A new republican flag has been designed to represent a new republican identity in a new England. The colours identify with the most important popular struggles that have shaped England’s parliamentary democracy. The tricolour design connects England with the the UK’s ‘next door neighbours’, Ireland and France who both fly tricolours. Lesser-known republican tricolour flags are also used in Wales and Scotland. The three vertical stripes stand for a society which values liberty, equality and solidarity. This is a secular and republican flag and points to a future England founded on the sovereignty of the people; at present we live under the sovereignty of the crown and its anti-democratic powers.
St George was a Christian royalist. The St George’s cross is associated with the crusaders and although some sections of the left and of English society have tried to reverse this, it has strong connotations to the English far right. According to some interpretations, the dragon symbolises feminine energy, which is annihilated by the aristocratic patriarch chevalier. Its time to do away with this barbaric medievalism.
Peter Howson - Seht Ich Mache alles neu - 2018
Peter Howson - “Were War Der Tor”- 2017
The new republican flag goes back deeper in time, to the pre-Christian and primordial era. Specifically the red stripe is linked with anthropologist Chris Knight’s idea of the role of early women and red’s cultural symbolism. Archaeology has also shown that red ochre decoration was one of the earliest forms of artistic human creativity and expression.
Following this prehistorical symbolism, the flag’s historical referencing then jumps forward to the Levellers, the democratic party of the English Revolution in the 1600s. Levellers formed the most advanced pro-democratic wing in the New Model Army. They identified themselves by sea-green ribbons worn on their clothing.
This thread continues to run, stopping next at the Chartist movement of the 1800s and the Suffragettes of the 1900s, the most important popular struggles that have shaped England’s parliamentary democracy, fighting for the vote. Both the Chartists and the Suffragettes had their own tricolours, and the new English flag pays homage to them by essentially amalgamating their flags.
The Chartist tricolour was Red, White, and Green (top to bottom, horizontal
stripes). Coincidentally this is now the Hungarian flag, except for a different
shade of green.
The Suffragetes’ tricolour was Green, White and Violet/Purple (Give, Women,
Votes). It is still in use, for example by the WASPI.
So to be clear:
Red for a social republic (Chartists),
Purple for the Suffragettes,
Green for the Levellers
(although green also represents a concern for the environment, as well as England’s Irish community, who did so much to advance republican and internationalist thought).
We can therefore reject the butcher's apron union jack and its components, and instead adopt new republican flags for these islands. From top to bottom: Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England.
Peter Howson - Dongfreng [East Wing] - 2015
Yeh,I like the idea of opening up a discussion on how symbols/culture feed into and nurture the republican debate.I think the Calton Hill declaration is also worth looking at again. Nice visual link up with the text.
ReplyDeleteMy Irish grandfather,Peter, (according to my big cousin, Margaret) was reputed to say that wherever the Union Jack flew there was bloodshed.
George Mackin, yes, Peter's observation is reflected in the Union Jack's less affectionate nickname -- the Butchers' Apron. Those who disagree should explain why, even today, the UK government prefers to deploy 145 military bases in 42 countries, for its "forward-facing strategy", rather than focus its ample resources on saving the lives of its nearly 100,000 citizens dead from Covid-19 -- the virus defeated by New Zealand's government months ago, with few fatalities ... and no foreign military bases.
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