I took down some flags and DH wasn’t happy

[LittleChopper]

On my commute today, I noticed someone had hung three large St George flags on a bridge coming out of our village. They have been popping up everywhere but this particular instance I thought “I’m not having that”. On the way home I pulled over and took them down.

when I got home and DH asked why I was binning three large flags I told him and he.. had some interesting opinions. He told me I shouldn’t be pissing off people in the village, that they have every right to hang an England flag in England, and that I’m being too political.

For a start, I would argue that I’ve always been quite strongly opinionated so he shouldn’t be surprised I did it.

Just as others have the right to their opinion I have mine. We have people in the village who are migrants… why should they have to look at that. It’s clear why they were hanging there given what’s going on at the moment and I’ve never see a flag hanging in the village in the decade we’ve been here so why else would they be there now.

I’m just so disappointed with it all. With the UK, with DH.

Next time maybe I’ll add to the collection instead. 🇬🇷🇮🇪🇮🇳🇦🇫🇧🇸🇵🇰🇪🇸🇸🇩🇿🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Taking down someone else’s flag could also put you in conflict with other people, which can get messy or even dangerous.

That’s another reason why it’s better to let the proper channels handle it.

You're telling British people who were born in Britain and who have British passports to go and live elsewhere, because they don't view the country in exactly the same way that you do? Why the fuck should they?

Most people can't just go and live abroad anyway since Brexit, yet another gift from the British hard right.

Are you saying the lovely peaceful flag-wavers - our proud patriots who just want their country back - might attack people who don't agree with them? Surely not!

Maybe. But would you say the same about people flying Ukraine, Palestine, NHS or any other flag that suddenly became a big thing?

People come to their views in lots of different ways and they respond to what’s going on around them.

I’m not saying you should agree with them, but to assume they’re all brainwashed idiots seems a poor way to understand the world.

Why what?

People have had enough now and feel they have to do something. The illegal immigration in this country is out of control.

I live in Wales, plenty of Welsh flags around and the occasional cross of St David, but they don’t have the same association as the flag of St George.

Absolutely this!

Then you’d be mistaken.

Are you suggesting people would be offended by seeing English flag in English village? Would you also pull down Palestinian flags, for example, in case someone would not like seeing that?

I find the whole thing with Cross of St George pretty bizarre. Not only the fact that it was allowed to be hijacked by football hooligans and racists, but also the reaction to it by all the do-gooders - their total horror of seeing the flag of your own country is somewhat comical and actually sad.

Too many message to reply to on this, but Lord save us from the faux naïve “what’s wrong with the national flag, why would that offend you?” argument.

So disingenuous.

As another pp said, if you weren’t flying it before this whole “raise the colours” nonsense, you’re not doing it out of patriotism.

“Personally the more up the better, I know I will continue putting them up wherever possible” - this is your post, and it’s what I asked “why?” about. Do you lack basic comprehension skills?

I’ll break it down for you as you’ve had trouble understanding - why is it a case of the more flags the better? Why will you continue putting them up - what is your motivation and what do you think it will achieve?

Thanks OP. The ones near me are all in the rougher parts of town or major road junctions. They are all at half mast which made me think the king had died - if these people want to celebrate British culture, they should at least get our culture right!

Indeed. And I'm sure those migrants would be thrilled to know their taxes go towards supporting the almost one million unproductive 18-24 year olds in the UK right now who are not in education, employment or Training (NEET).

I didn’t mean it like that! I wasn’t suggesting that flag-wavers would attack anyone.
It’s just that, like any group, strong emotions can sometimes cause tension or disagreements, and some people react strongly to issues they care about.

If they're flying from a lamp post then how can they be at half mast? A lamp post isn't a flag pole. Besides, I'm sure the flags would've been attached right to the tops of the posts anyway if people could reach that high.

OP, you sound absolutely insufferable.

Clearly you are suffering from some kind of reverse racism. Do you clutch your pearls when you go abroad and see flags? I'd advise you never to travel to the USA, but I imagine you don't travel much with this kind of insular attitude.

OP you and many others on here sound a right pita imposing your ideas on others. Being abusive because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't make them wrong and you right.
There are millions of people in this country alone who are sick to death of non productive migrants creeping over to the U.K Many don't want to learn to speak English or intergrate those are the two main reason I dislike them.
But having said that it's similar to the socalled 'ex pats' you are immigrants peeps, own it, moving to Spain etc and not learning the language, as a native that would piss me off too.

It's not about `achieving' anything.
Stay in your insular little bubble.

Are you being deliberately obtuse? The difference is the USA have always had flags flying on every corner. They have flag raising ceremonies every morning at summer camp etc and have done for many years.
The same cannot be said for England. The roundabout painters and flags on bridges etc are a new thing because of the rise of the far right and their calls to reclaim the country. You know it, I know it, we all know it, even if many choose to pretend they don’t.

What is it about then? Why do you do it? You still haven’t answered the question.

Would also love to know why you assume I live in an insular bubble. I’d say if one of us is lacking diversity of opinion in their life, it’s probably you.

Where are the jobs exactly? Companies are closing, businesses are folding and people losing their jobs.
Migrants might be working as they should be and that is good and they are welcome to be here.
I object to scores of young men coming over on boats that disaapear into society doing fuck all except perhaps doing drug runnering and the like.

So it's a good enough place to come to but not good enough to fly its flag? Are all the anti-flaggers also removing the Ukrainian and Palestinian/Hamas flags, the latter being offensive to the Jewish members of our community. The usual double standards.

My neighbour has a proper flagpole and he'll be flying a St George's flag tomorrow, he's not ashamed to be supporting the Red Roses, he has quite a collection of flags, the local football team, a Union Jack, a county flag and even a Christmas flag, all of which appear when appropriate.

We all know why there is such a plethora of St.George / England flags at the moment . It has nothing to do with a sudden wave of patriotism affecting the British population . They are being used as an anti- immigration sign and I say hats off to the OP for fighting for common sense and not just accepting everybody elses " pull the drawbridge up" mentality. I am white, retired male and I despise the jingoism that my fellow Brits espouse. Patriotism ...the last refuge of the scoundrel !!

The "mere sight" of the flag does not cause me to be offended or fearful. The English and British flags are not hidden or banned, and I see them all the time without feeling offended or fearful. I do not hate the flags and I have never had an issue with moderate flag-flying, nor do I know nobody who has.

This argument is completely bogus.

The current sight of hundreds of flags is something I find deeply unpleasant. It is extreme and in your face. This has never been part of our culture, or indeed any western culture that I can think of - and, yes, I include the ever-patriotic US (until very recently, anyway) in that. It comes as part of a wave of far-right feeling which does make me feel fearful.

I am also fed up of sentiments like "don't try and spoil it for everyone else". You do not speak for British people and you do not get to define what people must feel or accept if they are not to be accused of 'hating' their country. I feel like my town has been spoilt by being absolutely festooned with hundreds of flags that most of us do not want.