You may have seen the news that the UK Government has spent £163,000 on union flags in two years. Mr Sheppard said people would find it odd that spending on flags was increasing in the middle of a public health crisis. The spending, he said, was a “deliberate ploy by the government to use the union flag to promote its political ends” and that “patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel”. Mr Sheppard is right that the UK Government is using flags for political ends. And if they see politicians – Scottish, British, or both – using flags for political ends, they are likely to react against it.

Source: The Herald August 09, 2021 03:56 UTC