The red and white flag of England will be flying above 10 Downing Street on Wednesday alongside the Union Flag to mark St George’s Day.
It will be the first time in recent history that the two flags will have flown above the Prime Minister’s official residence to commemorate England’s national day.
Other government departments are being encouraged to follow suit under constitutional reforms aiming “to give British people a stronger sense of what it means to be British”.
Whitehall will also for the first time be able to fly the national flags of Scotland and Wales on their buildings on St Andrew’s Day and St David’s Day.
The changes to protocol were introduced at the end of March, while restrictions on the number of days a year that government buildings could fly the Union Flag were lifted last year.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has even published detailed guidance on the arcane British rules of flag flying.
Only buildings with two poles can fly the flag of St George on Wednesday because the Union Flag takes precedence.
Single-masted establishments must stick to the Union banner.
Has the government gone flag-crazy? Is it really British to fly the flag?
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26 comments so far
Yes we should fly the flag.People need a sence of belonging.The powers that be have helped drag the country down to where there are no values or caring,as we once had.
- Posted by tim crellinIt isn’t British to fly this flag. It’s English. The Irish, Scots and Welsh do it on their patron saints’ days, so why shouldn’t we? It’s also worth remembering that if the Scots and the Northern Irish get independence, the Union Flag will be reduced to the flag of St. George anyway, so we’d better get used to it.
- Posted by MatthewTo respond to the comment “The Irish, Scots and Welsh do it on their patron saints’ days, so why shouldn’t we? ” the important point is that 10 Downing Street is the headquarters of the prime minister and cabinet of the United Kingdom, not just England, therefore if any flag should fly above it, it should be the Union Jack, not St George’s. Many English treat English and British as being synonymous but they are quite distinct. If at some point we end up with a separate and distinct English parliament, then St George’s flag would be appropriate above 10 Downing Street, but while it remains the focal point of UK government, it should not use a flag which represents only part of the nation it governs.
- Posted by Gerryyes it is british to fly the flag of saint george,we have
- Posted by tonyworried to long about who it will offend so fly the flag and be proud to be english
Yes its right to fly the flag it is our national day after all and don’t forget when it’s st patricks day everyone goes crazy celebrating the day. if truth be told it should be a bank holiday like the rest of the countrys in our wonderful union have!
- Posted by RichardYou need only check out the site http://www.imperialflags.blogspot.com to see the answer for yourself.
- Posted by KeirShould we fly the flag? I can not beleive the question is being asked. English, proud to be English! Anyone who opposes the Flying of “OUR” Flag should be kicked out of our country. For St.George & For ENGLAND !
- Posted by Brianit’s ok as long as the English don’t expect to be able to permanently fly their flags in other peoples’ countries.
- Posted by O SullivanOf course the English should fly the flag, daft question. Anyone who is offended by it should be on the next plane or boat back to where they came from.
- Posted by sue robinsonSome people appear to have misinterpreted my comment. I never suggested at all that the English should not celebrate St George’s Day, nor did I suggest that there is anything wrong with the St George’s Flag. The question raised, to which we were invited to comment was “Is it British to Fly the Flag”? When the flag in question is the English flag, this is not British, it is English. Let the English fly their flag with pride on the day of their patron saint, as the Scots, Irish and Welsh do - I have no problem with that.
Even taking into account the devolved regional assemblies, however, which have little real power, the UK still has one overriding government that sets national policies so I do object to the St George Flag being flown above the HQ of the prime minister of the entire United Kingdom, where the only appropriate flag is the one of the entire nation he governs, ie the Union Jack.
- Posted by GerryPlease at 10 Downing St? A Scottish Prime Minister?
- Posted by john scottDefinitely a gimmick.
Yes, the St George\’s flag should be flown. It is sad that we celebrate other cultures and nationalities but not our own. We live in england, St Georges day should be marked and enjoyed by its people. My problem is it is a very small sign, we should do more. Give the people to chance to enjoy it, give it as a holiday, and let them have the chance to go out and attend things such as street parades and other celebrations.
We are a union but each country should be able to have the chance for it\’s people to remind themselves that each part has its own idenity and its own culture, what ever part of the UK they are from.
- Posted by EllieYes fly the flag I got the impression from our Labour councils we should become a Muslim state.
- Posted by anne doddHurray,
- Posted by Sue OliverFinally we are not afraid to do something patriotic!!!
Let’s do more before we lose our identity permanently!
No it’s English you mug! And amazing how this Labour government has suddenly become sooo patriotic, when I few years ago they were doing everything in their power to diss the English and their heritage. Could have something to do with the rise and rise in popularity of a certain patriotic right wing party?… I wonder
- Posted by Hilton GrayIt is great to see a the PM has relised that the English people want the English flag. the Scotish, Welsh and Irish have always celebrated there saints days and why shouldnt we. in these days of Political corretness it fills me with pride and honor to see the English flag flying high.
- Posted by Steven WrightYes of course we should fly the flag. For God’s sake we we are forever being told that we aren’t allowed to fly our flag because it will upset some religion or other but they do not care when they fly thier flags do they not think that that is upsetting to us? Come England where is your backbone, FLY THE FLAG!!!!!!!!
- Posted by Sue BusbyOf course English people are entitled to fly their national flag, and the Quislings who have said otherwise during the sickness of the past 40 years need a well-deserved kick up the backside. Having said that, my personal view is that it is only people who are insecure in their national identity who feel the need to wave their flag, and the Anglo-Saxon English have no such insecurity.
The current government’s enthusiasm for the English flag stems solely from the Labour Party’s knowledge that if the English become disillusioned with the political bias against them and the UK is broken up, Labour replaces the Liberal Party as the third party in English politics and is effectively dead.
- Posted by Mike TA sign of nationhood! May we never lose it or our heritage. We do not have a common heritage with europe, ours is unique and it is ours. Our flags, for England, Scotland, Wales and northern Ireland are valid, all under our one wonderful Union Jack. Long live Britain and God save the Queen.
- Posted by sueWe have been made guilty and often accused of racism simply by stating we are English in the past by all the vested interests in Britain who gain from destroying an English identity including of course the labour party.
We are so tolerant of multiculturalism that we have almost wiped out our own rights and identity and ourselves out of England.
Slowly the English are cottoning on to their own stupidity.
- Posted by Davidst georges day is not a british celebration but an english one!
- Posted by Londonmadheadi bet the irish houses of parliament fly the irish flag on st patricks day so why not us.
i am proud to be british but also proud to be english too. as the scots and welsh are proud to be scottish and the welsh respectively.
Of course the English must fly their flag on their day. The Scotts and the Welsh fly their flags in their areas…why persecute the English?
- Posted by Hank WadeThe English flag should NOT be flown over Downing Street. Brown is not English; he is not elected by the English and he does not represent the interests of the English people.
Neither should the Union Flag be flown over Downing Street. Brown has done more than anyone except Blair to break up the UK.
For Brown to fly either of these flags is shameful hypocrisy. The EU flag would be more appropiate.
- Posted by LobitoNothing wrong with flying the flag of Al-Khidr, the Green Man, or St. George.
Telegraph had an interesting ‘design a new union flag’ competition a few months back on the premise that if Scotland left the union then Al-Khidr would be lonely and might need Cymru company. Curiously many of the entries came from Japan, but some of the Welsh entries made use of the black and gold flag of St David.
- Posted by HuwI’m surprised this has emerged with Brown in No. 10. After all, it was him running around last year going on about Britain and Brittishness (clearly in an attempt to combat the Nationalists in Scotland and Wales).
- Posted by GrantThis year, English elections are the focus and suddenly Brown’s flying the English flag from his residency? Well Gordon… you can be British or Scottish but I’m afraid English you are not!
I am English and proud of it and yes , it is right to fly our flag.Could it be that this p.c government is getting worried!
- Posted by Ray Shepherd