Dear Patrick
Flags in our streets remind me of how we proudly raised the flag after conquering the natives in our newly vanquished territories around the world for about 400 years.
Flags remind me of how we dominated, controlled and governed the people of other lands without their consent - and for centuries, too using coercion, force and, when they rebelled, violence.
Flags remind me of how the brave, colonised men of our biggest empire in the history of humanity, fought our wars to defend our conquered and colonial lands in the catastrophic and disastrous 1914-18 war that led to a century of Western wars around the globe.
The people we colonised also gladly bailed us out to rebuild our nation after the 1939-45 war. For far too many, all the thanks they got was the despicable Windrush Scandal that is still not resolved. Compensation is taking very many years to get paid. Disgraceful England.
The unfortunate Black Country flag is so resonant of our ignorance over history. It shows the chains that we used to manacle the slaves we stole and abused, and their property we looted, to make Britain's wealth then and, to this day.
The flags in our streets remind me of the flags in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. They were used to underline division and hatred for the Other. To get their own back on the hated other side. For revenge.
The flags in our streets are to remind foreigners that England is for the English. I would not dream of flying the Union Jack except, of course, at the Olympics where it is appropriate.
I think it is poetic justice that when, for centuries we went all over the globe to claim for ourselves the peoples we 'discovered' and to claim their resources, they are now landing on our shores. And, in many times greater numbers (net figures) at our invitation than the desperate 40,000 arriving in small boats.
Tim Weller
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