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. 🇬🇷🇮🇪🇮🇳🇦🇫🇧🇸🇵🇰🇪🇸🇸🇩🇿🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I am ashamed that no one has respect for their community. It’s embarrassing. It looks terrible. It’s detrimental to wildlife. People have an issue with killing goats in gardens but not all the wildlife harmed by the plastic flags and cable ties? It’s embarrassing to hear these things being said!

They say the culture is being destroyed because they think it's not as revealing as saying; "the white race is being wiped out."

OK, so you don't understand the concept of a "casting vote". You can Google it. It sounds like you meant to just say "vote".

You keep telling me to leave if there are things that I don't like about the UK, but you don't seem to accept that you could also leave if there are things that you don't like. You have no more right to be here than I do. Your desires for how the UK should develop are no more valid than mine.

As for immigrants "fitting in"...who should determine what they should fit into, exactly? Why do you assume that your interpretation of British culture is the version that immigrants should assimilate into, and what if they prefer my interpretation of British culture? Who gets to decide what "British culture" actually is?

I don't see any of that as racist, except maybe "if you don't like it, go back to where you came from." (But I haven't seen anyone saying that on this thread.)

What's racist about saying "our identity is being eroded"?
What's racist about saying "why don't immigrants stay in the first safe country they come to?"
What's racist about saying "would you feel the same about another country's flag?"

Can you explain WHY any of those things are racist? Are they still racist when they are said by black people or Asians? Why?

The thing is, if you just go about calling ordinary people's ordinary concerns "racist" and "stupid" those words cease to have any effect on the conversation. Most people actually aren't stupid, and they can tell when they're being called names simply to silence them.

Not racist at all! Flag force aka Joseph Poulton linking to Andy Scanlon Britain First’s Tweet.

Saying that you are spouting ignorant shit isn't limiting your speech, though. You can carry on spouting as much ignorant shit as you like, and I couldn't stop you if I tried.

Criticising what someone says is not the same as limiting their free speech.

What a stupid thing to say. It's two completely different concepts.

Do you not think there's anything valuable about British culture, then? Do you not think that we should preserve some of the great things about this country (the kinds of things that attract people to immigrate here in the first place)? Do you think anyone who cares about our culture and history is only pretending to care, and really they only care about the "white race"?

Why is everyone pretending then? Why are so many black and Asian people pretending to care about British culture? Why do white people pretend to care? It's not like they're going to avoid getting called racist, since people like you have decided there can be no possible distinction between a perfectly reasonable wish to preserve traditions and a drive to exterminate all non-white people. So what's the motivation?

It's almost like you haven't thought any of this through.

If you understood the expression, you wouldn't have used it incorrectly.

Same with your use of the word xenophobic yesterday.

It's OK if you don't know what these things mean, but you might want to Google them so that you know for the future.

You're always going to get the dickheads who are racist, and I don't agree with them at all.
But, the 'lefties' are labelling literally everyone who supports the march and the flags as the same.

We are NOT all racists, just like not all people who go to football matches are hooligans.
Why can't some of you grasp that?

Yes, I'm very angry. I am desperately sad to see what the racists are doing to our country.

I do accept that I was rude. Some posts don't really warrant much courtesy.

Ignorant? No, I don't think so.

What? That's a weird thing to say. Having the opinion that somebody is ignorant is preventing the allegedly ignorant person from expressing her/his opinion exactly how?
I think you've been caught in a trap of your own making and are trying to squeeze out with whatever you can come up with whether it makes sense or not. Just admit that you misspoke FFS.

I have the right to express any opinion about you that I like, as long as it's not provable as a defamatory falsehood which would undermine your reputation and livelihood, as in libel or slander. That's what freedom of expression dictates. You don't even understand the concept of freedom of expression, yet natter on about it as if you're an expert.
Be that as it may I don't call you a liar, because to me that means somebody who lies habitually. I don't know what you do habitually. I only know you accused a person on this thread of something she did not do and have repeatedly refused to admit this fact. That is dishonest. Do you not understand what that means either?

Could you please edit your posts so that the comments you are responding to are not mixed in with your own comments? Just hit quote post.
Thank you for answering my question, but I'm puzzled as to why you then said you wouldn't answer right after you answered. Have you been drinking?

You do indeed have to "teach" people what you mean by your comments if you want them to be understood, or do you expect others to magically know the inner workings of your mind?

What traditions are being eroded? People keep saying this but the examples they give are that it is a financial burden and ‘it’s not fair’. Thats not fundamentally British, or eroding British values.

The racism is real.

And sometimes ignorant shit does just need to be called out as ignorant shit.

I'm happy to engage in a polite and courteous debate with someone who approaches it with an open mind. But when people approach a discussion with a certain agenda, I've learnt over the years that there is no point in wasting time and effort on pointless niceties.

Do-gooder. That’s what you are.

What about members of the armed forces and our veterans? They often like to fly this country’s flag and have, indeed, fought for it. They absolutely deserve to fly flags and do-gooders like you will not stop them.

Hiw fucking dare you think you are the arbiter of what is right and, sitting in your pretty little village, unaffected by thousands & thousands of extra people straining your public services, call people who can’t get decent housing, a GP appointment, any access to the services they rely on in these areas, call people racists.

My husband has just spent his whole day helping a veteran who has been put into a pit of a room, struggling to get him the help he desperately needs. He’ll probably spend his precious weekend helping this man, too. I think my husband is a bloody hero and I think those who have served our country should get priority over pretty much everyone, including asylum seekers & refugees, and it doesn’t make me racist.

Nice try.

You used the term "xenophobic" incorrectly, and whatever you might think, you did not have the casting vote in the Brexit referendum!😂

So you admit that putting up of flags isn’t to do with patriotism? (If it was then surely you’d have one up for years). It’s to send a message. To the immigrants. Fuck off, basically. We don’t want you. Fuck off somewhere else. You admit that’s what the flag conveys?