Northern Echo
Saturday 24th September 2005
Fly the European flag? EU can't do that...
by Dan King
A COUNCIL has been forced to take down a flag outside its headquarters - after learning that it was illegal.
And now councillors in Wear Valley face the embarrassment of meeting to decide whether they can grant permission for the European Union flag to be returned.
The council has had the flag on display for several years at its Crook Civic Centre base in County Durham, but yesterday replaced it with a St George's cross after the error was flagged up.
Local crusader Jim Tague made a request under the Freedom of Information Act as to whether the council had the correct permission.
Government rules state that, although national flags can be displayed, flags for political projects can not, due to laws on spending taxpayers' money to promote one side of a debate above another.
Mr Tague said: "My question was, prove to me that the EU is a nation state, or produce the planning documents. They could do neither.
"They will have to very careful about putting it back up.
"I don't think you'll find one Englishman in this country who wants the EU flag to be flown ahead of our own."
Anti-European campaigner Neil Herron, from Sunderland, said it was a victory for campaigners opposed to European constitution and said it would set a precedent.
He said: "It isn't a flag of a nation state - it is the flag of a political project. I object to the flying of an advertisement for an unaccountable, corrupt body."
A spokesman for Wear Valley District Council said: "We are looking to get it put back up again - with the appropriate permission."
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Blog Archive
-
▼
2005
(445)
-
▼
September
(46)
- Evidence to the House of Commons Transport Committee
- Department of Constitutional Affairs......Nothing ...
- EU Flag? ...Not here...Second Front Page of the Day
- Another Parking Ticket Victory...Another Front Page
- First the Ashes...Now EU Beaten...Another Victory ...
- No fines without court appearance
- Pressure is on to evict assembly
- Eleanor Sharpston QC...You be the Judge
- Lib Dems agree with Herron
- Unelected assembly slammed
- Response from NPAS
- NPAS wriggles and squirms
- NPAS under more pressure
- Constitutional Storm Clouds Gather over Sunderland
- Complaint to Law Society about NPAS
- Will the Aussies now have their tape measures out?
- Call to scrap parking panel
- NPAS on shaky ground
- Gallows being prepared in Sunderland
- Press Release: National Parking Adjudicator Mislea...
- Investigation into Sunderland City Council / Natio...
- Driven to complain
- Probe into parking tickets blunder
- Government Office plays Pontius Pilate
- Constitutional Confrontation drawing closer...Comm...
- Further Questions as National Parking Adjudicator ...
- No justice in parking 'court'
- The Clock is Ticking Sunderland...why so long?
- Victory...HM Customs and Excise back down after Bi...
- Robin Rocky De Crittenden dying to get in the ring
- Rocky De Crittenden throws down the gauntlet
- Give 'em a pint and they'll take a kilometre
- Worcester City Council now facing NPAS Challenge
- Legal papers served on Sunderland Council
- NPAS 'Independent'...bet you 60p a ticket that the...
- Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council unlawfully i...
- Metric Martyrs Wrongly Convicted...A Miscarriage o...
- Bill of Rights 1689...NPAS Decision
- Bill of Rights Decision by NPAS Adjudicator
- Did the UK Metrication Association lie? You decide
- NPAS...THAT Telephone call...what was said...and t...
- Letter to Caroline Shepherd NPAS Chief Adjudicator...
- Letter to Andrew Barfoot NPAS Tribunal Manager Reg...
- NPAS Decision...Taxi Ranks
- Letter of Apology from NPAS Chief Adjudicator
- Letter of Apology from NPAS Tribunal Manager
-
▼
September
(46)
28 comments:
A spokesman for Wear Valley District Council said: "We are looking to get it put back up again - with the appropriate permission."
These people just don't get it, do they?
Idiots...
Let me just get this right. It's illegal but they are looking to get appropriate permission to put it back up? What are they going to do? Apply for a Private Act of Parliament? Petition the government to repeal the law that makes it illegal?
The stasi use "appropriate and inappropriate" nowadays, instead of legal and illegal.It helps them circumvent the law.
Why not let the people decide weather they want the Cross of Saint George flown or the EUssr rag.
Give the people a referendum on which flag they want flown.
Wear Valley - an EU free zone!
Kevin,
Wear Valley District Council has literature in the library that states something like - "for all issues that require planning consent, full consultation with the public will be carried out".
Ask the people, they are damned, don't ask the people, they are damned.
Jim Tague
Hi Neil, does this Law also cover things like the EU symbol on Council letters I wonder?
watcher
Every flag should have a name (the Union Jack, Stars & Stripes, Red Ensign, etc.) How about the Starsole for the EU ringpiece of stars?
Hello -
I went through Trafalgar Square this morning and was surprised to see a gigantic Malaysian flag (and a smaller Ugandan one) flying above buildings where those countries have offices to promote tourism/trade. I was very surprised that they were allowed to do this - personally I found it quite offensive that there was a massive malaysian flag flying over Trafalgar Square. Does anyone know if this is illegal/whether it should be removed? Thanks.
What about the starsole on the number plates then.
nobby
It all comes back to dealing with the obstinate children who run the EU. What part of "NO" do they not understand?
There has always been a Them and Us. They do what they like but we have to pay for all types of "permissions/plannings"which take forever to be looked at. Of course it's illegal. It IS merely the flag of a policitical union, [the brainchild of all those overpaid bureaucrats in Brussels] NOT of a country. Here we go again.
These people and those in Brussels and Luxembourg, cannot take "No" for an answer about anything. Heaven knows what has been going on behind our backs since the two "No" results.
Whereas Malaysia and Uganda are countries, and therefore the flags on their offices around Trafalgar Square fall in the exempt category of "The national flag of any country" - Class I in Schedule 2 of the regulations, Statutory Instrument 1992 No 666, available on the website of what was formerly Her Majesty's Stationery Office, and is now the Office of Public Sector Information.
(Provided: 1.Each flag is to be displayed on a single vertical flagstaff 2. Neither the flag nor the flagstaff may display any advertisement or subject matter additional to the design of the flag.)
So! What's this illegal/political piece of garbage doing on our driving licences, I ask with just a hint of sarcasm?!
Instead of writing many more lines of text about how wrong it is to fly this rag why not form teams of activists that go around physically removing them? If this one rag is illegal (as we have always known) then they must all be illegal, so let get rid!
Neil
Did you know the Regional Economic Strategy for the North East as submitted to the Minister in 1999 named US,the North East,
EUROPE'S CAN DO IT REGION!!!!!
Liz
Slowcoach!
Some 3 or 4 years ago I objected to the Lib-Dem Islington Council illegally flying the EU emblem (which they called flag) from the town hall flagstaff. They were obliged to pull it down. Then they went on to give themselves planning permission to fly it.
What took you so long?
Roy Roebuck
I agree that the the starsole must also be illegal on car number plates and I for one will have my number plates changed rather than display them. Well done Neil and Jim!!!
There seems to be an arrogance by local councillors up and down the country that they are above certain laws and customs. I blame the town clerks and borough solicitors for giving duff advice in the first place!
Dear Roy Roebuck,
If Islington Town Hall has just the one flagpole (as you say "the town hall flagstaff"), then they should NEVER fly the EU flag on it.
Flags are flown on government buildings by command of The Queen. Her rules are given in "The National Flag" section of Whitaker's Almanack, page 23 in this year's edition.
Also see this presentation to the 2002 AGM of the National Association of Civic Officers on "Flag Protocol in the United Kingdom":
http://www.leicester.gov.uk/naco/NACO%20Flag%20Protocol.pdf
There is just one day when the Queen has commanded that the EU flag should be flown on government buildings, and that's May 9th, "Europe Day". However even on that day:
"The Union flag should fly alongside the European flag. On government buildings that have only one flagpole, the Union flag should take precedence."
I expect the building manager will receive these instructions from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport each year - that was certainly the case here - so he should follow them, whatever the councillors say and whether or not they've given themselves planning permission.
Obviously it helps if the local press can be involved to publicise the fact that they're deliberately breaking the official rules to pursue their own political agenda.
Denis Cooper
Well done! my local council office has been doing it as well and it never occured to me to object (although i secretly seethed) now i will take it up with them. I see Mr destaigne is now calling on France to vote again we must ris eto the challenge.
Steve lewis South Kirkby
Well done! My local council have been doing it for years and i have silently seethed. Now i will take it up with them
As pointed out yesterday, Islington (London) Council were compelled to remove the EU emblem (which they called a flag) from the town hall flagstaff after I complained that they had not given themselves planning permission. The Lib-Dem council then gave themselves planning permission, and the EU emblem was then rehoisted by a Lib-Dem MEP.
This was some 3 years ago. What kept the North East so long before taking action?
Roy Roebuck
We were busy with other things like defeating the Government's regionalisation agenda, running the campaign to force a referendum on the European Constitution, setting up and running the national No campaign against the constitution,exposing the unelected North East Assembly and assisting others to do the same across the country, coninuing to prevent further prosecutions under the Metrication directive to name a few.
We found a five minute window and decided to sort Wear Valley's flag out. We are now sharing that information with others in order for them to follow.
What has taken YOU so long to start wishing to share your success with others?
Why didn't you begin a nationwide initiative to get the symbol removed from all council buildings?
Why didn't you challenge your council on the Section 19 point and prevent them?
We are not in this for the medals...just to win.
Why don't your energies more positively and take advantage of the excellent advice that others have posted and revisit your council's little problem and get them to take their flag down again?
From what i have just read re national flags and enblems is it also illegal to have all those Welsh dragons and St Andrews crosses etc displayed on the back of cars driven in England ???
Just asking !
Apparently it is legal to have a sticker on the body of the car, but it is NOT legal to have it on the number plate instead of the EU emblem, and somebody was fined £30 this June for that.
See this, including a comment by "wonkotsane" who has posted here:
http://englishdemocrats.org.uk/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1119284800&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2&
As I understand, having the EU emblem on the number plate is still voluntary, but if you do have it you can't legally cover it up.
See 2001 Commons debate starting here:
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200001/cmhansrd/vo010424/debtext/10424-38.htm
about a motion to revoke the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 (S.I., 2001, No. 561), which ended up with the government minister saying:
"Mr. Hill: I remind the hon. Gentleman that it is entirely up to the individual vehicle keeper whether he or she has the symbol on the number plate. The reason for the use of the EU symbol is to permit ease of circulation in the European Community .... The EU symbol does serve a particular purpose and is to be permitted on a voluntary basis. There is no good reason to allow other variations.
I appreciate that strong feelings over national identity have been expressed here tonight. However, I hope that the House now fully understands the intentions of the new regulations and that the Government, by making the display of the Euro flag optional, have preserved that freedom of choice which is the birthright of every self-respecting Briton."
From that, can we expect Wear Valley District Council to offer a choice to the public of this part of Co. Durham?
Jim Tague
Jim, I see that Harry Blackwood has mentioned your success in today's Mail on Sunday. That should bring this to more folks' attention.
Well done, again.
Post a Comment