The big issue in British politics today: will Gordon Brown fly the English flag?
The English flag is engulfing the country. The resistance of the upper middle-classes to the practices of white van man is crumbling. Tony Blair is going to fly the red cross on a white background at Number 10 on match days. David Cameron has already got St George's flag fluttering from the back of his bike. Is Gordon going to follow suit? The problem, of course, is that he is Scottish.
On the other hand, he has recently shown himself positively desperate to make himself more popular - espousing 'Britishness' and then, this week, going to see the last remaining Battle of Jutland veteran was about as embarrassingly obvious as a politician can get.
Imagine the long debates with his spin doctors. To wave the flag or not to wave the flag? How many English votes would he gain? How many Scottish ones would he lose if he betrayed his homeland? Would he look ridiculous and unprincipled? (Yes.) Will he look stuffy and and unfriendly if he doesn't wave it? Probably yes, again. The poor chap is stuck.
His predicament is a pleasure to behold.
Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in Politics
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Tony Blair was born in Scotland (Edinburgh, to be precise) and so is technically Scottish.
He also, of course, had some of his education in Scotland.
The real controversy is whether any public servant should be flying any flag over or on government property to celebrate sport or other pop culture events, not over which person should fly which flag.
Brown is, of course, Chancellor for the UK, not for Scotland or England. Blair is, it should go without saying, Prime Minister for the UK, not for England or Scotland.
Posted by: anonymous at June 12, 2006 12:34 PM