The Flags We Fly: Reclaiming the Narrative of the Union and St. George's Cross. By Dusty Wentworth
When you see the Union Flag or the St. George’s Cross, what do you feel—pride, shame, or discomfort? For some, these banners stir a deep sense of belonging and identity. For others, they evoke the darkest shadows of empire, racism, and exclusion. And for too many, they have been reduced to weapons in today’s culture wars. But a flag is never just a piece of cloth. It is a story—woven from centuries of triumph and tragedy, moments of courage and moments of cruelty. To abandon these symbols to extremists is to let them define our national story for us. To reclaim them is to face our past honestly, and to use them as beacons of unity, resilience, and hope. The Union Flag: A Symbol of Unity, Forged in History The Union Flag, often referred to as the Union Jack, represents centuries of evolving political and cultural union across the British Isles. Its story begins in 1606 with the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I. The need for a flag to repres...