Raising the Colours
Rooting for the Home Team as an Act of Rebellion
Imagine living in a world where the leaders of your team wear any jersey and fly any flag so long as it isn’t the flag of your home team. Britain’s leaders have developed the curious habit of favoring every group in the world except their own people. They show their favoritism by displaying favored flags instead of others.
British voters have constantly used their votes to express their anger and frustration at the deterioration in their living standards and physical safety. Their desires had been ignored. In 2024, Labour won a large parliamentary majority in an election where voters gave up and stayed home. The turnout was embarrassingly small.
The public wanted national leaders to break from Europe (Brexit) and prioritize national interests. That never happened. They repeatedly demanded a halt to massive immigration. Leaders insisted on staying fashionable and bowing to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Union (EU).
Energy costs are exorbitant because the leadership insisted on following various international “Green” and “NetZero” plans. Energy costs in the United Kingdom are four to eight times higher than those in the United States. Industries can’t compete when this adds to the production costs.
London’s financial district is doing well, but much of the country is in financial distress. The median income for much of Britain is lower than that of Mississippi, America’s poorest state.
Voting didn’t make the point. Previous voter displays didn’t make the point. The effort this time is amusing. It is the “Raise the Colours” campaign.
By itself, the St. George Cross is the flag of England. It became a part of the British Union Jack. The national flag would be ambiguous. They needed something different but still local The English flag was perfect. How better to clearly “root for the home team?”
That’s the irony. Local governments are willing to fly various flags to show how accepting they are:
Those same “tolerant” leaders are the most adamant about tearing down the “colours.”
Flags may seem minor. They’re not. America’s national anthem turns on the question “Oh say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave?” When you fly a flag, you show loyalty at some level. As I write this, the college football season is about to start. Countless people have pulled out flags, jerseys, and other symbols to show their team loyalty.
Immigration is the most divisive issue between the leaders and the public, not only in Britain, but throughout the European Union.
When a large mass of people arrives, it has the impact of an invasion. There was an insufficient supply of housing, schools, and other public services to serve both the Indigenous population and the newcomers. Somebody lost. It was not the newcomers. People who had saved for housing found the cost had exploded. To make it worse, the newcomers were housed in expensive hotels.
Schools were also overwhelmed, as were other public services.
Those who dream of free national health here in America should subscribe to a British newspaper for a year. Indeed, you don’t pay at the time of service. You pay your general taxes. The politically connected never have a problem. Wealthy people get concierge care somewhere. The average person pays by waiting in the queue. Newcomers significantly stretched the queue. That meant the complaints about funding and delays in the National Health Service (NHS) exploded.
I will now turn to the main problem, which I need to emphasize is cultural, not racial. Britain had long welcomed Commonwealth citizens of many races who blended in very well because they understood the nature of British law and respected it. They came to Britain to enjoy its benefits and abide by its laws. I will call them part of “the home team.”
The latest newcomers did not come from Commonwealth countries, had a vastly different view of appropriate behavior, and expected Britain to adopt their way of doing things.
The newcomers had a different view of women. Suddenly, life was unsafe. The biggest scandals involved the towns of Rotherham and Telford. Thousands of British girls as young as eleven were raped, abused, and groomed as prostitutes by Pakistani newcomers. The police were useless. The government did nothing to protect its citizens from this evil.
Instead, it came down hard on those who complained about the lack of prosecution. Sir Niall Ferguson noted a truly Orwellian new term. A “Non-criminal Hate Crime” (NCHI), which described an action resembling a hate crime but was performed by a “protected” newcomer.
It was evident that the government would not enforce fundamental laws to protect society when the newcomers harmed others. Either they feared being called racist, or they were simply cowards. Instead, they were overly harsh against the British. The Crown Prosecutor, through this, later became Prime Minister. Since his name is Keir Starmer, he is derisively called “Two-tier Keir.”
The same leaders who refuse to prosecute the Pakistani rapists support their views on Jews and Palestine and fly the green and white Pakistani flag and the Palestinian flag from government buildings and flagpoles. Yet, if Brits show the English flag, it is considered an act of “right-wing hate.”
Starmer’s government is highly unpopular. He is cutting social programs and other subsidies while allocating funds to support Ukraine and other European Union priorities.
Given parliamentary government rules, he and his Labour Party could delay an election for four years. That assumes the current system holds together that long. Some earnest people are starting to doubt that.
Sir Niall’s piece, mentioned above, is entitled: The Rot in Britain and describes some of the problems.
I encourage you to view the following YouTube videos describing the situation.
British journalist, broadcaster, and politician Peter Whittle produced a video entitled England Awakes to explain the history of the divisions in Britain. It runs for twenty minutes and is outstanding.
British Historian David Starkey has a weekly YouTube channel. One session started with a discussion of the flags, sectarianism, and the impact of immigration. Some sections are on different topics, but it is interesting.
In one way, it is sad that we hear so little about the chaos and turmoil in Europe but hiding information and “lying by omission” is a widespread practice among our media. A great deal of chaos is happening in Britain and continental Europe.
So, I am watching the Brits “Raise the Colours” as they “Root for their Home Team!”