England and its flag

[Maljonic]

I like that the England flag it getting an airing at the moment, but I think it would be nice if it wasn't something that is only associated with football. Still, better that than nothing at all I suppose.

But anyway, I was thinking how odd it is that the flags been produced at the moment mostly have 'England' printed across the middle, and it made me wonder if it's the case that we have such an identity problem that we have to write our own country's name on our flag just to give it more meaning? Or is this just me thinking about it too much?

Do other countries write their names across their flags during events like the current football competition? I haven't really noticed before, but I don't watch football so maybe I'm totally wrong?

 

[nath]

I think you might be reading a little too much in to it. 'sides - I've seen plenty with just the St Georges cross.

 

[Maljonic]

Maybe it's a regional thing. About 99% of the flags around here, in York, have England written on them. I guess I might be reading too much into it though.

 

[mank!]

i think it's more to do with football culture than anything else.

if you go to football games, or watch 'em on telly, you'll see loads of england flags with stuff written on them. i see loads at swindon and i'm getting one myself with 'swindon town fc' written across it, with oxon reds below it.

i don't think it's anything to do with national identity, just a case of flag makers cashing in on a style of flag which is prominent with football fans.

i'd love to know where to get one chap, i can only find the silly little car flags though.

 

[DaGaffer]

You take away the religious connotation if you slap the word 'England' on it. It means moslems can fly them without any issues. Take from that what you will.

 

[MYstIC G]

or its just that people in York are thick...

 

[Maljonic]

or its just that people in York are thick...

That could be true.

 

[lilmissnaughty]

lol nah its prolly cos its so rare the flag is allowed to be displayed over here they worry folks might forget what ours looks like.so they handy popped some subtitles on it.

 

[Chilly]

its never not allowed, its just people dont give a fuck.

 

[Maljonic]

Some people care about it. It's not that it's legally not allowed, but it has been socially disallowed because of the skinhead, neo-nazi Union Jack stigma in the past... and the independent Scotland thing pretty much finished off the Union Jack as a symbol of identity. I think the stigma carries over a bit and is attached in a lesser way even to the England flag, which is only really associated with football matches, which in turn still has the stigma of hooliganism attached to it.

I know we aren't totally flag mad like some countries, but I do think we've gone quite some distance in the other direction to the point of being almost forcibly disinterested.

 

[rynnor]

Crap - my neighbours just put up an England flag - time to move!

 

[00dave]

this is a good one.

I was told recently that my England flag was racist and I needed to take it down from my window. That's bad enough but I live and work on an RAF camp. What is the world coming to if you can't fly the flag of the country that you live in and defend. The Scots, Welsh and Irish agreed with me on that one too.

 

[Gumbo]

this is a good one.

I was told recently that my England flag was racist and I needed to take it down from my window. That's bad enough but I live and work on an RAF camp. What is the world coming to if you can't fly the flag of the country that you live in and defend. The Scots, Welsh and Irish agreed with me on that one too.

Contact a newspaper.

 

[nath]

I was told recently that my England flag was racist

By whom?

 

[]AC[dRuM]

Crap - my neighbours just put up an England flag - time to move!

Decorating your house with England flags is on par with that element of society who insist on plastering their entire house with xmas decorations including the token Matalan nativity scene. But hey it's a free country....

Does the over use of hanging baskets fall into the same catagory?

 

[Sockstuff]

Does the over use of hanging baskets fall into the same catagory?

Don't get me started on hanging baskets! I'm against everything they stand for.

grrrr

 

[Raven]

this is a good one.

I was told recently that my England flag was racist and I needed to take it down from my window. That's bad enough but I live and work on an RAF camp. What is the world coming to if you can't fly the flag of the country that you live in and defend. The Scots, Welsh and Irish agreed with me on that one too.

i would leave it up and then ask them to prove that in a court.

 

[Bodhi]

this is a good one.

I was told recently that my England flag was racist and I needed to take it down from my window. That's bad enough but I live and work on an RAF camp. What is the world coming to if you can't fly the flag of the country that you live in and defend. The Scots, Welsh and Irish agreed with me on that one too.

As shocking as that should be, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Near the golf course I play at in Stone, some guy had a Union Jack flying outside his house. He was asked to take it down as it was racist. I mean a Union Jack for FUCKS sake. Since he was asked to put it down he's had a number of other flags up - a skull n crossbones, an ANC flag, a Swastika (yes really), a New Zealand flag, a Zimbabwe flag, an India flag and a stars and stripes. None of these have had complaints, yet the Union Jack is racist?

Sorry folks, but England is fucked. It's rapidly turning into the arsehole of the Western world, and the people in power seem quite happy for this to happen. Considering the country itself ain't too bad, that's really really sad.

 

[throdgrain]

As shocking as that should be, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Near the golf course I play at in Stone, some guy had a Union Jack flying outside his house. He was asked to take it down as it was racist. I mean a Union Jack for FUCKS sake. Since he was asked to put it down he's had a number of other flags up - a skull n crossbones, an ANC flag, a Swastika (yes really), a New Zealand flag, a Zimbabwe flag, an India flag and a stars and stripes. None of these have had complaints, yet the Union Jack is racist?

Sorry folks, but England is fucked. It's rapidly turning into the arsehole of the Western world, and the people in power seem quite happy for this to happen. Considering the country itself ain't too bad, that's really really sad.

Quite true Bodhi

 

[leggy]

I should say first that I will be supporting England during the world cup (my team suck at qualifying).

Now every day I see a hundred or so St George's crosses (hanging from vehicles) when I'm out and about. Do I think to myself 'that's a bit racist'?

No, I think 'what a set of tasteless twats'.

 

[throdgrain]

Heh Leg

I love it to be honest. I wish they could be there all year round.
Ive only got a sticker on my car though, a flag is a bit much

 

[Scouse]

its never not allowed, its just people dont give a fuck.

I heard that they've banned it (by law) down south somewhere because it may offend some ethnic minorities.

I'm not sure how true that is but I was told it was in one of the nationals recently....

 

[DaGaffer]

I heard that they've banned it (by law) down south somewhere because it may offend some ethnic minorities.

I'm not sure how true that is but I was told it was in one of the nationals recently....

Nah, that's bollocks. It was banned by Tesco's for their delivery drivers and some council drivers, but the excuse wasn't racism, it was Health & Safety, which Tesco at least have since recinded.

 

[mank!]

the police in hampshire have asked motorists not to use them as it scares horses, not heard of it being banned anywhere else.

personally i think it's a great big government conspiracy to demoralise us ahead of the world cup by denying us proud english patriots the chance to fly our beautiful flag. the krauts are behind it, mark my words.

 

[supersaint]

Environmentalists don't want people to fly flags out their car windows as the drag effect uses up an extra 1 litre of petrol per hour .

 

[Sockstuff]

I don't mind the flags from cars myself but I laugh at people who leave them on in car parks. Most of them are held in place by the window and in some cars you can pull down on the flag which moves the window down enough for you to unlock the car.

I am not a car theif.

 

[Maljonic]

I don't mind the flags from cars myself but I laugh at people who leave them on in car parks. Most of them are held in place by the window and in some cars you can pull down on the flag which moves the window down enough for you to unlock the car.

I am not a car theif.

I don't think most good modern cars let you unlock them even if you can open the window.

 

[haarewin]

didnt "the sun" run a story about this a few days back? i think they blamed it on "the PC brigade".
so now, every eejit that thinks putting these flags everywhere is 'cool' (its not, it just shows the strength of the bandwagon) now thinks that they are making a political statement. great!

 

[throdgrain]

didnt "the sun" run a story about this a few days back? i think they blamed it on "the PC brigade".
so now, every eejit that thinks putting these flags everywhere is 'cool' (its not, it just shows the strength of the bandwagon) now thinks that they are making a political statement. great!

No, idiot, its been going on for weeks and weeks. Its a reflection of peoples enthusiasm for the world cup, and possibly also an outlet for the VAST FUCKING MAJORITY of us in this country that DONT want to hand everything over to anyone who come here asking, who DONT want to rename the country "anything-you-want-mr.immegrant-sir" and DONT want to be told by this FUCKING GOVERNMENT and its intellectual bullshitters how to live our lives or how and what to think. We're proud of of country, but have it beaten out of us by a cloaked big brother of PC-ness. And yet any chance we get, the common working man of this country, be he native English or Asian for that matter, comes out any chance he gets to stick up for his place of birth.

Pissed, yes I am. Pissed off? definately!

 

[nath]

lol - what a load of bollocks. Sorry mate, I like England a lot, but I do find flying a flag fucking naff. There's no PCness driving this statement, mind - it's just lame.