Unlike the Americans, we’re not much of a country for flag-flying. We don’t fly them from private households and, unlike our European neighbours, we are not in the habit of flying them from public buildings. The only time you’ll usually see the streets decked with England’s colours is when, like today, the national team are playing football.
In fact, of the rare household flags you do see across the country, few are likely to be British. There’s been a Greek national flag flying in Walberswick for as long as I can remember. All last year our local Conservative Association had an Irish tricolour unfurled from the flat above. Ditchling in Sussex proudly flies the Cornish white cross at the moment, for some reason, and Eastbourne Town Hall the Gay Pride stripes, but that’s about it outside of major football tournaments. On the whole, like all other official symbols of our national identity — portraits, parades, anthems, uniforms and the like — we go quietly.
What does this tell us about who we are? First it speaks the truth: that states are all very well and we’d be literally lost without them, but that their official symbols are not what counts. What counts is generally found around the corner and that isn’t a flag up a pole. Our most telling identities are inherent in the people, although there are institutions — the armed forces, for instance — when popular and official expressions powerfully combine, and the battle flag is one of them.
Second, it shows a remarkable, non-political, political maturity. Communities come from the inside out. That is why they are communities. Raising a flag (especially the national one) in the middle of a community does nothing for that community, and is also just a bit naff.
The same goes for lapel pins. It was George W Bush, I think, who started wearing a tiny stars and stripes in his lapel soon after 9/11 and to my utter astonishment he kept it there and then Obama followed. British ministers do it now with Union flags or, in Hancock’s case, with the blue badge of the NHS. Warning to ministers: do you believe in our country or do you not? If you do, you don’t need to wear a pin. If you don’t, we don’t trust you anyway and a pin isn’t going to help.
Third, flags get tacky. They only look good for five minutes in a germ-free environment. After that they fly tattered and torn not by shot and shell, but by general indifference and neglect. Like weeds in the garden, flags that look like dishcloths are a bad sign. Leicester railway station used to have half a bush growing out of its clock-face and I can assure East Midland Trains that this did not inspire confidence.
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SubscribeFirst of all, forget flags for sport because that is different. Where I live, when I go to my local Tesco I pass about six houses with permanent flagpoles in the garden – these are Welsh flags. I’m sure the same is true for Scottish flags north of the border. It is the confusion between England and Britain which causes all the problems.
Our flag is the Union Jack. I believe you can only have one flag. In the USA each state has a flag which flies on state buildings but the Stars and Stripes always takes precedence. I used to work for an American manufacturer and in their factory each area or machine had its own small American flag.
Once, when I got drunk with my boss, he kept saying, “I’m proud to American.” which is a mantra they repeat throughout the school system until everyone says it automatically. He kept looking at me and finally said, “But why aren’t you proud to be English?” I answered, “I am proud to be British but at home we don’t feel we have to say it every 5 minutes.” This did not go down well.
We have a problem in the UK between Britishness and Englishness and Welshness, etc and this gets worse for sporting events. What are we actually proud of or are we too shy to say? I think we are confused.
Indeed. Why were there two national anthems at the England v Scotland match?
Never used to be.
Sometimes the American attitude to their flag seems like idolatory.
I have witnessed Norwegian, Danish,Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Bavarian Hungarian, Czech and French national days. Dressed in national costume, pomp and flags, always exciting and colourful.
A Norwegian friend asked me why don’t the English, “Blow their own trumpet” you have so much to be proud of.
I have no answer, but the way this country is traduced as a “sh**y little country by many of those who live here, is so wide of the mark. Can you imagine a national day here, dressed up in period costume, the left would go bananas!
It may be simply that, unlike the other nations whose flags are often displayed, England has not been invaded, occupied, fought a bloody civil war or fought a war of independence for more than 300 years.
Yes I think it is this simple. We underestimate – or even take for granted – how peaceful and stable the UK, especially England, has been for hundreds of years.
Exactly – I respect these other countries (especially Italy) but there are clear historical reasons why we do not feel the need to display the national flag in quite the same way.