The Disunion Jack
It struck me today that if the Scottish people decide to go for independence, and break away from the United Kingdom, then the rest of the Union will need a new flag. A referendum to this effect could take place during the course of the current Scottish Parliament, given that the SNP has an overall majority at Holyrood. The Scots, of course, will simply revert to the flag of St. Andrew:
And good luck to them. But St Andrew's Cross is also a constituent of the Union Flag, or Union Jack (people argue the toss over the correct nomenclature):
The other two constituents are St George's Cross (the English Flag) and St Patrick's Cross (of Ireland), respectively:
Which begs the question of what the new Union Flag would look like, post-Scottish Independence. Modelled on the old flag, it will surely look like this:
And yes, I did have too much time on my hands this evening!
Would this new flag be called the Disunion Jack? Would it immediately replace the Union Flag currently in use all over the world? I find it curious that this issue has not been considered more. After all, the Union Jack has a cultural impact that goes beyond its symbolic value. It stands for British values, both home and abroad.
Red, White and Blue is an essential admixture of colour for our united flag, I would have thought. Perhaps politicians will get around this issue by accrediting the blue background of the Union Flag to the field of blue in the European Flag:
After all, the importance of the European Union seems to trump national identity of individual European nations these days. Perhaps all of the national flags need looking at, given that context? That notwithstanding, it would surely be a brave British politician who suggests the flag of the E.U. as an essential component of a new Union Flag! In which case, I wonder what else they - and we - would they decide upon?
The Star-Spangled Union Flag
Post-Brexit re-shuffling could still see Scotland going it's own way, Europe-bound. England, on the other hand, looks across the Atlantic to our American cousins, who also seem keen to pick up our old kindred ties with the election of Mr Trump. Perhaps this new Union flag reflects that particular direction of travel.
Written by Andy Lloyd, 1st December 2011 & 17th January 2017
author of 'The Dark Star' (2005), 'Ezekiel One' (2009), 'The Followers of Horus' (2010) and 'Darker Stars' (2019)
Published by Timeless Voyager Press
