It can be seen as the banner of an empire that made white people feel superior to black people. For sections of the British public it represents outdated political and social beliefs: it can be read as the standard under which Ireland was annexed and subdued with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. To old soldiers on Remembrance Sunday, it calls to mind their comrades who died in two world wars so we could eat burgers and sniff glue, or just live in peace.īut if its history is the Union Jack's strength, it is also its weakness. To classic cars buffs it means great green vintage Bentleys racing the Blue Train from Paris to Marseilles in the 1920s (one did just that, and won).

If it does, are we the people happy with that meaning?įor some, an older generation, it symbolises a time of greater certainty, when Britain had an empire, the king was on his throne and a pound was worth a pound.

At the start of the 21st century what does the Union Jack represent? Indeed, in an era of devolution and internationalism, does the flag that earned its nickname because a 'jack-crosstree' was naval jargon for a flag flown from the bowsprit of a ship have any tangible meaning at all.

Union jack flag black and white