Thursday, 14 June 2012

Taking back the flag

At the moment if something doesn't move quick enough then it gets a Union Jack slapped onto it (checks arse, just in case)

And you know what?

This can only be a good thing.

People, it's time to reclaim the flag.

What with the Jubilee, Euro 2012 and the Olympics coming up soon we have enough flag toting/wearing/waving/displaying opportunities ahead to make sure that our flag is seen as a symbol of PRIDE (ok, I may be pushing it a bit there but you know what I mean)

For too long now in this country displaying the flag has been seen as a bad thing, The BNP hijacked the flag and turned it into a symbol of hate and racism. For a long time it was seen as a BAD thing to wave a flag.

But now is the perfect opportunity to take it back.

Now admittedly I've seen the Union Jack plastered in some DUBIOUS places (Checks backside again) and I know that there are a group of marketing men and PRs with their hands in their trousers practically masturbating over everything that they can attach a Union Jack to (Yeah, I'm sorry for that image) but I don't care.

In other countries people salute their flag, raise a flag each morning and lower it each evening. They sing their national anthem with pride (Some of our very own footballers still haven't even bothered to learn the words) and they respect their flag.

I don't know about you but I would quite like a piece of that for our own country.

And here and now we get to embrace that, we have a chance to make it something we can use as a symbol.

Ok so we have no money, our NHS is shot to shit, our goverment (Oh hell, politics twice in one week? I'm gonna get a reputation here) is a joke and Jedward are still running around like kids on a sugar rush (What's that? Irish you say? Phew, not our problem then) and the less I say about our football team the better.

But let's not concentrate on that at the moment. Let's all just don our Union Jack plastic hats, look up at our Union Jack bunting then down at our Union Jack nail art while sipping warm wine in our Union Jack plastic cups. (Sorry if the masturbating marketing man image just popped into your head again, it did in mine)

We have taken back our flag and I would quite like to keep it.

How about you?

So what do you think, Are all these Union Jacks a good thing or are you slowly OD'ing on Red, White and Blue?

Let me know

Big Fashionista x x



  1. Hear, hear! Totally agree with you.

  2. I utterly agree, having spent time living in the States, even in the tiniest towns they have a flag, houses celebrate the flag, everything about it is pride and identity. Here if you fly the flag you're considered by some to be a racist. I don't get it?! I feel somewhat cheated now with all the jubilee stuff that is everywhere but I've had a London/Union Jack theme in my living room about a year now (as reflected on my blog page) and I love it. Let's embrace the flag people!! Make it something special again x

  3. GirlyMathsGeek14 June 2012 at 09:21

    I totally agree too. When I was young (god years and years ago lol!) at the end of discos (see told you I was old!) on holiday in Ireland they would always play the national anthem and everyone would stand there and some would sing it. It wasn't seen as bad or racist in any way. We've embraced the flag and the bunting in this house.

  4. Although I'm not a Royalist, I AM a patriot and love my country. So although all the fuss over the Jubilee has irritated me somewhat, I do agree that we should reclaim our flag from the racists and be proud to fly it!

  5. Do you not feel that this post is slightly racist by claiming not to be racist.

    I feel hate towards the flag as it is a symbol of everything that is wrong in this country.

    I would not sign up and fight for a country that has let me down so badly. Let the BNP keep the flag. I don't want it

    1. Do you not think you should have had the conviction to post this in your own name if you feel so strongly about it? I can't have a discussion with someone who hides behind an "anon" sign in.

      Whatever you believe in, say it and be proud.

    2. Remarks like this get me so incensed -You should be careful, the old saying goes 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you'. If you feel so strongly about this country, perhaps looking for another country that shares your views and meet your expectations is a very good idea. So please "anon", if you feel so 'let down, go somewhere where you will feel comfortable, may I suggest Syria? I've heard it is very understanding and may be the ideal country for you to express your views. You won't have to fight for your country there, only for your life!!!

    3. Anon. "I would not sign up and fight for a country that has let me down so badly" - you obviously have a personal grievance, and that's your business, but I havent been let down - sure times are hard, but no harder than anywhere else - and that's why Im with Big Fashionista. Let's reclaim our flag and be proud.

      Plus, there is no racist tone in this post at all.

  6. Since the early 1900's it's been the flag of a country built on strength, passion and most of all pride. I loved the coverage of the jubilee and the flag flying - we should celebrate our country (no matter what state it is in) for the people in it who make up the UK. The ones who want to make the UK the best it can be.
    I felt so let down when I saw other teams in the Euros belting out the anthem with passion, and ours? Mumbling and most of them time not even bothering. Come on lads, give it some will you!

  7. A racist? They can keep the flag? WTF?

    Being patriotic and wanting to celebrate your country does NOT make you a racist. It's comments like yours that have made the flag a symbol of shame rather than pride.

    Love this post BF. Raising my bunting as we speak.

  8. Anonymous, I think you might need to look up the term "racist". Celebrating your country is irrespective of race, nationality, gender. I am mixed race myself and have encountered racism in several different forms; joining together with others to feel pride in the country we inhabit is NOT one of them. Please inform yourself in future before posting inane comments.

    1. I was going to delete their comment but it is so obviously out of context that I think they make themselves look stupid.

      Thanks babe. X x x

  9. I don't find this post in any way racist. National pride, channelled correctly is a good thing. Of course, like all good things, it can be abused.

    I do sort of see where the very brave anonymous is coming from, as I come from a country where the Union Jack is seen, by some quarters, as a sign of invasion, domination and massacre.

    However, a flag is merely a symbol, its what it means now that is important. Live in the present.

  10. I for one am proud to be English!! Not just British, but also English! Im proud of our flag, our heritage and at a push I suppose proud of our country. That does not make you or I racist, it makes us patriotic. And those that think otherwise... well im sure I can find a spare flagpole to... I'll stop there, Im going to go fly my flag with pride!

  11. I am very confused by this country, what we stand for and how we, as a nation, promote ourselves but we have the media and our own beliefs to blame for that.

    I will never not say I'm British/English/from the UK. I'm proud to be British and have loved seeing the red, white and blue flapping about recently. We need more patriotic people to speak out so that we can be proud as a nation. And I think the National Anthem should be taught in schools early on and there should be more early history lessons about our Royal family (rather than the concentration on the Government).

    I think the next generation of Royals have been moulded as a family to be proud of - they've seen the modern mistakes made by their parents and grandparents and have hopefully learnt by them. And, as Princess Beatrice said last week, people need to look at her grandparents and see what hard work they have put into leading this country.

    Oohh I'm going off at a tangent... sorry.

  12. It's pretty sad when we are questioning racism for flying our national flag. I'm proud to be British and so are the millions of people who lined the streets last week, who will be lining the streets to watch the Olympic torch, and who will be crowding the stands at the Olympic events. We should never feel ashamed to be flying our flags; it is in honour of our country.

    CJ x

  13. I blogged about this when it was St Georges day and hardly anyone celebrated!! I agree with your points - we are scared of being British at times.

  14. I think the following tells you my view - racist - what a load of bollocks!

    God Save the Queen

    God save our gracious Queen,
    Long live our noble Queen,
    God save the Queen!
    Send her victorious,
    Happy and glorious,
    Long to reign over us,
    God save the Queen


  15. I've never really associated the Union Jack with the BNP, it's St George's flag that has conotations for me with the BNP but that might be my misunderstanding and I've never had the drive to actually bother to take any notice of them to correct myself about it. I tell you what has driven me nuts recently though is the number of Unions Jacks being hung upside down, if people are now going to start caring, do you at least think they could make the effort to do it properly!

  16. My dear ole Granpa was held in a Burmese POW camp for a year, precisely so Anon can leave their little trolly comments, so it's all good. Glad the malaria and nightmares paid off.
    Love our little Union Flag, it rocks.

  17. Ade (@Eagle_Chaser)14 June 2012 at 17:54

    Perhaps if more people embraced the flag, this country and all that it has to offer, our society would be in a much better position.

    Perhaps things like this would be a start?

    Anon, you say you would sign up and fight for a country that you claim has let you down, your comment is rather erroneous. Your country would not have someone so spineless and cowardly signing up to fight for this country, as the military in this country strive to recruit the best there is, and the bravery shown by those that serve is something you could never imagine.

    Spineless weasel.

  18. I'm English and I'm proud of it! I have the Union Flag flying in my back garden, well I did until it ended up in next door but 3's back garden cos of high winds, must get round to reclaiming it.
    *adds that to job list for tomorrow*

    Want to say how you have been let down? You seem to have the internet, which leads to the conclusion you have somewhere to live or enough money to use a net cafe or have a phone with net capability (something I have only just managed to afford). So if you can afford to go online you can afford to eat. Unless you go without food just to accuse people of being rascist and moaning about a country you live in.
    Ok, so the govt is a tad crap, show me a govt in any country that isn't. We have free health care, free schooling etc etc.
    Life is what YOU make of it in any country. You don't like where you are then move. Simple really.
    Then after a few months or maybe a year you'll come back and realise that this country is pretty good after all.

  19. This comment is in NO way racist and even the idea that the Union Jack stands for racism and may cause offense makes my blood boil. The clue is in the 'Union' part of Union Jack..a symbol of a united Britain celebrating our great heritage and history, a heritage sadly being stifled and buried in favour of a culture so completely diluted nobody really knows or remembers what made Britain Great in the first place. I see numerous flags of all sorts of different origins as I travel around the country and no one seems to comment in case they appear racist, so how is this different?? It is increasingly difficult to be proud of living in this country and the fact that people live here and cannot embrace our culture and heritage to the extreme of actually resenting it astounds me. FREE healthcare, FREE schools, benefits, welfare, FREE housing and the ability to worship whatever god you like freely. Sounds fantastic to me. Rant over, in the flag, be proud of our british heritage and way of life and lets stand united as BRITS against the people trying to oppress OUR right to fly our own flag.

  20. I'm from Scotland so there isn't even quite as many Union Jacks here and I still want to slit my wrists every time I see one.

  21. I love seeing our flag everywhere, we're normally too afraid to show it for fear of being labelled racist so I'm happy to see people displaying it proudly for a change xx

  22. ODing on red, white and blue here, I fear... and cupcakes and bunting... Huge party pooper. Sorry! I guess I don't really feel English, British, anything really... but have no objection to everyone else having a good time. :)

    Racism is such an emotive term that we all throw up our hands over it but could say we are all racist in one way or another, merely by our innate tribalism... I know this isn't a comfortable way of looking at things but my feeling is that when the word racist comes up, it maybe calls for debate, rather than instant censure. Sure, hiding behind anonymous isn't smart but hey...your troll is pretty cute in comparison to some I've seen... :)

    I wrote about this kind of malarkey, a while back...



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