Speaking to his local publication this week, Burnley MP Oliver Ryan began his statement about flags being hung from lamp posts with a trigger warning for right-leaning voters – and told his audience the following; “If you’re reading this, preparing to be outraged”…
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Labour MP says its ‘time to take flags down’
Given the state of the discourse on this matter, he was right to pre-empt a backlash. The performative ‘patriotism’ has been a huge source of division in recent months. People across the UK have hung Union Jacks and St. George’s crosses from lamp posts and bridges, with mixed motivations.
Some have claimed a sense of pride in seeing the national flags flutter limply in the wind. Others have done it purely to express their views on both migration and ‘integration’. Even a number of Reform-led councils have spent tens of thousands of pounds on flying the colours.
But Oliver Ryan, who represents Labour in the north-west heartlands, has gone public with a rather uncomfortable truth. No matter what emotions these flags stir within someone, after months of neglect and deteriorating weather conditions, they now look worse for wear.
‘Tacky, grotty, silly’
Attempting to diplomatically address the issue, Ryan has stated that ‘many constituents’ have now branded the flags as ‘eyesores’. He has labelled them as ‘tacky and grotty’, questioning the patriotism behind letting these flags wilt so miserably as the weeks have ticked by…
“I’m as patriotic as the next person, I’ve had a Union Flag on my office since I was elected, but lets be honest, the flags on the lamp posts look grotty, it’s time for them to go. It is not patriotic to have tatty, scruffy flags up on every lamp post, barely waving, looking shabby and almost post-apocalyptic.”
“It’s not welcoming to visitors, and lets be honest, it looks silly now. They look a tip. I’ve seen something which started off fine become a scruffy, tatty mess on every lamp post – half hanging off, stuck in bushes, stuck in grids and railings, or just plainly littering perfectly nice areas.” | Oliver Ryan
Oliver Ryan wants to ‘clean up mess’ left by flags
The reaction has been varied on social media. Whereas Ryan has received praised for his outspoken views, others have lambasted his criticism of the displays. But the politician is sticking to his guns, and insists his main motivation is to stop Burnley ‘looking like a mess’.
“For a minority, it was an attempt to scare people… and fight an imaginary battle against those ‘who don’t like our flag’, though I’m yet to meet any of those people. Our absent local Reform county councillors seem all to be well up for the area looking a mess, but I’m not.” | Oliver Ryan