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| Storm in a teacup? Not everyone was smiling |
AN unexpected controversy was blowing in the wind in Cleethorpes over the weekend.
Outside the Meridian showground was a Union flag with a difference.
Being flown to promote the visit of a funfair, it had at its centre a ‘Mr Smiley’ image.
Most probably never noticed it, and those who did probably thought it cheerful and amusing.
But a few were aggrieved, claiming it trivialised the flag and showed disrespect to the United Kingdom.
One passer-by told the Grimsby News: “1 thought it was an insult to the flag and what it stands for.
“It had a cheapening effect. Supposing someone sought to fly it at the Memorial Gate or from Grimsby Town Hall - or aloft Buckingham Palace?
"There would be an outcry. Isn’t it against the law?
“By all means, have a Union flag or a Mr Smiley flag - but don’t try to blend the two.
“Just imagine if someone tried that stunt with the Stars and Stripes or the national flags of other proud nations? He would probably be lynched.”
There was at least one other ‘uncontaminated’ Union flag flying at the event as well as - bizarrely - several Holland-style tricolours.
A check by the Grimsby News revealed that, though some may regard it as distasteful, there is no law safeguarding the Union flag from being tweaked or exploited.
As well as being used by political groups, particularly those of a Far Right persuasion, it is often displayed with the name of a football club (including Grimsby Town) emblazoned across the centre.
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| Wilkom - more Dutch than British |
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