House viewings - neighbour refuses to take down flag

[KayleighhMum]

Our house is up for sale and we have viewings commencing from tomorrow - 7 in total lined up over the course of the week.

Our neighbour hung a large England flag from his top window on Friday and it has remained up. DH saw him outside the front on Saturday and politely asked if he could take it down before Tuesday. He basically laughed and said if any prospective new neighbour dislikes the flag then they won’t be the sort of person he’d want living next to him. It remains up now.

I am concerned this would be off putting, but speaking to my mum earlier she thinks I am over thinking things and it wouldn’t make a difference if someone likes the house.

Do you think we should try and ask again or would you assume it shouldn’t put people off? We are semi detached so it will definitely be noticed.

No prior issues with this neighbour who has always been friendly etc.

Leave it. If a prospective buyer mentions it say it was put up because of some sport thing, you forget which, and just not yet taken down.

It'd put me off, but not much you can do about it. I'm sure there are plenty of buyers who won't really care, though.

It would put me off immediately. Not much you can do about it sadly but I wouldn’t want those neighbors.

The point the flag shaggers miss is that as a nation, it is not normal for us to be flying the St George Cross unless there is a major event. We are confident enough with our identity.
We all know what this current movement is about, although some act all innocent of its meaning.
You can't ask someone to remove a flag from their property. That's unreasonable. But would I consider your property? No!

Your granddad and now your brother have been hanging the same flag out the window for over three quarters of a century?

Would you mind if it was any other flag? If no then YADBU.

I think hanging ANY flag out of your window is chavvy!!! I didn't single out the English one....

You’re right, of course. Visions of Yahoos marauding around the Costa del Delboy, though as I say I’d not understand flag waving anywhere really (unless for a rugby international of course!).
btw ‘Englander’ is a rather unfortunate term, don’t you think? 🤣

(My own country’s flag, the green, white, and gold, is currently being co-opted by Ireland’s least admirable groups, for imported outrage about preserving national pride, ‘racial’ purity, martial fervour etc etc (and deep down, a yen to wear a uniform involving jodhpurs and leather boots, I reckon)
The lunatic fringe, brandishing a flag which explicitly declares a wish for peace (the white middle) between clashing traditions/cultures on this island.
Not that this lot would be strong on actual history, as they foam at the mouth about mythical bloody heroes and made-up ‘Celtic’ lore. 🤬)

Oh well. It’s all very discouraging, and probably why this epidemic of English flags (poor old Union flag! At least that has a cracking design) is depressing me.

It would put me off , because it would look Chevy hanging out a window . And I wouldn’t want to live next to a chav

You say ‘we all’, but you don’t speak for me, or many others I suspect.

I keep getting TikTok lives coming up on my fyp this evening of groups of men currently putting up flags on lamp posts in various locations around the country. So far the men in every video fit every stereotype of absolute knuckle draggers.

If a passing car passenger objects out the window the occupants (they’ve all been female) get screamed at that they’re a “fucking cunt”. I’d suspect your neighbour is someone like that sadly OP.

Flags hanging from windows does suggest potential problem neighbours for people viewing the OP house. I know the word isn't popular but it looks really "chavvy". A George cross would particularly make me think reform/Britain first/other racist group supporter or alternatively loud football fans with lots of noise and drunken behaviour due to matches.

It would definitely put me off.

We once had a very racist neighbour. We didn't know from them flying a flag, but our first clue was them talking abour their son, Enoch. 😳 They moved out after a few years but it was ridiculously hard at times living next door to them and listening to the racist drivel they came out with.

My neighbour is the same, different flag every day, but he won the DFC in the falklands, so I'd not mess with him!!

I don't think you will find Enoch Powell, who you are presumably referring to was a Racist - he raised legitimate concerns about immigration from former colonies being un-checked (whereas interestingly you couldn't move the other way).

I would add -

Are those who persist in displaying the England flag, despite knowing that it's been hijacked, also effectively racist? Absolutely.

Because they don't care that the hijackers have ensured that anyone who isn't white will feel unwelcome and afraid.

They don't care.

I think this is a very fair assessment of the actualité, as Mr Clark might have put it.
There’s a hell of a lot of wide-eyed protestation of good intent in the Shire at the moment. Major coincidences of timing like this are so fascinating!

LOL. Legitimate for who?

Racists. That's who.

You think it was unfair that the immigration flow was one way? Do you understand the difference between equality and equity? Do you understand that this is such a minor issue in the grand scheme of British Racism Through The Ages that it makes you sound... somewhat under-informed?

He basically laughed and said if any prospective new neighbour dislikes the flag then they won’t be the sort of person he’d want living next to him.

Aye, of course he did.

Aye, did he really?

I assumed the son wasn’t the Enoch Powell, maybe named after him. Surely Enoch Powell’s parents are long dead? Not living next to a Mumsnetter? Unless the mumsnetter is very old and lived next door to them in the 1930s maybe!

It's not for you to dictate what your neighbour does. All of you who are anti the flag, what about if an Italian flag was hanging out of the window. We live in a street in London where a neighbour regularly does exactly that. No idea what sparks it, I wouldn't cover a window with a flag but nothing to do with me what he does whether I find it crass or not.

My DD had hung a massive flag in her window - supporting England in the Womens Rugby World Cup. I did say it makes us look like Reform voters. Maybe tell your viewers the neighbours are big fans of Womens Rugby 🏉 😏

People using the term “flag shagger” - do grow up.