Why is it almost an offense to proudly fly the English flag?

Question

I have lived in Asia for four years and travelled extensively. All the countries i have been to fly their flags on every street. Patriotism is natural and good for a country. We have been duped in the UK for confusing patriotism with a racist nationalistic strain. In my opinion this is because of the huge PR campaign underway to loose what is quintessentially 'english' in order for a future European Union integration.

Answer 1

You are absolutely right.

Answer 2

There are two reasons for the official discouragement. 1 is to make the division of England easier as there will be no rallying flag and 2. the perceived distress caused to foreigners who immigrate to the country. The use of the flag by the football hooligans has not helped either.

At present we need more flying of the flag and an English parliament to defend our right to fly it as it will be banned from Brussels in the future, as the division of England into regions is their idea and the flag gets in the way.

Our other problem at the moment is that England is run by a Scottish junta that is, inspite of the union being a mutual thing formed 200 years ago, trying to punish the present generation of English for perceived slights in the past.

I say England for the English and people of all races who belive that England is great.

Answer 3

You have stated an opinion you haven't really asked a question. I happen to agree with your point of view, but I am an American. The problem with displaying the English Flag is that it for many countries it is a symbol of oppression. India was once an English possession, just like the US was. Both nations had to fight a war for independence to get their freedom and to be out from under that flag. So to some of those people flying the English flag is offensive. It is offensive to some Britons because they have ancestors who lived in those oppressed countries.

Here in the US we have a Confederate Flag that was used by the South during our Civil War. The war was mostly fought over economic issues, but the issues that were clearest were those of state identity and slavery.

Many Southerners like to fly the Confederate Flag as a proud part of their heritage. Most black people hate it. Their ancestors were made into slaves by the Southern Culture (the agriculture culture is only possible with large scale mechanization or with large numbers of people who work cheaply).

It has been almost 300 years since our war with the British Empire so most Americans have forgiven the British, we are now their allies and have much in common. The American Civil War is a much fresher wound, only a little over 100 years old. The division between blacks and whites still lingers today. So flying the Confederate flag is some areas is as bad as trying to fly the Nazi flags in Jewish controlled areas.

Britain has lead the major effort to create the EEC (European Economic Community) so they find themselves bending over backward to try and appease the other members. At one time or another Great Britain was at war with most of Europe, at another time they have been allies, and recently they are trying to be allies with ALL of Europe. The pendulum of history swings both ways and before long flying the English flag will be important again. Until then the EEC is young and the attention of the Britain is on cementing that union.

There is no harm in being patriotic, but it can easily slip over, or appear to slip over to nationalism. In the past this nationalism has lead to conquest and the fear that it will continue is great. Most of the Vietnamese still think that the US wanted to take over Vietnam for some unknown reason. The actual reason for the war was to curb the aggression of communism, but that was a complicated concept.

Currently in the Middle East many people attribute the Americans with trying to take over the oil rich land. They don't realize that the US oil market is pretty secure and relies more on Canada than the Middle East. The problem is that instability in the region causes worldwide pressure on the oil market and unrest. If we didn't have that problem then we wouldn't be in Iraq.

To make this issue more difficult the Islamic Terrorists are fighting a war they cannot win by conventional means. There ideas are too radical and their groups are too small. If they want to win then they have to be noticed on the world stage, and they can only do that by spreading their terror. Our very freedom makes us easy targets, and those that disagree the terrorists are winning should talk with the former Spanish government.

Answer 4

I'm Welsh and I think English people should be allowed to fly their flag with pride.

We live in Wales and my English boyfriend is terrified to fly an English flag here for fear of getting our windows broken or something. Its very wrong that such prejudice should exist.

Those who rail and rant about "What the English did to Wales" are usually completely ignorant and don't have a clue about history or whether these things actually happened or not!!! I did Welsh history at Uni so I know what I'm on about.

I'm not going to get offended by an English flag because . . . errr . . a hundred years ago Welsh schoolkids had to speak English at school (didn't affect any of my ancestors, they were English speakers anyway, we're not from the Welsh speaking part of Wales) or some English people bought holidayhomes in North Wales. What does that mean to me? Nothing! for Gawdsake we need to live together and get along in 2007!!!!

I think all English people should fly their flags in protest at the bigots and bullies who live in the past and who would try to stop them.

Answer 5

It's almost as bad in the states.

I recently found a flag on campus. Written on the white edge (where the grommets are) were the words: "Property of *****". And there, next to the stars, was the word, "Top." I was absolutely astonished that someone at an institute of "higher education" felt a need to show which end of the flag is up. Says volumes about how the liberals at colleges feel about the flag, doesn't it?

Fly your flag proudly. We do!

Answer 6

I live near the airport and lots of people round here have a flag on their window, I love the flag and think we ought to have a flagpole with the English flag on it in our front gardens as do the Americans. Its crazy we fought for Christianity in the Crusades and now we cant even show our flag! This is ENGLAND not some mixed up cosmopolitan culdron! The foreigners here all have their own country flag...all support their countries in football or cricket so whats the problem with everyone?

Answer 7

No one is stopping you flying the English flag. Just do it.

Have you noticed how the word "English" is slowly being rubbed out and replaced with British?

From my Welsh point of view, what puzzles me about Englishness is how few English people seem able or willing to defend their identity as if somehow to do so would be a racist crime.

Look at it like this; politically we speak of Welsh Nationalism and of Scottish Nationalism and do not associate any of this with racism. There is a Welsh Nationalist Party and a Scottish Nationalist Party. I bet if someone came up with an English Nationalist Party it would be categorised as racist by the do-gooder pc-brigade.

Answer 8

I believe that it is more than a EU thing. Their is an effort world wide to suppress Western pride. The achievements of the Western World are staggering compared to those of the rest of the world and it makes them feel bad. They sure like ou penicillin, our vaccines and our foreign aid though. To retaliate and put us back in our place they like to bring up time and time again the violence that we perpetrated on them as if the Western world held the monopoly on violence and exploitation. That is a lie aimed to guilt us into surrender. Archeology proves that their has been atrocious tribal violence all over the world since the beginning of humanity. Just look at the achievements of Genghis Khan or Attila the Hun. And when it comes to raping the environment look at what the native Americans did to the Buffalo populations. They use to run a whole herd buffaloes into ravines killing hundreds when they could only use a few for meat and skins. We were able to dominate thanks to our technological superiority and they don't like it. They want us to sit still in shame so that they can catch up, by using our technologies and science of course, and then take over. The French are in the same spot. Fly the British flag and tell your friends to do the same. Tell them not to worry about being called racist, nowadays every body is being accused of being Hitler or racist. It is getting really old really fast.

Answer 9

That is an interesting theory - but I don't think it is it. The British people sometimes forget they have alot to be proud about in that flag of theirs. Without the British the world would be a much worse off place.

Form an admirer across the pond in the former American Colonies who is well aware with out an England were would any of us be today. For it was Britian - that stood ground when no other country would - to face off against Nazi tyranny.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 10

Don't worry - we got the same idiots here in the states too. They think they that flying the American flag is " red-neck " . But these are the same people that would never leave the United States because they know which side of the welfare check ,oops I mean they know which side of their bread is buttered on.

Answer 11

You didn't see the European Union integration coming when they came out with the Euro? Also, you have to consider how close you are to the middle east and the war in which the UK participates in currently. In America we're all the way across the sea, in the UK you're practically in their back yard. Not to mention most countries these days are trying to avoid conflict, especially considering that the middle east is at such odds with America. Extremist Muslims are not limited to the middle east or America. They seem to be everywhere these days.