‘Raising standards’
I HAVE to say I was initially pleased to see the England flags decorating lamp posts and people’s houses.
They started appearing around VJ day. I had a great uncle that served in the 14th Army in Burma. For anyone who knows that bit of history, the heroism of those lads has always been overlooked.
Then the painting on traffic islands started. I thought this was a bit dangerous, for no other reason that mucking about with highway traffic signage usually ends in someone getting distracted and hitting the car in front.
Also, as a councillor, I have to tell folk that highway paint is expensive and repainting an island will probably lead to a road closure or three.
Then two things chilled my blood, and I realised a very different game was being played.
Firstly the island outside the mosque was defaced.
Then the island opposite Tescos was daubed in graffiti, designed to inflame tensions about the Gaza conflict.
Someone is trying to divide Redditch against itself. That someone is looking to provoke anger amongst minority groups so that when they react they can be labelled unpatriotic and then attacked.
Going back to the war for a moment, this is this kind of disgusting stuff that my uncle Ben fought the Japanese Imperial army to stop. The same goes for my great uncle Tom who was in 7th Armoured division and faces down the Nazis all the way from the western desert to Hamburg.
My ancestors fought under the Union Flag. That’s the flag of our nation. So that’s the flag I shall be hanging from my window from this weekend.
In flying it I will be making this point.
Redditch is for everyone who lives here. Hate is not in our nature.
Coun Ian Woodall
Headless Cross and Oakenshaw
‘Don’t forget’
THANKFULLY, it is not yet a crime to be patriotic.
I see no problem with our beautiful flag flying full mast, or half lamp post. Our flag was the epitome of freedom.
People from all over the world were welcomed here to escape persecution.
Are memories so short that folks forget about the Second World War.
My father served in Burma and Malaya and told me the sight of the Union Flag was a beauty to behold.
What’s next? Will our anthem be relegated to the rubbish heap?
Certain people keep on about the slave trade, yes, it was abhorrent, but it was 200 years ago.
A pity these people don’t do something about the slave trade today as women and children are forced into the sex trade.
Or is it because most of them are white?
Lynne Pettifer
‘Claims laughable’
I CONDEMN the flags that have been put up in Blackwell because they are a clear demonstration of the racist xenophobia that has been displayed outside many hotels housing asylum seekers.
These flags taint our strong and friendly village community and intimidate those who want to speak out, who want to remove the flags, but are too scared to do so.
The suggestion that the flags are benign patriotism is laughable.
If the people putting up the flags were genuine patriots who wanted to bring hope to their communities, they would appreciate the extreme offence caused and remove them.
Instead they relish the disharmony, seek confrontation and take pleasure in intimidating the kind, tolerant people who actually try to make our local communities lovely places in which to live.
Name and address supplied.
‘Disturbing sight’
I WISH to express my view that all these English St George’s flags are very disturbing.
They are quite intimidating and are expressing prejudice against non-English people.
John Cochrane
‘Flag hijacked’
UNFORTUNATELY, the St George Cross flag has been hijacked by far-right groups and can be seen as racist so its meaning can be misunderstood. So, its use should be used with care, and if the idea behind all of this is the meaning of being patriotic then maybe you should be flying the Union Flag.
It should be presented the right way up and most of the Union Flags I have seen are flying upside down.
Notwithstanding this there are rules and laws on what you can and cannot do with regards street furniture and painting on roads and you should not be breaking these rules and laws as doing that in itself is not being very patriotic.
So, I think it can be seen as being racist and I think they probably are meant in that way and the fact they can be seen as possible being racist means it is not a very patriotic thing to do.
I feel there are lots of ways of showing you are patriotic that don’t involve you having to break the any rules and laws or being misunderstood.
I feel one of the things that make the United Kingdom a wonderful place to be a part of are our rules and laws amongst other things.
I am proud to be British and proud to be a citizen of the United Kingdom and being inclusive and showing tolerance and being aware of other people’s feelings, I think is a part of being British.
Perry
We welcome your letters….
We welcome your letters for the Redditch Standard on any subject.
Email them to [email protected]
EDITORS COMMENT
THE DESTRUCTION of the Willow living sculpture which was dedicated to lost loved ones in Redditch was incomprehensible.
What possible benefit did these mindless actions have.
Apart from the damage which needs putting right, so much hard work and effort went into the project.
Hopefully the police will track down those responsible and bring them to justice with a fitting punishment.
They should be made to do community work to improve the area so something good can come out of this sorry affair.
