Union flag flying with pride

8:10am Thursday 27th September 2012 in News

Cllr David Sparks (leader of Dudley Council), Gordan Willetts (Worcester and Foresters), Cllr Shaukat Ali, Stan West (RAFA), Ian Austin MP, John Deane (RAFA), Mayor of Dudley Cllr Melvyn Mottram. Buy photo: 401217J Cllr David Sparks (leader of Dudley Council), Gordan Willetts (Worcester and Foresters), Cllr Shaukat Ali, Stan West (RAFA), Ian Austin MP, John Deane (RAFA), Mayor of Dudley Cllr Melvyn Mottram. Buy photo: 401217J

DUDLEY Council bosses have decided to fly the Union Flag from the top of the Council House all year round.

The flag, which was hoisted into place on Monday, will fly atop the Priory Road building every day of the year - with the exception of national celebrations when specific flags are flown.

Councillor Melvyn Mottram, Mayor of Dudley, said:“This year has been a truly memorable one for this country with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the hugely successful Olympics.

“We have all seen tremendous scenes of the Union Flag being held and flown with great pride on these occasions and I welcome the decision of the council.”

The news has also been welcomed by the Royal British Legion and Dudley North MP Ian Austin who launched a campaign seven-years ago to get the flag flying all year round. Mr Austin, who organised petitions, made speeches and visited Downing Street to raise the issue, said the flag symbolised the “greatest country on earth.”

The MP said: “Getting the council to overturn the old rules and fly the flag every day was one of my pledges at the last election so I’m delighted the new leader of the Council David Sparks and his deputy Cllr Shaukat Ali have taken this decision.

“Countries all over the world fly their flags at town halls, schools and government buildings because they understand it is a symbol of national unity and pride, a symbol that belongs to all the people, which unites them and their fellow citizens.

“Coming just after the Olympics when all of Britain came together to cheer the Union flag and athletes who waved it so proudly, this gives people in Dudley a chance to show their pride in the flag.

“For me it demonstrates our pride and symbolises our belief that this is the greatest country on earth with a unique attachment to the values of freedom, fairness, democracy, tolerance and equality.”

Other flags flown from the civic building include the St George’s flag on St George’s Day, the Armed Forces Flag which is flown throughout Armed Forces Week in June and the borough flag which is used on days when full council meetings are held.

Comments(4)

bill etheridge says...
11:59am Thu 27 Sep 12

Amazing, breath taking hypocricy !
The Labour party covering itself in the Union flag is like Herod winning an award for child care !
This is the party that signed away our sovereignty to the EU and an MP who mysteriously went missing from parliament when there was a vote on a possible EU referendum.
Shame on them for their hypocricy and shame on the Dudley news for covering this sham !

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davros1977 says...
1:32pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Great step forward to see local councillors having the courage to show National Pride, and an excellent follow on from the nation's pride in the Olympics. I don't care about all the stupid politics that have gone before, that is like banging your head against a brick wall every single time you see it! Move forward, celebrate the fact that we live as Englishmen and women within the Great British Isles. I agree with that Bill, it is the greatest country in the world, but why do we shrink from saying it aloud? This past few months have proved to me that there is a huge pride in who we are, and no matter how many people join us from other parts of the world, it is still our country, with our traditions, and our religions, and our language, and that is something that others who come here must accept if they themselves want to be accepted. Flying that flag demonstrates openly just who we are and what we are...British. God Bless the Queen .

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Blogsy says...
11:56am Fri 28 Sep 12

Stuff the Union rag where the sun doesn't shine! It represents a union that is all but dead. The Scots see themselves and Scots, The Welsh, Welsh. As an Englishman I'm sick to death of 'Britishness' being shoved down my throat. I'm English - and I mean English, not the silly liberal PC civic idea of English identity. Those English people who describe themselves as British should be ashamed of the fact that they snub who they are because of some self-imposed embarrassment about calling themselves English. The only thing they should be embarrassed about is their own stupidity. 'British' is not an identity, and is something that any ethnicity can be labelled with if living here - i.e. it's a state non identity. Davros talks about the pride of the Olympics. Pride in What? The opening ceremony was nothing more than an extreme left wing multicultural love-feast. Oh, and by the way, I live within England not the British Isles So you can shove the Olympics, the Queen and the Union rag - a rag that's very rarely seen being flown in Scotland or Wales - though the latter isn't represented on it so that's not surprising. Nonetheless, only self-embarrassed English people would rather ditch their own identity in favour of the nonsense that is Britishness. I'm proud to be English - something which is far more worthy of such pride. And you know why?? It's because it's who I am! Ask the Welsh and Scots, they know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately most of my fellow Englishmen & women don't, and are far too busy waving their silly little union rags and kissing the Royals' backsides to actually give a **** what really matters, so again shove Britishness and all it represents - which certainly isn't England.

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davros1977 says...
1:27pm Fri 28 Sep 12

Biogsy...ok. So you are English? You are patriotic? You love our country? So what have you personally done to bring about this ideal English feeling back? I have for the past 20 years been contacting MP's, writing letters and sending emails to 10 Downing Street and our local MP's. Have you followed up that loud ranting about stuff this and shove that up with actually trying to do something? I would bet No! I imagine you are one of thoes great English patriots who sits drinking in the bar yapping about just what should happen and what should be. These councillors have taken a massive boost from the Olympics in which 42 million people cheered the flag and sang the National Anthem, so where were you sitting swearing at the TV? I love England, I would die defending England but I have met so many of your loud screaming type who are all talk. If you feel so passionate about it, get to your MP, attend meetings, write letters, don't just whinge about something as great as this.

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