Flags

Interesting programme on the other night about the Union Flag, and whether it has any relevance these days. With its connections with conquest and colonialism, it's disliked, if not actively hated by many. The Scots and Welsh see themselves as Scottish and Welsh rather than British, and the only people who actively embrace the Union Flag are the BNP and the more extreme Ulster protestants - neither of whom come close to representing the views of the man on the Clapham Omnibus. I have always certainly seen myself as English first and British second, and yet if I had a flagpole, I would - except perhaps on St. George's Day, or when England were involved in some sporting competition - probably fly the Union Flag rather than the flag of St. George. Complicated, isn't it?