Change the flag - Yes or No?

[blobbyblob]

From todays Indo online

[Not here because the poster didn't read the rules. No comment on giving any sort of credence at all to an article by a talentless hack like Myers. --dahamsta]

[jebus]

I would say yes with a I don't care tag, but because Kevin Myers wrote that I'll say No with a Please shoot him tag*

* Incidentally I didn't read the piece as I can't stand that muppet so I don't know whether he is saying it should or shouldn't be changed, probably he is saying it should because Irish people are pond life, or some other nonsense. Honestly how even a rag like the Indo thinks that Myers 'bad publicity is better than any publicity' approach to journalism is okay is beyond me

[John83]

Moreover, which one of us can instantly identify the German flag from the Belgian, the Dutch from the Italian, the Luxemburgese from the Portuguese?

Me. Seriously, what kind of retard doesn't recognise the Portuguese flag?

[Schumi]

what kind of retard doesn't recognise the Portuguese flag?

The Azorean Liberation Front?

[noby]

What a load of crap. "I think we should change our flag because (a) someone else is talking about doing it and (b) it's a boring colour scheme"

[First]

Just turn it around and you have the Ivory coast flag , which I had to explain to a mate as he headed into a rant about the tri-colour being displayed in the Stanford Bridge crowd.

[Torn-Ado]

Kevin Myers wrote that.

Enough said.

[Torn-Ado]

And by the way, I always felt that Ireland has a good flag that is easy on the eye. Nice bright and colours that aren't the very common on other flags (India, Ivory coast apart).

[First]

I think the skull and cross bones would be an ideal replacement for the tri-colour , can't you just see it flying above the Dail.

[Lionel Ritchie]

I think he's on a Wind Up here and, while I've no irrational attachment to our flag, I'm not going to take the bait on any of his subjective issues ...just a couple of matter of factual ones...

A flag has to have a strong symbol, or has to consist of at least one strong primary colour: black/red/blue.

Black is not a primary colour.

Moreover, not having a prime colour, it is visually not particularly interesting;

I think he means Primary again here ...I also notice White is good enough for the UJ and S&S but not for us.

Moreover, which one of us can instantly identify the German flag from the Belgian, the Dutch from the Italian, the Luxemburgese from the Portuguese? A medley of stripes: meaningless.

...anyone who wasn't on the mitch from fourth class Geography can separate any of those and name them instantly I'd say. Would he rather the germans reverted to their previous flag? It had lots of that Primary Red he likes as well as a strong motif in black on white ...both of which he seems to believe are primaries too.

not least because all the best flags in the world, as above, contain it): or a brilliant gold harp on the madder-red hue of the Donnebrog.

Nice logic. No-one from this neck of the woods has ever stumbled differenciating a Morrocan Flag from a Turkish or Albanian one.

Now, since hearts are involved in such matters, it is unlikely that a reasonable discussion could take place on the removal of the tricolour as the national flag of Ireland.

A lynching, perhaps; a rational conversation, hardly. Yet our flag is the least prepossessing and recognisable of any in Europe.

Well he's hardly starting one here then. Though for what it's worth I tend to agree that this country has not reached a point where flags could or indeed should be top of an agenda.

[centre mid]

The Azorean Liberation Front?

potm

[superfrank]

Poruguese flag isn't a tri-colour either.

I like the flag the way it is. I would like to see the harp in the white field but I have no problem whatsoever with the colours and, as he says, not all republicans are accepting of the protestants in this country but I think of it more as a sign that we hould be able to set aside our differences over religious/sectarian issues especially when religion doesn't have such a stranglehold on the country anymore.

[Pauro 76]

Im ok with the flag. No point changing it just for the sake of it. And Myers would just claim the credit if we did change it. Good reason to stay put so. Off topic, is it true that India chose the colours of the Irish flag for theirs when they became independent from Britain? Not sure where i heard that from..

[pineapple stu]

No mention of the Indian link on wikipedia anyways.

Article merely proves Kevin Myers is an idiot. Thought he was going to go into something about national unity (even though the tricolour is all-representative), but no, he wants to change 150 years of tradition and history because he doesn't like the colours. Superb.

[strangeirish]

Brief mention from Wikipedia under 'Flag of India'

'To address Mahatma Gandhi's concerns, another new flag was indeed designed. This tricolour featured white on top, green in the centre and red at the bottom, symbolising the minority religions, Muslims and Hindus respectively, with a "Charkha" drawn across all three bands. Parallels were drawn with the fact that it closely resembled the Flag of Ireland, symbol of the other major freedom struggle against the British Empire.[1] This flag was first unfurled at the congress party meeting in Ahmedabad. Although this flag was not adopted as the official flag of the Indian National Congress party, it was nevertheless widely used during the freedom movement.'