Following the national conversation kick-started by the Flag Institute this week on what might happen to the flag of the United Kingdom in the event of Scottish independence, the BBC have admitted that they have since been ‘deluged’ by flag designs submitted by members of the public.
We were deluged by flags which kept the shapes in the current union jack but changed the colours. Some readers gave a political commentary on the difficult nature of a union.
Whilst some of the designs were – inevitably – light hearted, there were also a great many which made a serious attempt at addressing what is a difficult and fascinating discussion.
BBC article in full
Dear Sirs,
I think the problem is very simple to solve. If, and I say “IF”, Scotland will become indiendent, we will face a sort of historic “devolution”, in the meaning that some historic events of the past will be cancelled as a whole. The Union Act will be no more….
So why not simply apply this devolution to the flag? Let’s remove from the Union Flag – one of the flags I loved since I was very young for its uniqueness – the Scottish emblems and go back to a St.George’s Cross with a St.Patrick’s Cross: two red crosses on a white field.
Sincerely,
Roberto
Two problems with the crossed red crosses. First, it looks like a giant red asterisk – as though the UK were a ‘footnote’ to history. And, with the red rays emanating from the centre, it bears an unfortunate resemblance to the WWII battle flag of the Empire of Japan.
Dear Sir,
In the event that Scotland votes for independence, then of course the 1707 Act of Union is annulled.
This then means that there is no Great Britain and as a consequence there can be no ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’.
I appreciate that this has not happened, yet, but I really do not understand why so many ‘ostriches’ seem to think that we can just carry on. There will be no legal basis for the UK is Scotland becomes independent. It’s time we in England stopped trying to breath life into a dying corpse and got on with resolving matters for ENGLAND.
Let’s leave the BBC to their fetishes, they are about the only people that still go on about Britain, most people in England know they’re English.
Yours sincerely
Whether or not Scotland leaves, the flag needs to be corrected to represent Wales. Of the four nations the Welsh are in fact the only truly British nation being the modern descendants of the ancient Britons both ethnically and linguistically. The Scots came from Ireland and the English were Germanic invaders. It would make sense for the yellow cross of St. David to take its place along with those of St. Andrew, St. Patrick and St. George, superimposed on the centre of the red cross.
It’s time we in England stopped trying to breath life into a dying corpse and got on with resolving matters for ENGLAND.
The most uneducated comment I’ve had the mis-pleasure of reading since campaigning for Scottish independence began. The question was about flags not Englands insistence on holding on to ‘a dying corpse’. The union flag is a relic of the past,a time when Britannia ruled the waves and, I think a magnificent icon of an Island race but Mr Putin hit the nail on the head when he pointed out how insignificant the UK really is on the world’s stage.It would be nice however to see it held in some sort of ceremony,perhaps a flag representing the countries left with a small holding to bygone days. Mr Hilling is also I fear,a relic of the past if he really believes England are holding on to the ‘dying corpse’ of Scotland out of love and unity.