Labour’s ban on the flag of Saint George

THE flag of St. George has been banned from flying daily over a town hall by Labour councillors who fear it will offend other nationalities.

They rejected a proposal to display it permanently above the civic building in Rugby,

Warwickshire.

They say they fear the symbol of England – a red cross on a white background – will give offence to those from other countries who live locally.

They also believe it could promote local support for the far-Right British National Party, which is targeting the area for expansion.

A proposal to fly the flag every day was put before the council to “restore a bit of pride in the

country”. But the Labour-controlled authority rejected it by 27 votes to 16, claiming the move

would devalue the flag and that it went against Government protocol.

Last night, Conservative David Wright, who represents the Belton ward in Rugby, condemned the decision as political correctness gone mad.

He said he had never met a person of any race who opposed the flying of the flag – and accused Labour councillors of undermining English pride.

“A variety of reasons have been given for not flying the flag, not least the race issue,” he said.

The Union Flag is the national flag of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is made up of three flags – the crosses of St. George, the patron saint of England, St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland and St. Patrick, the patron saint of Northern Ireland.

St. George’s cross is the red cross on the white background.

St. Andrew’s cross is the white X-shaped cross on the blue background.

St. Patrick’s cross is the red X-shaped cross on the white background.

The Union Flag is commonly called the Union Jack.

“To my mind, they have missed the point. This has nothing to do with race – it’s to do with the fact that we are in the centre of England and wanted to restore a bit of pride in the country.

The row in Rugby mirrors one three months ago in Congleton, Cheshire.

Then, the flag of St. George was banned from flying at the town hall because it was “too

nationalistic”. To the astonishment of local residents, councilors insisted the flag would offend

visitors from Wales and Scotland and replaced it with a Union Flag.

Speaking after that incident, Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said: “These people are playing right into the hands of the British National Party and other nasty racist groups who try to hijack our national symbols.

“In the United States, the Stars and Stripes flies everywhere, as does the tricolour in France – but no one associates them with Right-Wing groups.”

Mr. Rosindell led a campaign to have the Union Flag flown every day over the town hall in his constituency of Romford, East London.

The flag of St. George is thought to have been first adopted as the uniform of English soldiers during the reign of Richard the Lionheart from 1189-1199.

Daily Mail, July 23, 2003

Answer the following questions about the news story.

a. What reasons did the Labour councilors of the Rugby city council give for rejecting a proposal to fly the flag of St.George over the town hall?

b. Who and why put the proposal before the council?

c. What did the Conservative councilors think of the council’s decision?

d. Which party controls the city council in Congleton?

e. What did Tory MP Andrew Rosindell mean by saying that far right and racist groups “try to hijack our national symbols”?

f. What is the origin of the flag of St.George?

LESSON 3