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Keir Starmer faces discontent as Labour MPs reject union jack election flyers
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2024
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UK Politics
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Maybe waving the flag a bit more would have helped capture those people that don't think beyond it? Does no harm, surely?
Harm would potentially be. Huge number of people who associate it with nationalism.
Parties like BNP EDL etc have given the idea a bad taste. Add the negativity that the "Soverienty" crap during brexit caused. Means there is a sizable % of voters. Seeing its use in political ads as negative.
Given the tory party media seems to be selecting articles designed to reduce labour turn out. I imagine many labour MPs are thinking why the hell help them.
A huge (and arguably huger) number of people associate it with the UK.
The national flag, and any other symbol, only become the territory of extremists if we cede those symbols to them. The flag can equally represent any number of positive visions of the UK and it’s values, and Labour should be well placed to do that if they stake a claim to it.
This is a valid viewpoint, but arguing what should be the case versus what is the case has to be a measured risk in politics.
Yes, the flag can represent positive values however in the UK specifically, the fact is that there is already a strong connotation of jingoism, nationalism, and imperialism associated with waving it, for the left wing in particular.
Thefore Starmer should know that while this decision may succeed in attracting positive public attention from those in the centre/right, many on the left will have a strong, innate, negative reaction and you can't dismiss that reaction by saying simply telling people "you shouldn't feel that way."