If councils embraced this movement, put up their own flags, used the flag to promote pride in a person’s community, then the handfuls of racists using the flag wouldn’t matter.
I’d love two flags, on a deck either side of my front door (very American). I think it looked lovely and I think I’d have an American flag and a Union Jack. The American flag because the USA is my first love and the UJ because I need to take more pride in being a Brit, which I hate right now.
I have no doubt that some racists and ignorant people are using the flag to represent ugly views or intimidate, but that doesn’t mean we give them our flag. A. Nations flag is too important, so we drown them out. We ensure it truly means pride in one’s nation.
Shouting that the flag makes you sick and that flags are decisive will only stoke the problem, because it angers people who see the flag as part of our national identity and feel that identity is being diluted or taken away. Even KS speech where he said we will become an island of strangers…no flag…no identity…no pride means what exactly?
Which makes me feel that people are showing pride in being British now because they are frightened. They fear losing their nation and culture.
And the UK does have culture and sometimes I am reminded of how unique and beautiful that is. Weirdly when I visit Epcot, and the UK pavilion is one of 11 pavilions, I see the UK in a different light. The pavilion features a pub, a castle, gardens, bandstands, a fish and chip shop, red phone boxes, shops selling tea and family coats of armour. It reminds me that the UK does have as much culture and uniqueness as Morocco or France or China and yes, we do need to protect that because today people often claim that the UK is culture-less. That it’s immigrants that add culture. But that’s not true.
Immigration is fine. Needed in many many cases. Probably a bit high right now (policy opinion). But what needs to happen is immigrants coming over need to integrate more (governments fault) and the government should be ensuring they are introduced to British culture and respect/embrace our culture to prevent divides.
So I say we should feel nothing but pride for our flag. We should not feel apologetic for our nation, culture or even history. We shouldn’t hand it over to people who use it nefariously.
But don’t graffiti the flag into buildings or roundabouts and spoil surroundings for other people. I can’t get on board with that. It is vandalism.