Three Options for the Flag of St George

 These images illustrate two of the reasons why I decided to start this blog.  The man on the left was part of a protest at Portsmouth’s seafront, where small boats in 1940 and naval ships in 1944 set sail towards Nazi-occupied France.  I wondered if the gesture might have been accidental, but the video confirms that, whatever his intention, it was deliberate.  I thought of my great uncle, who died in the battle of Malta, and that made my blood boil.

Around the same time, I started to see posts and memes like the one on the right.  Mockery may be a legitimate reaction to the characters in that photo, but this wave seemed to mock anyone who uses the flags of England or Britain, with a hint of snobbery.  You may appreciate the bewilderment of this pub owner, who had been flying flags for years, often around sports competitions, and was bemused to discover that people were now associating them with the far-right.

These reactions are part of a deeper ambivalence or even disdain towards the whole idea of patriotism.  During World War II, George Orwell wrote:  "England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality,"  a situation that has not changed very much.

I have had an interesting range of reactions since setting up this site.  Some people have expressed strong support, others don't really get the idea of patriotism, to which I can only say: OK it's a sentiment - it should be a positive one - but it's not compulsory.  The image of the flag of St George has, understandably, been controversial.  Partly because of that intellectual disdain, the far-right is winning that battle for symbolism.  The flag has become toxic, particularly for ethnic minorities.  So what are we going to do about that?

I can see three possible responses: 

1. accept it as a symbol of racism and don't use it, 
2. call for a new flag, or 
3. try to reclaim it as a symbol of national unity and diversity.

By default, some of the people who disagree with this initiative, seem to be accepting option 1.  You can find variations of this online - here for example.  I understand the view, but where does it leave us? The flag of St George remains the national flag of England.  It will continue to be used in various settings, in sport for example, so are we willing to accept a toxic racist symbol representing our nation at some times but not others, and try to ignore its associations?

The second option - a new flag - has been tried by several countries for different reasons, in the past.  A Hungarian friend explained to me that Hungary has two flags.  Supporters of Fidesz, the ruling party led by the authoritarian Victor Orban, tend to use the older state flag, whereas their opponents use the more  neutral national flag.  I am not aware of anyone suggesting a new flag for England, but the Hungarian example shows why it would not solve the problem.

So that leaves option 3.  It won't be easy.  To detoxify a symbol, you have to start with that symbol, and that freaks some people out, but I was reassured that this is the right path by this call from the Bishop of Kirkstall.  It will take critical mass to reclaim the flag, and liberate the idea of patriotism - love for our country - from the evils that others have attached to it.  This is about more than just a flag.  It's about whether we prefer cohesion with diversity or are happy to go down the American route to national schism.