THERE was a time, presumably, when Gary Neville wasn’t quite so offended by the sight of our national flags as he now appears to be.
When he was playing his 85 games for England I don’t remember him storming up into the stands to rip down St George’s Crosses or Union Jacks waved by enthusiastic fans, nor objecting to men, women and children who joined in the fun by painting red crosses on their faces.
In a video he posted online he boasted of how he had ordered a Union Flag to be taken down[/caption]
A flag raised outside Gary’s Hotel Football[/caption]
The former Manchester United and England footballer owes a fair slice of his fortune to patriotism.
It would have been pretty lonely playing for England had no one turned up to share in the displays of national pride that are England football matches, and a lot less financially rewarding for Neville himself.
Now he is retired from the game and has reinvented himself as a property developer trying to sell posh apartments, however, it seems to be a different matter.
I might well down tools
In a video he posted online he boasted of how he had ordered a Union Flag put up by construction workers at a block of flats his company is building in Manchester to be taken down.
To justify his actions, he claimed that the flag is being used by “angry middle-aged white men” in a “negative fashion”.
Quite how you fly a Union Flag negatively I am not sure.
The offending banner seems to have been hoisted on a pole, just like any other.
And nor was it being flown as part of an anti-migrant protest, if that is what he was afraid of.
Apparently, there was also a Moldovan flag being flown at the site — presumably put up by an overseas construction worker who was proud of his own country.
Neville doesn’t seem to have been upset by that one, though.
If I were one of Neville’s workers I’m not sure I would take kindly to being branded an “angry, middle-aged white man”.
In fact, I might well down tools and picket the site.
Given that Neville is a keen advocate of trade unionism, who once called striking workers “good people” on a day they had brought the rail system to a standstill, I am sure he would understand.
Now Neville is fishing around in the upmarket end of the property business, perhaps he feels comfortable turning his back on the working-class supporters who helped make him rich.
There won’t be too many of his former fans who would be able to afford to take up residence at his latest development.
A price tag of £350,000 has been put on the cheapest flats — around ten times the average annual earnings of a British worker. The price of the penthouses, meanwhile, has been put at £6million.
The signs outside his Manchester development speak volumes about the buyers Neville is trying to attract.
There is no other country in the world which views its national flag with such self-loathing.
Ross Clark
One, advertising the retail outlets which will be going on the ground floor, promises “authentic and generous Italian feasting”, while another woos passers-by with the prospect of “ethically sourced and expertly crafted speciality coffee”.
But even if I had the money, I am not sure that I would want to be one of his wealthy customers any more than I would want to be one of his construction workers.
If he is going to object to a fluttering Union Flag, is he going to object to residents’ choice of decor, too?
God forbid any buyer who puts up some red, white and blue curtains while Neville’s company still owns the freehold to the block. Neville is lording it over his manor like a feudal chief.
No doubt he thinks he can earn himself virtue points in “enlightened” liberal circles by jumping on the bandwagon of showing disdain at the sight of people flying our national flag.
Raise a St George’s Cross or Union Flag, in their view, and it means you must be a simpleton and a racist — unless of course you are a Labour Cabinet minister waving a flag at your party conference in an attempt to “reclaim” the flag for good and decent people.
There is no other country in the world which views its national flag with such self-loathing.
Palestinian symbols
In Germany, the national flag even flutters from allotments.
You can’t look over the skyline of Istanbul without seeing enormous Turkish flags.
The Norwegian flag can be seen even on isolated farms.
And don’t get me started on how those self-same liberals who are offended by Britain’s national colours are quite happy going around waving Palestinian flags.
Councils who have eagerly gone around tearing down St George’s Crosses on the grounds they are apparently a safety risk have been remarkably more tolerant towards Palestinian symbols.
It must look weird from abroad to see people like Neville cringing at the sight of his own national flag.
Britain consistently comes out in studies as one of the least racist countries on Earth.
More of us say we would be happy to have a neighbour of a different race, or to work alongside people from another country, than in virtually any other nation.
So, no, we have no reason to be ashamed of our flag.
On the contrary, we have every reason to fly it proudly from our homes and workplaces — if only the likes of Gary Neville will let us.
