Raising the flag

From the good old Union Jack to a personal banner depicting your own design, there are countless ways of setting your flag pole aflutter, but be sure to avoid flag cushions at all costs, cautions John F. Mueller

- John F. Mueller

THE thrill of visiting an historic site or official building is often heightened by the flamboyant fluttering of bright colours high above it, making some bold declaration that is sometimes lost to the uninitiated. During the past year alone, national joy and sorrow were expressed a great deal through the flying of flags. Their hoisting is a statement that anyone can make, but requires a few careful considerations to prevent an embarrassing faux pas.

Most likely to be used across the United Kingdom is the Union Jack or Flag. Its design layers the cross of St George (for England) above the crosses of St Andrew (Scotland) and St Patrick (Northern Ireland). Unfortunately, Wales does not get a look in, being a principality. The Flag Institute (www.flaginstitute. org) warns that ‘the Union Flag has a correct way up—in the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, the wider diagonal white stripe must be above the red diagonal stripe’—meaning that Scotland takes precedence over Ireland. And despite their growing popularity in interiors, ‘it is improper to use national flags as a table or seat cover,’ as the Institute points out. A serious vexillologist—someone who studies flags —abhors their use as anything but a flag, out of respect. Those Union Jack cushion covers may seem very patriotic, but you are actually sitting on a national symbol. Sorry.