fly the flag
With England’s splendid continuation in the World Cup ensured, it’s highly likely that there’s going to be a proliferation of both the Union and St George’s flags across the nation. All well and good, mostly, but, at the risk of being a bit of a party-pooping-killjoy, with their recent association with ‘Operation Raise The Colours’ I have to admit to feeling somewhat concerned by the right-wing political movements that seek to weaponise them.
My own experience of this began in the late 70s when the National Front adopted the Union flag as its symbol of nationalism and it continues to this day. In recent months both have been marched through neighbourhoods during orchestrated attacks on immigrants and ethnic minorities and, whilst it’s spuriously argued that ORTC is about harmless patriotism, crosses were painted on mosques and community sites. All against a backdrop of record levels of Islamophobia, hate and intolerance. Traditionally, the right are very good at symbolism and left too hesitant and timid.
The truth is uncomfortable: we are constantly told the flags belong to all of us, yet for many it remains the banner under which their ancestors and societies were conquered, beaten into submission and enslaved. English football and its long entanglement with racist hooliganism is in a tricky position and its symbols are difficult to reclaim. You only have to see one person putting flags up around town and suddenly the whole place looks like it’s in hock to Reform or Restore Britain.
The history of the Union Jack itself complicates far-right claims to it as it has never actually been established in law as our bona-fide national flag. It is, in fact, merely a royal banner, a royal symbol and, as such, the de facto flag rather than de jure. During the colonial days of the 19th century we exported the flag around the British Empire but, ironically, never used it at home.
Football undeniably does have the power to unite us. He might not have delivered silverware but Gareth Southgate’s England team spoke the language of inclusion, solidarity and unity. This season’s title winners, Arsenal, are supremely multiracial and multilingual. Mo Salah’s universal acceptance as one of the Premiership’s greatest ever players constantly challenges Islamophobic stereotypes.
However, true unity will not come from compulsory or shallow flag-waving but from the welcoming acceptance of those migrants that staff our hospitals, cut our hair, paint our nails, deliver our food, wipe the bottoms of the elderly, keep our cities moving and, yes, score our goals! C’mon England.
