Ashbourne News Telegraph

When did being patriotic become such a bad thing?

Derbyshire Dales MP Sarah Dines looks forward to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebratio­ns PROUD TO FLY THE FLAG FOR QUEEN’S JUBILEE

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THIS weekend marks the central weekend of the celebratio­ns of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Her Majesty The Queen has given 70 years of service to our country and I am so excited to celebrate alongside constituen­ts at a jampacked weekend of celebratio­ns in Derbyshire Dales.

From street parties and “Big Jubilee Lunches” happening across the UK, to London’s Trooping the Colour, Service of Thanksgivi­ng, concert and pageant, the nation and commonweal­th will come together over four days to mark The Queen’s 70year reign.

I am so proud of our country and our Queen as the head of our great nation. Her resolve, strength, sense of humour and steadfastn­ess has been a constant part of my life.

No other British monarch has reached this milestone of a 70-year reign, and we will celebrate it with tradition, pomp, and circumstan­ce.

I recently posted on my Facebook a beautiful picture of Union flags flying in London, ahead of the Jubilee. The post garnered a lot of attention and a

To fly the Union Flag is not a racist act, it is an act of respect for our brilliant country and our Queen. Sarah Dines

lot of interactio­n.

The majority of comments were in support, from those looking forward to celebratin­g this fantastic event. Unfortunat­ely, some comments were quite the opposite. One thing that people raised is the suggestion that those that display our flag are somehow racist, or in the worse cases even likening the number of flags to Nazi propaganda.

I found this utterly disgusting and such a shame. When did being patriotic become such a bad thing?

Racism in all its forms it abhorrent and holds absolutely no place in society.

Tolerance, understand­ing, and acceptance are such important virtues which I think are held highly by the majority of people in the UK.

I am proud to be British, I am also vehemently against racism, and I believe very strongly that Great Britain is a fantastic country. To fly the Union flag is not a racist act, it is an act of respect for our brilliant country and our Queen.

I love seeing the flags and bunting outside homes whilst I am driving to and from meetings. There are so many fantastic events happening across Ashbourne and the surroundin­g villages this weekend and I hope to see some of you there - I hope the weather behaves. The Queen is the head of state, she has seen our country through incredibly dark times, happy times and everything in between. She has done so with grace and dignity.

I am so looking forward to celebratin­g this incredible milestone in her reign and to toast her along with my constituen­ts.

Long live the Queen.

 ?? ?? Union flags along Regent Street, in London, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
(Carl Court/getty Images)
Union flags along Regent Street, in London, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (Carl Court/getty Images)
 ?? ?? A patriotic British bulldog in Covent Garden
A patriotic British bulldog in Covent Garden

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