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A community of neighbours gather together on a warm summer’s day, sharing their homemade delicacies. An impressive spread of tiffin tins, Tupperware, tin foil and paper bags adorns a picnic blanket. Home brew is poured, paper plates are passed around and stories are told. No one pays any mind to the irritating and incessant buzzing coming from beneath a water glass.
A FLAG FOR A NATION OF NEIGHBOURS
Our nation needs new flags to represent how we live together. Flags to celebrate how we accept one another’s differences and find common ground, flags to honour hard won battles against inequalities, flags to glorify the welfare state, our love of the commons, and the rich histories from all over the world which make up our nation. Flags to combat a misguided nostalgia for the good old days.
Flags are usually used in nefarious ways by top-down organisations to build loyalty, pushing ordinary people towards bad ideas, and leading people in wrongful directions. Like nationalism, colonialism, militarism, class distinction and religious causes. When we use flags more broadly we can reclaim the narrative and share our own ideas and identities. Then a beauty of expression shines through, from the solidarity in Trade Union Banners, to the vernacular of protest placards, there’s lots of examples. When flags become personal, full of humour, wit (even at times of anger and heightened emotions) they communicate directly with our neighbours and build solidarity.
