[Closed] Flag poles

Hammer and Sickle....

Then have a chorus of the Red Flag...

Or the EU flag?

I like to fly the Hammer and Sickle at the end of my road as it confuses the gammons.

Just as well you don’t live in Scotland or Wales then if you you don’t like national flags. Or is it just the union flag you dislike?

Any flag with Arabic writing on it would be a good choice imo. Preferably a black one.

if you you don’t like national flags.

I think most people make a distinction between not liking national flags and not liking a 4.5 metre flagpole planted in a front garden.

Something like this?

Just as well you don’t live in Scotland or Wales then if you you don’t like national flags. Or is it just the union flag you dislike?

Really, do you think there's more routine flag waving there than in England?

As an Englishman living in Scotland for the last six years, yes, there definitely is more of it up here.

Buy a few small variations of European flag - actual small flags, stickers, A4 printed paper.

Just continuously leave them where you can - posted to him, stuck on his car boot, left flapping where they see it all the time.

It will raise a smile with you every time you do it. And it will irk him beautifully...

The union flag is not a national flag;
national flag of england is that of St George who was, apparently, not English; it's claimed his ethnic origins are Arabian.
It appears to be acceptable to fly the union jack or flag of St George with no fear of recriminations or verbal abuse.
Nearly 50% of those who voted in the referendum wanted to remain; one of the reasons they don't fly the EU flag or show support in other ways is because of the abuse that will result.
In today's political environment flying the union jack is saying...if you're not white and 'english' you're not wanted here so ---- off to wherever you came from.
I could be wrong - flying the union jack could be a demonstration of your support for the political union which it represents - but I think that's highly unlikely.
OP, why not ask your neighbour what his union flag stands for?

I hope that he's flying the Union Flag the correct orientation. Unless he's sending out a message that he needs rescuing.

why not ask your neighbour what his union flag stands for?

Why does it matter what his neighbour's union flag stands for?

The OP feels that if he can't erect a fence higher than 2 metres his neighbour shouldn't be allowed to erect a 4.5 metre flagpole.

Which imo is a very fair point.

Tbh if you are allowed to erect a 4.5 metre flagpole without specific planning permission I am slightly surprised, I know that large signs in front gardens require planning permission.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flying-flags-a-plain-english-guide

LOL at the title ^^^ Why does it need to be plain I wonder? We should start a petition requiring translations of this to all languages of the world.

You don't come across as being stupid but...

Why does it matter what his neighbour’s union flag stands for?

...is a dim question.

Start with xenophobia

Read my post fully; cherry picking a few words to support whatever you want to say is easy but pointless.

I love the very first line. As if those foreign types just wouldn’t understand…

Flags are a very British way of expressing joy and pride – they are emotive symbols which can boost local and national identities and strengthen community cohesion.

Right, it’s very nearly the height of the marching season, get ya flags out for some community cohesion.

Thanks Kelvin but that didn't answer my question. Admittedly I only quickly glanced but the only relevant bit I could notice was "Consent is required if the flagpole is in a controlled area", I have no idea what a a controlled area is. A residential area?

An area with additional controls on planning. Generally not shit holes. Ostensibly to protect “heritage”, but also a useful way to stop new money bring down the neighbourhood. 😉

…is a dim question

Fair point. I didn't think the OP was interested in the motive behind his neighbour wanting to erect a 4.5 metre flagpole, I thought he just didn't want the flagpole erected. But perhaps I'm just dim and misunderstood what the issue was about. It is quite late after all.

I didn’t think the OP was interested in the motive behind his neighbour wanting to erect a 4.5 metre flagpole, I thought he just didn’t want the flagpole erected.

our Flag shagging halfwit of a neighbour’s new union jack monstrosity

Yeah I got that he was annoyed.

To be fair so would I be.

EDIT : And yes if he has a word with his neighbour to find out what his motives are then perhaps he will feel a bit more happy and relaxed about the whole issue. Although personally I think that is unlikely.

There are some people who really love flags, and put different ones up for different occasions. I sort of get that. But the always flying the national flag types… I’d avoid. In any country. Seeing one flying outside my house all the time would wind me up quite irrationally. Unless on a church tower or something.

Ernie, perhaps you are dim; who knows, who cares?
Not me, that's for sure.
Same could apply to me; who cares?
As you, correctly, say - it's late; in the UK that's not just from a chronological perspective.
From anything other than a chronological perspective, it's too late; UK has now run out of runway.
A failing/failed former colonial enterprise, trying to live on former glory; capabilities and relevance being diminished daily by johndon and his polyps.
Off now to polish my Irish/EU passport; will buff myself to sleep.

Ernie, perhaps you are dim

Ah originally it was just the question that was dim, now it turns out that it might be me that's dim.

Well again fair point, I can see the logic behind it, ie, if someone asks a dim question then it's likely that they themselves are dim.

Anyway I hope the OP takes up your great suggestion and he has a nice little chat with his neighbour to find out why he's flying a huge union flag from a big ****-off flagpole stuck in his garden. Perhaps he is just likes the wonderful combination of blue, white, and red, colours?

Tell him he's flying it upside down...
When I lived in Bermondsey, every day I passed a pub with a massive union jack spread across the front, with windows and doors cut out. It was upside down. I wanted to pop in and tell them but didn't have the balls.
But maybe upside down means something else, like the missus is at her sisters,,, or we're sinking...

It's a dog's dinner of a flag anyway. Brazil's would be good!

Just as well you don’t live in Scotland or Wales then if you you don’t like national flags

I only know of one flag flyer in my town of around 15k folk. Greg, 46, Scotland. 😁

In today’s political environment flying the union jack is saying…if you’re not white and ‘english’ you’re not wanted here so —- off to wherever you came from.

I hate that a Scot for example can fly the saltire without it being a xenophobic, racist statement but a cross of St George or a Union Flag immediate makes you a racist gammon. How do we undo that?

But back to the OP - presumably if a flag pole and a flag results in some disturbance is there any grounds for complaint - if it spoils your outlook or makes noise in the wind?

In reply to the original question a poplar tree. If you want to mirror the flagpole effect go for a white barked Snow Queen birch. If you don't mind a bit of spread and want to go international then try a Tibetan Cherry, again for its ornamental bark.

Thanks for the comments, they've raised a smile.
Yes he's spoiled our outlook, I'm annoyed, but the missus is absolutely raging. It's the inconsideration to be honest. Our sitting room is on the second floor, we're on a hill and he lives below us in a bungalow. We have a full height window to make the most of a very nice view across the valley we live in and are mostly screened from our neighbours by trees, except for a 2 metre gap, which is where the flag is erected. He'll never even see it. We can't not see it.
I've politely asked if its just a temporary thing while the euros are on but no, it's permanent, and apparently there's nothing he can do about it as once you've put a flag pole up it's impossible to take it down again. He has lowered it by about a metre which is better but it's still right in our face.
In general I just don't get the flag thing. Occasionally raising them on particular dates is fine, as a permanent feature they're hideous.

My neighbour flys a flag.

At the end of his drive.

Usually a skull and crossbones with the words time flies when your having fun around it.

Occasionally help for heroes and other times Feliz navidad.

I like it it's a bit of fun. Helped by the fact we are not in a residential estate setting.

we live in and are mostly screened from our neighbours by trees, except for a 2 metre gap, which is where the flag is erected. He’ll never even see it. We can’t not see it.

I suspect he knows this and you have inadvertantly upset him at some point.

I suspect he knows this and you have inadvertantly upset him at some point

Possible but we've always exchanged xmas cards and have been perfectly friendly. If we've done something to upset him I have no idea what it is

My dad’s ‘Brexit loving, Boris is doing his best’ neighbour is flying his union flag upside, to mention the irony that it is a distress signal will be saved for a special occasion.

national flag of england is that of St George who was, apparently, not English; it’s claimed his ethnic origins are Arabian.

Well St Andrew was not Scottish nor St Patrick Irish. Doesn't stop them celebrating their nation and flying their flags without fear of being abused. And St Georges origins are Greek apparently, but born in Turkey.

I have read elsewhere that St Patrick was British and taken as a slave by Irish slavers, though Wikipedia has him down as a 'missionary'.

Either way these people are adopted as symbols that represent the values of nations. The actual history, or myth or legend of the actual people are largely irrelevant.

Think those assuming strangers who fly the English flag or Union Jack are bigoted racists without knowing anything about them are probably the actual bigots.

Gimme a country that's red, white and blue
Gimme the British way, honest and true
Gimme the chance to be one of the few
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme
Gimme a nation where people are free
Free to do and free to be
Free to screw you before you screw me
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme, 'cause
I'm alright
I'm alright
Union Jack
(Fly the flag, fly the flag)
Gimme a Britain that's got back the Great
A race of winners not cramped by the State
And only the helpless get left at the gate
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme, 'cause
I'm alright
I'm alright
Union Jack
(Fly the flag, fly the flag)

Do the question is what have the planning department/environmental health or whoever it is had to say about it?

Or "what massive outdoor speakers to play "Ode to Joy" on a 24/7 loop?"

Just as well you don’t live in Scotland

I'm calling bullshit on that.

There may be more saltire stickers etc but fully regaled pubs, hanging out windows etc. England has got that bellendery sewn up.

are probably the actual bigots

That took a while longer than normal to pop up.

Anyway, there are constant attempts to “take the flag” to mean something more inclusive, rather than a rejection of catholics and people who are bilingual, but it always seems to be one step forward to steps back. There is an ebb and flow to it, but whenever we start to make progress, say the 2012 Olympics, it never seems to be maintained for long.

Y’all want to visit Belfast right now. You just don’t know about flag-shagging till you’ve visited NI in June/July/August…

Oh well, looks like I’m forking out for something high,fast growing and light blocking to screen us

My brother and sister in law have just planted a fairly mature tree to block out a flagpole in a neighbours garden, although it is a slow growing tree that won’t grow too tall or take too much light it is in exactly the right place to block the flag when looking out of their kitchen window.

I think marching season has already been mentioned 😀

Does your neighbour lower their flag at sunset? Do they raise it at sunrise? Poor show if not. In my youth, "rescuing" neglected flags was a fairly standard order of business for a Friday night out on the lash. If your neighbour's flag remains in place more than a month please come back here and loudly lament the drop in standards of the youth of today.

I think it's kinda sad that showing the Union Jack is always taken as a sign of jingoism and rabid Brexiteers.

The UK has one of the more interesting flags in the world, not one of these boring 3 colour stripe ones in various orientations. Being a remainer and patriotic are not necessarily exclusive.

Flying an EU flag would be a political statement. Flying a Union Flag shouldn't really have anything to do with your thoughts about the EU.

(FWIW, I'm a remainer!)

I like the Union Jack tbh but I wouldn’t fly one in my garden, not routinely anyway. I don’t think it’s quite up there with the St. George’s Cross yet, and hopefully never will be. It is about context though I think. There are occasions when I guess I might want to fly a UJ. There’s no occasion when I’d ever want to fly a St. George’s Cross…

Quite like seeing a flag flying. Not blocking my view. A bit sad that you are automatically assumed to be racist if you have one flying. Then again the gammon term is quite abusive though funnily acceptable in STW.