You may have noticed that the country is alive with Union flags and St George’s crosses. Personally, I think it’s brilliant, so long as they’re flown safely and securely.
Four years ago, I lobbied North West Leicestershire District Council to encourage our high street businesses to “Fly the Flag.” The answer I got? That many of the brackets fixed to walls were unsafe. I suggested they be replaced, only to be told each individual business would have to fund the work and apply for permission. Block after block was put in the way.
Now, four years on, people have had enough. Ordinary men and women are taking matters into their own hands, proudly raising the flag from lampposts, rooftops, and shopfronts.
For me, as a veteran who served our nation, flying the Union Flag is not about politics. At my business, Stealth Black Belt Academy, the flag has flown proudly for 20 years, not to make a political point, but because I love my country. I’ve also been privileged enough to represent Great Britain on the international stage in both Kickboxing and Kettlebell Sport. Nothing says patriotism like sports teams uniting under our national colours. Whether in service or in sport, I have always carried our flag with pride.
That flag represents all of us: whatever our background, colour, faith, or orientation. It unifies us. Pride in our country is a good and healthy thing. We should never be ashamed of patriotism.
Yet in recent years we’ve allowed the St George’s Cross in particular to be hijacked by extremists, and ordinary people were made to feel uncomfortable flying it. Meanwhile, the right often gets smeared with the lazy label of “racist” simply for being proud to be English. But let’s be honest, the left are just as bad, if not worse. They cloak their hostility to our flag under the banner of “inclusivity,” shaming people into silence for simply being proud of who they are.
Well, I’ve travelled the globe extensively, and I can tell you this: Great Britain is one of the most welcoming and inclusive nations on earth. True inclusivity doesn’t mean allowing other cultures to override our own. It means recognising and respecting that we are all different, while never losing sight of the fact that if you live in the UK, you are choosing to be British.
What we are seeing now is a genuine wave of patriotism, and it belongs to the people. Not politicians, not extremists, not those who seek to divide us. Councils and businesses should seize this moment: install proper brackets and make flag-flying permanent. Let our towns and cities proudly declare what they are, part of a United Kingdom.
And one last thing, if you are going to fly the Union flag, please do it right. For goodness’ sake, make sure the thick white stripe is at the top ;-)
