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I'm happy for him to fly whatever flag he wants, with whatever political connotation it might imply, as long as he sticks it right outside his own front window where he can appreciate it as often as we have to.
Perhaps I should buy and insure a panel van, paint a badly drawn union jack on the side and then dump it right outside his house for a year. Perfectly legal.
Just sneak out and take it down repeatedly till he gives up..
Flying your national flag should just imply you like your country suggesting it is only for those of the right leaning politics gives in to that belief. Odd British point of view never seen as an issue when I’ve lived in America or Norway where average people love a bit of flag flying at home.
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…
And ffs don't buy a house with a gable end....
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As for the fence issue; can you install multiple flag poles in front of each fence post, then install fence coloured flags on each pole?
As for the fence issue; can you install multiple flag poles in front of each fence post, then install fence coloured flags on each pole?
😀 That's a brilliant idea.
Is the issue not which flag but where it is flying for the OP?
Anyone flying a national flag in their garden is a dick (IMHO of course).
Did anyone see the proud English soccer fanatics with their Union Jack at the Scotland match?
Couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.
Is the issue not which flag but where it is flying for the OP?
Correct.
Anyone flying a national flag in their garden is a dick (IMHO of course).
Also correct (IMHO)
I dont understand any kind of patriotism/nationalism etc. Its just not logical to me - I had no choice in where I was born.
I always refer back to Bill Hick's take on the subject - maybe stick a picture of your parents ****ing on the national flag, see how proud that makes you feel.
Anyone flying a national flag in their garden is a dick
I'm sure you would make an exception for the flag man of Pixham Lane next to Box Hill. He has a very large flagpole planted in his front garden and every day he flies a different national flag.
Every week as my CC cycles towards his house on the way to Box Hill we wait on anticipation to see what flag he is flying and to try to figure out which country it might represent (he flies flags from the most obscure countries)
It is both entertaining and educational. I can't imagine that any of his neighbours object. His dedication to the task which he has set himself is impressive, it's been going on for years, I have no idea how many.
Yeah, he's cool. And so is Shelden Cooper (although he's not real).
Did anyone see the proud English soccer fanatics with their Union Jack at the Scotland match?
Couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.
Maybe they were just being friendly to their northern visitors. I mean, aren't we supposed to celebrate inclusivity??
As an Englishman living in Scotland for the last six years, yes, there definitely is more of it up here.
As a Scotsman living in Scotland - there's been more of it up here in the last decade (and "55" flags were to be found adorning many areas where you'd double check you'd locked your car before fixing a puncture) - but I've definitely been in bits of England which are like that. It's still very much the exception to see a flag pole on residential property. Friday was the first time I've seen saltires being flown from cars - something we definitely saw with England flags many years ago.
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.
I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic? But surely it's 10 minutes with an angle grinder? Would the pole alone upset you if nothing was flapping on it? Unless he's spent a lot I'd guess within a year the rope, block at the top will have failed anyway. They've always struck me as though to be safe in high winds you would need to set it very deep in the ground. He may not need planning - but if its not well fitted building control might show and interest. The problem is he'll never "hear" your concerns about the flag pole, only that you object to whatever he thinks flying a flag says.
Whereabouts in the country are you? Is there any scope to repeatedly replace his flag with the wrong one in the middle of the night? Lancashire/Yorkshire, Devon/Cornwall, Liverpool/Everton, United/City, etc?
Sign him up to a "Flag of the week" subscription or something. That way he will get a lovely new flag from the world to display.
Actually, if you are on a steep hill, maybe getting him a Nepal flag would be a nice gesture.
The above might be worth a read:
All flag flying is subject to some standard conditions
All flags must be:
• be maintained in a condition that does not impair the overall visual appearance of
the site ;
• be kept in a safe condition;
So if the flag gets dirty, is a bit tatty, or you can persuade the authorities it is an eyesore, or if it is not safe then it is not allowed, regardless of whether it needs planning consent.
If I had time on my hands I might make enquiries as to the model of flag pole (there's probably a label on it) and enquire with the manufacturer about what windspeeds it is suitable for. - (Just tell them you want a flagpole in your garden but are concerned the flagpole might break in the wind.)
A flagpole might be deemed as unsafe if it is fitted in a location with a wind speed that it is not substantial enough for. (A very common issue and possibly why a certain Scottish castle lost a flagpole in recent years!)
A lot of flagpoles are not designed for exposed locations such as the sides of valleys. And wind speeds are higher in say Northern England than London.
The manufacturer should also be able to advise as to when a flag needs to be lowered, and the maximum flag size.
If a manufacturer says that a flag must be lowered in high wind, and the owner does not do this then that might also be viewed as unsafe, because it can snap a flagpole. - The same applies if the flag is too big.
Or you could just point out to the authorities that it sways a lot in the wind an you are concerned about safety, and let them investigate.
A mobile phone video of a flag pole that bends a lot in the wind might provide useful evidence.
Emphasise if it is close to the boundary and with potential to fall on the road or your own house.
I hate that a Scot for example can fly the saltire without it being a xenophobic, racist statement
I thought the flying of the Saltire generally meant "bollocks to the English"?
I thought the flying of the Saltire generally meant “bollocks to the English”?
Probably depends if you view everyone's actions through a prism of cynicism after too many years moderating on here.
Maybe it does for some, but it seems to be far more socially acceptable than flying the flag of the patron Saint of Scouting (and various other groups)
TBH, I view everyone’s actions through a prism of cynicism generally and it's nothing to do with STW. (-:
Maybe it's my own bias but I find flag-flying to be a bit weird. It's a fine line between patriotism and nationalism. Is someone flying a flag because they're proud of what it represents, or because they hate what it doesn't?
Someone has a St George's Cross on the go, I assume they're either a football fan or a racist. And as someone else said, that's quite a sad state of affairs.
Flag poles were pretty normal when I lived in Sweden. There didn't seem to be a nationalist / racist thing going on with them, people I knew who were pretty normal had them. The ones I see around here were closely correlated with Brexit Party posters.
a prism of cynicism
Guilty.
Is it surprising though? Look at the evidence around you. If you’re with us here in Wangerland that is.
I don't know if he's your typical brexit voting gammony racist. But if i was a betting man.... He's certainly of that demographic.
Anyway.
Looking at various solutions to fill the gap in my greenery, current favourite is a Eucalyptus tree, I can get one already at 3.5 to 4 metres height for about £300 but they start thin and will probably take at least a couple of years to get properly established to the extent we need.
Immediate option is a couple of 4 metre leylandi. Not ideal, it'll cost about £500 but make the problem go away sooner.
Has anyone got any better ideas?
Giant Redwood !
Chainsaw?
Termites
Check the title deeds and Covenants for your house to see if they ban flags.
Someone has a St George’s Cross on the go, I assume they’re either a football fan or a racist. And as someone else said, that’s quite a sad state of affairs.
Sad state of affairs on which side?
If we all just assume that every football fan, rugby fan, (and Scout) flying the flag is racist, are we strengthening the racists hand?
Sad state of affairs on which side?
Sad that that's my assumption. Does anyone fly the Engerland flag for any other reason?
If we all just assume that every football fan, rugby fan, (and Scout) flying the flag is racist, are we strengthening the racists hand?
Well, I did say "either," I wasn't assuming or indeed suggesting that at all. Though if you want to pose a leading question then yes, I do rather suspect that the Venn diagram of a couple of those those demographics would not be non-intersecting circles.
It's an interesting thought though. Is the England flag the motif of racists (and football fans), or rather do the racists believe that they're just being loyal to their country by dripping flags about whilst the rest of the country doesn't really see a desire to do that in the first place?
I thought the flying of the Saltire generally meant “bollocks to the English”?
Because everything the Scots do is about the English? Conceited much?
Isn't flying the union flag basically letting everyone know you are a patriot and so attempting to virtue signal that fact?
...Which is now deemed to be a left wing/ woke attribute not welcomed by government... and the Beeb?
Op, ask him if he considers himself "woke".
Down here in Kent they are springing up all over the show now. Nearest one is a couple of roads away and that went up just a couple of months back.
Most oddly last week I was looking over an idyllic Medway Valley from the North Downs and saw a humongous flag pole and union flag stuck in the middle of a horse paddock? Wtf?
Because everything the Scots do is about the English?
I wasn't being entirely serious there. Sorry, I should've been clearer.
"The Scots / Welsh / Irish hate the English" is kind of a cliché and my experience doesn't really bear it out, I've occasionally but rarely seen anything other a warm welcome in those places.
I wouldn't blame them one jot if they did though, so long as they didn't tar us all individually with the same brush. A lot of us have acted like entitled arseholes and got away with it for far too long. For every "great British Reserve / cricket on the village green / care for a glass of Pimms with your cucumber sandwich my good fellow?" there's two "what the **** are you looking at / send them back where they came from / Brits on the piss, bants, a gallon of Stella and a glassing".
And it's not the Brits. It's the English. We think of ourselves as better than everyone else, and we're animals.
I'm proud to be British, and English, and a bunch of other things (I actually designed my own flag and everything). But I'm ashamed to be sharing this little island with a bunch of ****ing racist Neanderthals who give no shits for anyone but themselves and lust for the glory days of the Empire. This is not my England, this is not my Britain, this is not my United Kingdom, stick your four metre flagpole up your arse and come back when you're not a prick.
's what I made:
I wanted a 'flag' that was inclusive rather than exclusive. Something that represented how I felt about my identity. In no particular order I am variously British, European, English and Lancastrian, the layout here was purely for aesthetic reasons. Probably needs something more local or personal in the middle but, eh.
a Union Flag immediate makes you a racist gammon. How do we undo that?
Go back in time and make sure it's not used by an imperialist regime as a sign of its (occasionally genocidal) power?
Keeps the weeds at bay.
There is only one thing you can do.
Go back in time and make sure it’s not used by an imperialist regime as a sign of its (occasionally genocidal) power?
I can't undo the mistakes of our imperialist past. And I'm not responsible for it either. I'm more than happy to keep trying to educate blinkered racists about it though.
I’m proud to be British, and English, and a bunch of other things (I actually designed my own flag and everything). But I’m ashamed to be sharing this little island with a bunch of ****ing racist Neanderthals who give no shits for anyone but themselves and lust for the glory days of the Empire. This is not my England, this is not my Britain, this is not my United Kingdom,
Absolutely agree. This country has educated me, kept me healthy, kept me safe and supported me when I've needed it. But do we abandon the flag to the idiots and like it forever? Get a new flag, with all the division that will create?
You sound like people who want to reclaim the confederate flag. Not saying you're wrong, just pointing out that sometimes symbols are hard to, or simply can not be, reclaimed or their symbolism wiped clean. The marches will continue. Anti-foreigner campaign groups will always embrace the flag more than the rest of us, even more than people who live for sports and national competitions. Look at the Labour party... do we honestly think that they can reclaim the Union Flag for people across the political spectrum? Or do their attempts to do so just get them labeled as re-alligning themselves with those that already embrace the flag the loudest?
But do we abandon the flag to the idiots and like it forever? Get a new flag, with all the division that will create?
Why do you need a flag at all?
One of my neighhours put up a flag pole the other day. Expecting some of kind union jack / diana / queen based embarassment, it turned out that it was so they could fly the jolly roger when the grandkids were round. When I enqired about how piracy was working out for them I was told that the grandkids made the pug walk the plank into the paddling pool.
The only answer is a big EU flag, just (in true tosspot neighbour fashion) slightly bigger than his.
Or get some frozen sausages.
Oh dear my little flag in the geranium pot next to the front door makes me racist and a football fan. Learn something new about yourself everyday.
Obviously it doesn't, and no one is saying that it does.
That's not what I (or anyone else) said.
But do we abandon the flag to the idiots and like it forever? Get a new flag, with all the division that will create?
Honestly, I don't know what the answer is. Reclaiming things is hard.
It’s an interesting thought though. Is the England flag the motif of racists (and football fans), or rather do the racists believe that they’re just being loyal to their country by dripping flags about whilst the rest of the country doesn’t really see a desire to do that in the first place?
A bit of both but they end up with the same result in that people associate flying the flag with hooligans and racists.
We have a similar issue here in South Wales with our flag but to a lesser extent. There was a fashion roughly 20 years ago for boy racers to have one covering their parcel shelf (which was already groaning under the weight of 6x9's) with it or have a giant dragon sticker on the rear window. That lead to it being associated with ASBO-type behaviour and that stigma still hangs around even now. If you see a Welsh flag any other time than an international rugby match day it's seen as a sign of idiots by a lot of people. Thankfully anywhere in mid it North Wales it's still seen as just our national flag but that is changing with the rise of the likes of Yes Cymru.
As for the OP I'd say that the flag pole may be annoying but what is flown on it and the purpose behind it is the major issue. Did start a thread about the Union Jack and it's connotations abroad a while back that had some interesting viewpoints here so understand your concerns.