Politicians of all stripes have long pressed the national flag into service to unite the nation. Now its use as a stage prop or on official buildings is divisive
In the ancient history of 2007 Gordon Brown stood up in parliament to give his first speech as prime minister. His theme was “reinvigorating Britishness”, and he offered a series of policies to promote the idea.
Prominent among them was the plan to end the 1924 edict that allowed the union jack only to be flown from public buildings on 18 designated days a year, including the Queen’s birthday and Remembrance Day. Instead, Brown announced, all public buildings were to be encouraged to fly the red, white and blue at all times, including schools, hospitals, prisons and police stations.
