Viewpoint: More views on flag campaign debate

People want fairness and equality for all

Driving along yesterday I saw a British flag flying and felt happy and proud.

I love Maidenhead and have lived here all my life.

I do not seek to ridicule those who put the flag up or label them as xenophobic.

It is easy for people who have a high wage and maybe a university class education to think they are superior than those with less money and education.

However usually they aren’t kinder and their distain is often targeted at those living in the council estate they drive past on their way to work in their luxury car from their expensive house in a safe private residence.

How about seeing things from others perspective?

It takes a certain level of intelligence and compassion but it can be done.

I feel, from having worked within the NHS as a doctor, volunteered at homeless shelters and set up community groups, that what people want is fairness, equality for ALL, understanding, support, shelter, safety, community cohesion, belonging and to feel cared for and even loved.

When they see people who are visitors to the country, some illegal, being given warmth, shelter, food, access to GPs, dentists, exercise classes, computer classes, they merely want the same.

They don’t want it denied to those who come here but access for all and putting up the British flag is a plea from British people for fairness and justice.

When they hear about British people being given lengthy prison sentences for a tweet, they want to see the gangs of people who perpetrated sexual violence, abuse and exploitation to young vulnerable girls to go to prison, not walk away scot-free.

When they know that hundreds of undocumented refugees are warm every night in their hotel rooms they want to know that their granddad who fought for our freedom can afford to put their heating on and stay warm after his winter fuel payment was just cut off.

It’s human nature to want the same treatment as those around you. They want access to a GP, a dentist, good food, safety for their children.

Let us come together in a spirit of unity, love and mutual support for one another, ensuring that every soul from the long standing resident to the new arrival is able to receive everything they need.

Together we can enrich the very heart of Maidenhead flying the flag for British unity together.

MICHAEL LACAREN

Maidenhead

‘His Master’s Voice’

Jump to the command of the multi-billionaire!

Unelected, with obscene wealth: what does he care?

Stinking-rich and entitled he may be.

Tesla and Twitter may bend the knee.

Maybe we should join his oligarchy!

Unimportant man seeks to undermine democracy:

Stoking violence and spouting fear.

Keep your division: we don’t want it here!

JAY FLYNN

Moneyrow Green

Holyport

We are nuanced and complex individuals

When can we get our country back from the people who want their country back?

One of the most frustrating things about recent campaigns and discourse is the arrogant attempt by some individuals to take ownership of what it means to be British or English.

Many – but I stress, not all – of the supporters of these movements want to claim a monopoly on patriotism and dismiss anyone who disagrees with their point of view as ‘leftist’ or ‘woke’, and sometimes far worse.

The reality is no one can claim ownership of the meaning of Englishness, because what it means is personal to each of us.

If you look at our recent history, we, as a nation, tend to be quite a moderate bunch. Some lean right, others right, while others have far more extreme views.

But dig deeper and you will see a collection of incredibly complex individuals, capable of nuance and views that can sometimes seem contradictory, particularly on issues such as immigration.

We can recognise our society would not function without immigration but believe successive governments have failed on immigration policy.

We can want to ‘stop the boats’, but because of the dangerous gangs who see human lives as a commodity, not because of the individuals who make the crossing.

We can believe housing asylum seekers in hotels is deeply flawed but not want to send everyone living in these hotels ‘back where they came from’.

We can want people who come to these shores to speak our language and follow our customs, but also celebrate their culture and heritage in a way that enriches our diverse society.

We are all individuals, and many of us want to be patriotic in our own way.

A person who chooses to fly an English flag in their garden or from their window may not share the same views as someone who chooses to paint a St George’s Cross on a roundabout, and that’s ok.

Some may be wary of outwardly showing their English pride, because of what others may presume about them.

This is not because of the ‘woke brigade’ or ‘legacy/mainstream media’, but because of those who seek to hijack the abstract meaning of Englishness to push their agendas.

We should be able to celebrate our history and all the things we have achieved as a nation and be patriotic on our own terms.

Your opinion of what makes this nation great is down to the individual, not a binary choice of ‘us’ vs ‘them’.

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