What would happen to the Union Jack?

Question

With all this talk about Scotland breaking away from Britain what will happen to the Union Jack?

Oh sorry - the Union "flag". You still didn't answer my question.

Ok - what will happen to the Union flag?

Surely it can't stay they same - they would need to remove the St Andrew's part would they not?

Answer 1

Without a Union, there can be no Union Flag - it would be, as mentioned in another reply, simply a icon, for the sixties.

This Devolution is a lousy Idea - why mess with a system, that although flawed, has worked in principle for 300 years.

Im English, and Yes I enjoy supporting English teams at International events, - football, rugby, cricket etc but I also enjoy being British, the diversity brought by recognising / encouraging and sharing in joint heritage is part of what is fundamental to our modern culture.

There has always been a large migration of people, ideas, cultures and traditions between the british borders - Burn' Night, Hogmany, Bonfire Night, foods, clothing, words to name some examples. these are what has made us the diverse and successful nation we are today. I would hate to lose that

I pity all those who devalue the idea of a combined nation - citing misguided national pride, bigotry, stereotypes as reasons for getting rid of the British Nation - The Union does not need to mean a loss of national identity or independence - it just provides us with a platform to share and learn from each other and to stand united as the nation which our land borders show we are.

Why in an age where every nation in Europe is moving towards greater togetherness and partnership, is there such a desire by some in Britain to move back to a state of isolation from 300 years in our past, that served little successful purpose???

Answer 2

The Union Jack is an amalgamation of the flags of the British isles. Those being St George's Cross (England http://www.di2.nu/stG.jpg) , St Andrew's Cross (Scotland http://www.lowryrifles.com/images/st-andrews-cross.jpg) and St Patrick's Cross ( Ireland http://www.doyle.com.au/images/cros7.jpg). Note that is the Irish flag not the northern Irish one (which is the St George's cross with the red hand of Ulster in the centre). Therefore there is a good chance that as with the devolution of Ireland from the union the flag will remain unchanged. However if they were to ask for the flag to be removed then you would most likely just lose the blue background to the union jack or countries would use their respective own flag.

Answer 3

It is often stated that the Union Flag should only be described as the Union Jack when flown in the bows of a warship, but this is a relatively recent idea. From early in its life the Admiralty itself frequently referred to the flag as the Union Jack, whatever its use, and in 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that Their Lordships had decided that either name could be used officially. In 1908, a government minister stated, in response to a Parliamentary question, that "the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag".

Answer 4

Presumably if Scotland left the union, then the blue background and the white "X" would have to be removed. I imagine that we'd need to incorporate some element of the Welsh flag more prominently.

Of course, if the union was dissolved we'd probably just use the St George Cross as our national flag. :)

Answer 5

Well,i'm Irish and the cross of St. Patrick is still part of the Union Jack and the royal household still uses the Irish Harp a lot,but it doesn't bother me and anyway six Irish counties are still part of the United Kingdom,but,that been said I would still like if we had the cross of St. Patrick back sometime. Maybe the Scots can design a new flag.

Answer 6

Being Welsh I really don't care the English have the red cross of St George the Scott's the Cross of St Andrew and the Welsh the Dragon (which the English kindly lets us have as an official flag in in 1960's ) THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

The English can keep their union flag or Jack or whatever they want to call it and stick it up a flag pole where the sun don't shine.

Good luck to the Scots on devolution, the welsh will follow soon.

Answer 7

The Union Jack is the pole that the Union Flag flies from. So the answer to you question is, nothing, it would just have a different flag flying from it. It may well be renamed to whatever flag is flying but the Jack will still be the Jack.

Answer 8

The union jack should disappear from our consciousness apart from one thing...it was and still is the great symbol of the sixties. The original britpop explosion when the Beatles and the Stones and Hermans Hermits and the Animals and the Kinks just walked into America through the front door and left their footprints all over the music of every subsequent generation of young people who needed a voice that reverberated around the world.

Apart from that...don't care really....

Answer 9

We would have the English flag which is the cross of St. George.

Answer 10

It'd probably remain the same..

And phillip it IS the Union Jack! Eejit!