Press Release:Flag Victory as Council concedes defeat

Press Release
13th December 2005
The People's No Campaign

" Cross of St. George Flag Victory...
Council concedes defeat and the EU Flag will not be flown."

Another victory for The People's No Campaign and a victory for England. A victory that will have implications for all other Local Authorities across the country who are flying the EU Flag unlawfully.

Wear Valley District Council has succumbed to people pressure and abandoned its attempt to replace the Cross of St. George with the EU Flag.

The row, which erupted in September surrounded the flying of the EU Flag by Wear Valley District Council. Campaigners Neil Herron and Jim Tague successfully forced the District Council to remove of the EU 'Ring of Stars' as it is classed as 'an outdoor advertisement' and not the flag of a nation state and therefore needs planning consent. It was also argued that to fly the EU Flag was using public money to promote a political project which falls foul of local authority guidelines.

The Cross of St. George was proudly erected outside the Civic Offices replacing the EU Flag.

However, Wear Valley DC then applied to itself for planning permission to fly the EU Flag and this permission was granted with a unanimous decision by elected councillors present at the planning committee.
One must question the political motives behind the desire to fly the EU Flag, but members of the Labour controlled council include Olive Brown. the North East's alternate member on the EU's Committee of the Regions.

A meeting was convened for Tuesday 13th December between Director of Housing, Michael Laing, the Council Officer responsible, Freedom of Information Officer, Lawrence Serewicz and Jim Tague and Neil Herron where a number of questions, proposals and an ultimatum were put to the officers.

Mindful of the massive national publicity and furore surrounding the attempted removal of the Cross of St. George it was decided that the EU Flag would not be flown and the Cross of St. George would continue to fly alongside the Union Flag and the Wear Valley District Council flag.
The campaigners agreed to this and allowed the concession that the EU Flag could be flown on one day...May 9th, classed as 'Europe Day.'

Neil Herron, Campaign Director states, " I must commend Council Officer, Michael Laing, for correctly standing up to political pressure. Local authority guidelines prevent the use of public money to promote political projects or influence the public to hold a political opinion. Wear Valley District Council's aspiration to become the best District Council in England has taken a massive leap forward by continuing to fly the Cross of St. George and abandon the flying of the EU Flag. Let us hope that many others follow the lead and put people before politics and patriotism before political correctness."

Jim Tague, Wear Valley Co-ordinator states, "This is a victory for people power and a victory for common sense. In such politically correct times this is an extremely brave decision by an officer of Wear Valley District Council to give the English flag such prominence. It will now only be removed on the instructions of politicians with an obvious pro-EU agenda. Councils across the rest of the country will hopefully follow this lead.I look forward to my Council becoming the best District Council in England."

Michael Laing did comment that should the flag disappear unannounced it may be due to the fact that he has agreed to take it home from time to time to wash it! Most certainly this goes well beyond the call of duty and must be commended.

ENDS

Contact:

Neil Herron
0191 565 7143
07776 202045
mail@thepeoplesnocampaign.co.uk

Jim Tague
07704 664223

Notes for Editors:

The People's No Campaign is a growing 'umbrella' campaign group opposed to all forms of unacceptable and unaccountable governance.
More can be seen at http://www.thepeoplesnocampaign.co.uk/

The People's No Campaign has grown out of the Metric Martyrs and the North East No Campaign (massively defeated Prescott in last year's elected assembly referendum).
The group also created the No Campaign against the European Constitution.
Neil Herron along with Steven Thoburn were European Campaigners of the Year in 2001 with the Metric Martyrs Campaign beating Head of the European Central Bank, Wim Duisenberg, and his launch of the Euro Notes and Coins.

More recent successes include the exposing of unlawful decriminalised parking regimes forcing the repayment of tens of thousands of pounds taken unlawfully from motorists.

Recent Press Reports:

Can this really be the end for the St. George Flag?

Ring of Stars Equal to Union Jack?