Better to wave flags than burn them as we leave EU tomorrow

Avast crowd gathers, leaving a small, central circle clear for the ritual. Into the space step a couple of official burners. Flags of the UK and USA on sticks are produced and set alight, to the delight of the yelling spectators.

We have watched these ceremonials across the Middle East and beyond for decades. They are performed almost as a weird religious rite whenever vehement protest erupts.

What fascinates me is where do they source the flags? They are obviously not importing Union Jacks and Stars and Stripes from the West.

I have this fantastical image of groups of wizened Madame Defarge types running up dozens of banners under contracts with insurgent groups or terrorist regimes so that adequate stocks are always to hand ready for an incendiary display. Perhaps they are soaked in petrol to ignite large, leaping flames? More probably, those flags for arson purposes are purchased from China where just about everything is available and for sale.

We have witnessed in this country flag burnings by foreign protest groups outside the embassies of rogue regimes.

However, I do hope that Brexiteers will desist from firing EU flags tomorrow night when we detach ourselves from European control. There is something distasteful and un-british about destroying any supposedly unifying symbol, even when it belongs to an amorphous grouping like the European Union.

Far better to wave or fly our national flags on such a momentous occasion, and bin those flags no longer relevant or applicable.

Of course it will take years to remove the Euro symbol from car number plates and replace them with any of the three individual national flags or the Union Jack.

■ In the run-up to tomorrow’s parting of the ways there has been much chatter about bonging Big Ben, ringing church bells and lighting beacons. Much of this won’t happen.

It was very different when we entered the then-named EEC 46 years ago. All sorts of celebratory functions were held to mark the occasion. One of the biggest events was a football international at Wembley between the three joiners against the six EEC founders at the old Wembley Stadium on January 3, 1973. The Three won 2-0 with goals by Jensen and Stein. The crowd numbered only 36,500. This was probably the only occasion that such stars as Pat Jennings, Johnny Giles and Bobby Moore appeared in the same international team. There will be no similar fixture between the One and the Twenty Seven this January.

■ The worst weather cliche, beloved by all forecasters, is the ridiculous phrase “as we head through”, used five times in one two-minute forecast recently. Why use four words when one will suffice – "during” being that shunned word!