Flags at Bush- Blair press conference (Very Trivial!)

[doubledolphins]

Lots of "Stars and Stripes" and Union Jacks in evidence on the stage today. All of them on poles with golden eagles on the top. I know that the crown is a bit non grata in Northern Ireland today, but I felt that was going a bit too far. Do these eagles symbolise our new status (51st State etc.) or were they just provided by Uxbridge.

[Arkroyal]

Even more trivial...........they were union flags, not union jacks.

Plumbing depths of trivia (some might think), those 'protesters' in Belfast last night. Both women had their union flags upside-down.

Is it not about time we dumped the diagonal red cross of St Patrick from it anyway? Then no moron would ever again defile it in this way.

Grumpy of Tunbridge Wells

[Archimedes]

Arkroyal,

The protestors will probably argue that they deliberately turned the flags upside down, since this is a sign of distress, is it not? They would argue that the inverting of the flags was symbolic of the distressing situation in which the UK now finds itself.

Or something like that.... :rolleyes:

[Avoiding Action]

Arkroyal,

There are still quite a few of us serving under the Union Flag who are represented by the St Patrick's Cross, whether it's the north or south of the island.

...Or have I just bitten deeply?;)

AA

[SOMAT]

Yes, Arkroyal,

And one of them was killed on Sunday, Ian Malone from Dublin who was serving with the Irish Guards, in the battle for Basra.

[eastern wiseguy]

Arkroyal .....you invariably speak sense ...BUT !!! TRY TELLING LT COL TIM COLLINS and the rest of the RIR out there that St Patricks cross should be removed! You might have a very stern interview with them !
(Just to give you the benefit of the doubt though ...are you suggesting a re design of the flag to stop the disrespectful upside down flying...or were you being more political ....in which case see above)

[yggorf]

Since you gentlemen seem to know a bit about military stuff, can anyone tell me why the US troops in Irak wear an inverted stars and stripes on their right arm, i.e. with the stars on the right? Did some administrative buffoon decide it because arabs read form right to left?
Should it be called a stripes and stars?

[SOMAT]

Eastern Wiseguy

I don't think the word 'invariably' could be applied to Arkroyal's last post !!

[doubledolphins]

Dear Ark. Please try not to bite when I have a little dig at the light blue. It is a Jack to me as that is what it was first designed for. It is a flag when flown by an Admiral of the Fleet. A not very likely occurence now. (RM establishments use the White Ensign these days.)
Of course it is also a flag when dressing a coffin. There were rather too many of those on tv today as well. Lets pray that we won't see many more.
Back to my original post. My daughter thinks the little golden objects on the British poles were Golden Snitches. So nothing sinister is intended by the USA or RAF. It's just a plug for the new Harry Potter DVD out on Friday.

[DrSyn]

I always thought it was only the Union Jack when flown from the jackstaff, which in turn is only done when at anchor or alongside. Otherwise it's the Union Flag. But then I'm only an ex-crab, so what do I know :)

[Lu Zuckerman]

To: yggorf

Since you gentlemen seem to know a bit about military stuff, can anyone tell me why the US troops in Irak wear an inverted stars and stripes on their right arm, i.e. with the stars on the right? Did some administrative buffoon decide it because arabs read form right to left?

On a US registered aircraft that displays the American flag on the tail the flag on the left side has the stars forward of the stripes which is the way the American flag is to be displayed. On the right side of the tail the stars lead the bars and this is opposite of the way the flag is to be displayed and the reason for this is because the flag flies the way the wind blows it. So in either case the flag is displayed with the stars leading into the relative wind.

Since the flag on the uniform is on the right side it is displayed in the same manner as the flag on the aircraft tail.

Granted there are lot of administrative buffoons but not in this case.

:E

[West Coast]

Well done Lu
Very few people know the reason for that.

[Vortex what...ouch!]

Seems obvious to me.

[redsnail]

Would the same not then be true for the Union flag as well then - i.e. If the hoist side of the flag is on the left (as it is usually printed) then the thick white band on both diagonals on the left are above the red diagonals, but if the hoist side is on the right (as you would see it from a flag pole) then it would look as though it were "upside down" - If you made the error of assuming the hoist side were on the left, if you get my drift.

those 'protesters' in Belfast last night. Both women had their union flags upside-down.

...to them it looked the right way up - you were looking at the reverse side. :D

[Tigs2]

Lu and West Coast
I thought it (the flag) was that way round so it would appear normal in the drivers mirror when you where retreating!!!:D :D

PS Guys don't give Arkroyal such a hard time. I don't think he meant it as you have taken it(or have I misjudged you Arkroyal?)

[John (Gary) Cooper]

Being even more trivial!

Both the Stars and Stripes and the Union Flag on both podiums at the press conference were shown USA on left UK on right, I would have thought to have balanced the PC (both ways, press conference and political correctness!) that the showing of the flags should have been alternated or not shown at all. :confused:

[Arkroyal]

Sorry, everyone, and thanks, tigs, for your support

I was not being political, just trying to find a way of easing my constant frustration at seeing the flag of my country insulted at just about every sporting event, and now, protest.

The ladies' flags were most definitely upside-down, as they were attached to poles, so no chance of a misunderstanding, redsnail.

Must say, I hadn't thought of the possible deliberate act on their part to use the flag as a distress signal by flying it that way. (That may, of course explain its use upside-down at sporting events!)

I rather simplistically associated St Patrick only with the republic, who now have their own flag. Don't know the history of it, but the flag of the North seems to be based on the St George's cross.

Lu will probably remember the 'World Series' about 1993 or 4, when, for once a non US side was playing. I could not believe my eyes, watching the match in a Charleston SC bar, when the US Marines paraded onto the diamond with the flag of Canada upside-down!

The americans around me laughed it off, but when I asked them how they'd feel if Canada, or anyone else, insulted their flag in that way, they said 'That's different' . 'Theirs is just a flag, whilst the stars and stripes is the symbol of the greatest democracy in the world.' :yuk:

Impressed with the pride, but not the bias.

[Avoiding Action]

Arkroyal,

Just been doing a little research (I know, I should get out more, but anything's better than ISS) to put your mind at ease.

The only official flag to be used in the north is the Union Jack / Flag / whatever....

The flag to which you refer was officially discontinued when direct rule came in the 1970's. It was based on the flag of the province of Ulster, which has a red cross on a yellow background with the red hand. Of course, with three of the counties of Ulster actually part of the Republic of Ireland, this couldn't be used, so it was 'Anglicized' by putting the red cross on a white background.

So, if the St Patrick's Cross represents the whole of the island, the question is why isn't the government of the Republic kicking up a fuss about its inclusion in the Union Flag / Jack / whatever?

Cynics might say it'll be easier to remove it from the UK flag whenever N Ireland is ceded to the Republic in the next few years than coming up with some compromise right away...:rolleyes:

Right, back to DW then...:{

AA

[Arkroyal]

Thanks for that AA, I'd always wondered hoe the North's flag came about.

I wouldn't be so political as to comment on the future of the island of Ireland, but hope that when it's sorted (not holding my breath) that our flag can be returned to something moron proof.

Of course, we could educate the morons instead, but I guess trying to get flag recognition into the National Curriculum would all seem too reactionary.

Had to march into a hotel in the US once to complain that our flag was upside-down and was met by protestations that that was impossible!

Should I get out more? :confused:

[Avoiding Action]

Both of us probably should... :D ;)