Posted on 07/06/2007 2:51:36 PM PDT by UKrepublican
Strange. The UK government was afraid to show the same pride of country that you do?
No personal offense intended. The US seems to be heading the way you all went. A rule on when you can fly the flag? We may think this is so very odd, quickly forgetting that we have the ACLU doing the same thing here. The flag, crosses, some in the middle of the desert, the 10 Commandments, Confederate symbols and statues and flags, even though they are symbols of your heritage just as Kunta Kinte is to African Americans. Some names of schools being changed from one of the Founders names to a more “progressive” name.
I was VERY sorry to hear your sailors were taken. I was VERY surprised there was no fight.
Some time ago the Iranians tried to take some Aussie sailors and failed because those sailors fought back and defended themselves.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21948930-601,00.html
Thank you and yours for your help fighting the Jihadists. But if we don’t stop the way it seems to be tilting at home, we are giving them a key to the back door.
The union flag is flying over Downing Street after Gordon Brown scrapped a rule saying it could be flown only on certain days of the year.
My point.
I had no idea, either.
Maybe it’s a Euro thing.
Canada flies the Maple Leaf with every bit as much vigor as we fly the Stars and Stripes.
My understanding has been that the Union Jack was/is a different thing from the U.S. flag, in that it isn’t the flag of the people but specifically of the Crown/government, thus a non-government-official waving it would be more like us waving a Reagan banner.
Take a look for yourself my friend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYgeETrkPs
(land of hope and glory - fast forward to 3:00)
and my personal favourite jerusalum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0oCmDXrVk&mode=related&search=
Don’t anyone tell me patriotism is dead over here.
Oh, I certainly didn't mean to imply that it was...but just that I've had a number of people over the years explain to me that the Union Jack doesn't occupy precisely the same place in patriotic display as the U.S. flag does to Americans. In the U.S., most of the time the flag is ubiquitous, aside from relatively small conclaves of ninnies...and has been for at least two full centuries.
Yeah, we’ve never had that at least in my experience, and I’ve been around 20 years lol - aside from when their is an international football tournament in which it is everywhere.
If it were up to me, it would be compulsory for all government, council, schools, buildings.
I love the flag!
I am British and neither did I to my shame
No aparently government buildings you can fly the Union Flag from your house without planning permission providing it does not overhang your property if it does you need planning permission.
Do not undertand government building rule but maybe there was a good historic reason for it.
Union Flag it is only Jack when flown on board ship
The Brits only flew their national flag 18 days a year? What do they have a shortage of flags ???
This is great. Now I hope he works on corralling the “problem” people over there.
You’re entirely right. I’ve lurked here for some time, but finally decided I needed to sign up in order to inject some understanding of the truth into the debate.
Firstly, unlike in the US and most other countries there is no law establishing the Union Flag as the UK’s national flag.
Secondly, there is and never has been a law banning people from flying the Union Flag from their houses. On the other hand most people would not because they would think it terribly vulgar - just another sign of British reserve.
Thirdly, the rules referred to in the OP apply to Government buildings. Government buildings in the UK have never flown flags as a matter of course. The days when it is flown are generally symbolic of the monarchy: the Queen’s birthday, Accession day, Coronation day, birthday’s of other members of the Royal Family, State Opening of Parliament, as well as Remembrance Sunday. What this is emphasising is that these buildings are offices of Her Majesty’s Government. (The exception is the Ministry of Defence which permanently flies the flags of the three services.) Winston Churchill would not have turned in his grave because he would have understood this. On the other hand Gordon Brown is probably closer to being a republican than Tony Blair and so would not have understood this.
Fourthly, the Union Flag flies over Parliament whenever it is sitting. I don’t know the reason for that, but I suspect it is another example of Parliament’s display of independence from the monarchy.
Yeah that flag is very cool. I have one. I asked a Scottish cousin to get me a Brit flag. He worked at Scapa Flow. He nicked me a brand new British Royal Navy jack eight feet long. Right off a British warship!
Regards
“The union flag is flying over Downing Street after Gordon Brown scrapped a rule saying it could be flown only on certain days of the year.”
That’s nothing to do with displaying the flag on private property though.
“I’ve had a number of people over the years explain to me that the Union Jack doesn’t occupy precisely the same place in patriotic display as the U.S. flag does to Americans. In the U.S., most of the time the flag is ubiquitous, aside from relatively small conclaves of ninnies...and has been for at least two full centuries.”
Probably true. Most people on the UK would possibly consider the Union Flag to be something to be displayed on a special occasion rather than as a matter of course. I don’t think it signifies a lack of patriotism, more just a culteral difference. The situation is also different in the UK in that we have a number of different flags in the UK that people might feel differing amounts of allegience to. I have a Cross of St George in my house, for example, but not a Union Flag. Some people in Scotland or Wales may display their national flag but haver active antipathy to the Union Flag.
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