Enter the Dragon?

According to the BBC, an interesting debate has been sparked off in the House of Commons. It appears that Wrexham's Labour MP - Ian Lucas, has called for the Dragon of Wales to appear on the Union Flag.

Peterborough's Tory MP - Stewart Jackson has opposed the idea and labelled it as "eccentric" and unpopular.

However, I'm all for it. The intellectual legalists will argue of course that Wales is technically a principality and not a full blooded country... so there is no need. Crusty traditionalists will be opposed because "it's been like this for 207 years and hasn't needed changing, so why change now?" However, we refer to Wales as a "home nation" in our sports... and most people seem to culturally identify Wales as a country if you talk to them. So surely this weakens the former argument. The latter argument against - the traditionalist one, isn't even a supported one. It's just an opinion based solely on personal feeling.

I actually think sticking a dragon on the front of our flag will give it attitude... I also believe Wales has a right to be represented on the flag. It's not right that we treat the Cymru as cultural pets. They are equal brothers in my view. This is something that should be debated. Okay lets not spend years arguing over it, but we should have a genuine open debate to see what the general consensus is.

State of the Union Address

No... not the President of the United State's annual speech, but my own thoughts and concerns about the state of the relationship between the nations that make up the United Kingdom.

It all started this afternoon when I read the main story on the BBC News website:

UK's existence is at risk - Brown

From reading that, I started to browse the comments in the "Have Your Say" page relating to the story, I even left a comment myself.

What I read there saddened me greatly.

There are clearly a lot of angry people on either side of the England/Scotland border. Those who are Scottish are angry that they do not have a fully independent identity and economy. Meanwhile, those who are English are angry at the amount of Scottish MP's voting on matters that only affect England... and the payment of large subsidies to support the Scottish economy.

I'm not with either of those groups.

I am perhaps one of the most unusual pro-union people I know. I identify myself as British, not English. I love my brothers and sisters in Scotland and Wales and feel more connected to our common Celtic heritage, than I do to the stereotypical Edwardian idea of Englishness. In my eyes... we are one.

It's like a marriage that is starting to go a sour. The parents argue and the children are forced to choose which parent they wish to go with; whilst the loudmouthed angry nationalists on either side of the fence are quick to boast of their proud choices, they pay little heed to those of us who would feel orphaned by such a choice.... and I'm not talking genetics here (both my parents are of Anglo-Saxon stock), I'm talking about social identity.

Should the day come when a national divorce occurs (and I do not believe such a thing could ever be wrought peaceably), I won't be flying the cross of St. George first and foremost... I will still treasure the Union flag above it...

...even if it means I am the last of the British.