various lovely chalk messages about peace and love. Hope it doesn’t rain tonight.

There are approximately 70m people in the UK and a few hundred intimidating asylum seekers outside hotels or littering with flags. Hardly the majority getting involved.

But the problem is that they are just the angry, vocal ones. There are also the ones sitting at their computers and phones absorbing social media, and the quiet ones sitting at home or at the pub moaning about the boats.
Plus the ones who don’t bother voting for the opposition because they don’t believe reform will get in anyway.

There should be a counter movement to all this. Don't get me wrong, I love the St George's flag cos I'm English but by buggery I hate it being used by morons like this.

It's not happening where I live but if it were or decides to appear then I'd be out with my posca pens & my kids getting all kinds of creative. It depresses me that this isn't happening en masse tbh. It doesn't have to be twee slogans, or anything, cos it's a really complex subject but just jazz em up with some flowers & nice things.

People have always whinged. Social media amplifies the voices of the minority and those of questionable mental health.

Maybe the counter movement could be Palestinian and rainbow flags everywhere?

This post has been doing the rounds on Facebook where it appears someone has painted the danish flag by mistake

Racists are thick as pigshit.

Any racists here want to argue with me ?

Nope but we don't seem to have the flag shite springing up - possibly because they know they can't afford to repaint!

My daughter and I have done exactly this 💕

Racists are thick. Women who are worried about their children with gangs of young men hanging around are not. Unfortunately when the working people are ignored by governments they eventually take action even if it is pretty pathetic. I think as a couple of posters have said there may not be many vocal protesters but there are definitely people who silently agree. There needs to be positive and constructive action in response to the concerns of local communities in order to sort out this mess. If not we are in danger of serious unrest and a bunch of idiots taking over as the next government.

A racial slur...used almost exclusively by white people, against other white people.

Pull the other one.

Could you explain how the government are meant to deal with a problem whipped up by agitators and the far right? If they pander to them, they are buying into the narrative and pushing them further right.

I think though it IS the mood of the nation. Everyone is talking about immigration. I have found no-one in favour. No-one. It is a super hot topic all round. Its not far right. Look at the voting intentions published frequently. Reform would sweep the floor in an election now.

If an MP or councillor makes a comment on their own social media it doesn’t have to adhere to any standards. It’s just their opinion.
MPs held a vote a few years ago not to hold personal views accountable and to the same standard

That would help with some of the councillor and MP views we’ve seen encouraging and validating this sort of view and behaviour.

That’s reassuring! Maybe they’ve realised reform actually can’t do anything they’ve promised

It certainly would. Sometimes you wouldn't know any other political issue exists. Some MPs are inflaming tensions for their own benefit eg Jenrick.

Starmer needs to take control because Farage has now gone full on tin foil hat and people actually believe him.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

It’s because he’s an mp so it legitimises these views.
they think it makes it ok to use their outside voices with these views Instead of keeping them in their heads. Someone in power is saying it so it must be true and ok

This BBC article explains it well:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx271162ee3o.amp
The underlying issue is that although the flag has been weaponised by a movement with clear links to the National Front and the BNP, many ‘ordinary’ people are genuinely angry that successive governments haven’t got a grip on illegal migration. in The Times it says that 7/10 members of the general public hold this opinion of the present government and the cost of living crisis is another factor in causing people to want to find a scapegoat.

I did start writing an email about it to the standards committee, but I don’t know if that’s the right department or not. Pushing that through would at least help, especially as we approach the next election

One really good way to make sure that people feel poorer and to fuel the racism is to put taxes up constantly. The poorer everyone feels the more resentment creeps in - particularly in the class that used to be the liberal elite.