Around two weeks ago I was contacted by a number of Airdrie residents who were shocked to find that the Scottish flag had been replaced by the British flag on the flagpole at the West End Park in Airdrie, and it was, if I recall correctly, the only permanently displayed saltire in Airdrie on any council park or property. I contacted the Labour leader of North Lanarkshire Council Jim Logue, who was very helpful and who informed me that having spoken to someone representing ‘Friends of West End Park’ group who maintain the park with the permission of the council, that our national flag would be replaced as soon as one could be sourced. I was therefore disappointed to be contacted yesterday by someone who had written to the group, who made me aware that they had reneged on the agreement with North Lanarkshire Council and had decided to keep the British flag flying instead.Having seen the letter they sent, I have to say that I was concerned at their actions and am unconvinced as to the motivations behind their decision.They state that the group is non-political and non-sectarian, but that doesn’t mean that you can be blind to the political and sectarian connotations linked to the British flag, and one would have had to be living under a rock to have missed them. The saltire which flew there was something all our community had no argument over, and its removal coincides with British Government attempts to rebrand much of Scotland with the British flag in a programme of “Union-Jackery”, so it is understandable why people cannot simply accept this is simply an innocent misunderstanding.As a former member of the armed forces who used to parade every year with the Royal Engineers on Remembrance Sunday, I do not believe that the wishes of a few veterans and their families should be given greater consideration than the entire community of Airdrie. The British Nationalist community does have a particular focus on a few key areas, such as the flying of the British flag, year-round poppy displays and veterans causes, so the decision to remove the saltire and replace it with the British must be viewed in that context. The British flag is after all displayed prominently on Remembrance Sunday already and the cenotaph serves as a constant memorial on the other 365 days of the year. There was simply no need to replace the Scottish flag in the West End Park in Airdrie, which is not part of the cenotaph footprint and is separated by the main A89 road and a junction.The timing of this also seems suspicious, just weeks before our national team takes part in its first major football tournament in over twenty years. As towns and cities across England prepare to hoist the St George’s Cross, Airdrie has run the Butcher’s Apron up the pole. We might as well fly a white flag instead. While the community is grateful for the good work done in maintaining the West End Park this decision is out of step with previous work by the Friends of West End Park Group and is creating division where there does not need to be any.
An Independent Scotsman 