The Union flag is nothing to be ashamed of

Paul Morley, Ribblesdale Estate, Long Preston, Skipton.

David McKenna (‘Union flag a symbol of oppression’ – Letters, April 10) thinks I talk ludicrous twaddle and I’m sure many others do too. However, to patriotic people the flag of a nation represents that nation.

After all, when nations compete in events such as the Olympic Games what is at the forefront of the competing athletes? Yes, it’s their nation’s flag.

So, if I was so in horror of a country’s flag and therefore the country itself it would be the last place I would choose to go, unless of course I wanted to benefit from abusing that country’s benevolence or undermine its democracy from within.

Nor do I just mean illegal immigrants. These days there seems to be many people born and bred in this country who deem it a dreadful racist, discriminatory place with an appalling history of oppression.

Mr McKenna suggests I should read up on colonial conquest, massacres and state-sponsored looting. I assume that is the ludicrous twaddle that has been spread about in the last few years by many left-leaning cultural groups and universities.

Why is the British Empire the only one to be subject to all this opprobrium? Presumably because the dissenters know that they can get away with it in this country, free speech and all that and nobody prepared to stand up and put these people right.

Although you would not think it in the way the Empire is trashed today, all the countries that gained independence from Britain did so, with a few exceptions in a peaceable manner. This can’t be said for other European countries with empires around the world.

We have led the world in human rights, the rule of law and led the fight to stop the slave trade with great loss of life of our Navy personnel and a huge financial cost to the country, 1.8 per cent of GDP from 1808 to 1867.

For centuries people have flocked to this country as wealth or lack of it, sex and religion did not turn you into a pariah unlike in some other countries.

Finally, Mr McKenna then mentions Brexit and a nebulous sovereignty.

I find it immensely amusing that the only place I still hear mention of Brexit is in the Letters pageof this excellent newspaper.

In the pubs, restaurants and shops in my area it is not a topic of conversation, nor is it when I frequent the same places when I go down to London.

People have moved on, it is done, finished, the future beckons. I agree that it has not gone as well as expected but am not surprised.

Too many vested interests on both sides of the Channel who do not want it to succeed gumming up the works, ably assisted by all the useful idiots for Europe groups who won’t accept a democratic vote.

I wholly agree with the letter from Jarvis Browning printed on the same day about going back to a free trade deal without any political attachment which years ago we were told the EEC was going to be.

I love Europe, France is one of my favourite countries, but I don’t want to be ruled by them. Still must go, I’ve got ewes trying to lamb in a sea of mud, probably a consequence of Brexit!