Fly The Flag / Hunting / Achmed The Dead Terrorist

It seems the issue of whether or not the town council should fly the Union Flag from the Town Hall rumbles on. The matter first arose around the time that local councillors became aware that a by-election in Calne's Lickhill ward was possibly going to be held and was raised by UKIP councillors at a full town council meeting. The majority of the town's councillors voted against the motion tabled by a UKIP councillor and it later transpired it was on the grounds the costs in doing so were prohibitive.

It's interesting to view the Minutes from the November council meeting when this matter was discussed to see that whilst in section 68.3 under the title of Christmas Opening Times 2007/2008 - it was proposed by the Town Mayor, Councillor R Golding and seconded by Councillor C M Boase and UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to give Town Council staff an extra day holiday on Thursday 27 December 2007 in recognition of all their hard work.... under section 70.2 where it was proposed by Councillor J R Ireland and seconded by Councillor D A Bland that "now the rules relating to the flying of the Union flag have been relaxed and that the flying of the same is being encouraged by the Prime Minister on all Government buildings and Town Halls in the United Kingdom, that this Council flies the Union Flag from the Town Hall on a daily basis", a vote was taken and the proposal fell due to lack of support. I wonder what the voters would think if they knew that the council staff, who I am sure do work very hard, were given an extra day off, paid for by council tax payers, yet the councillors refused to fund the flying of the Union flag?

I think there is no argument here and the town should fly the flag, as should all towns. I wouldn't be a card-carrying Nationalist if I thought otherwise. When all other countries in the world seem to have no qualms in flying their own flags and proudly proclaiming they are of whatever nationality they happen to be, it somewhat rankles that local British councillors can make the decision whether or not their national flag should be flown, particularly when I believe the local townsfolk would overwhelmingly support this.

Call me cynical if you like but I find it a little strange that the issue had not been raised before, particularly when the councillors had been in post since, at least, May 2007! Perhaps those in the Town Council are awaiting instructions to fly that appalling rag that the European Union has adopted.

Readers of this blog will know of my support for fox-hunting, so I felt it only proper to report on the following which most people will not hear about. Hunting groups have been targeted by anti-blood sport activists with a string of attacks in which three venues in Gloucestershire were vandalised in the early hours of Sunday as part of a protest on the eve of the third anniversary of the Hunting Act. Protesters daubed graffiti across the outbuildings of Beaufort Kennels, Badminton House and also vandalised premises belonging to the Vale of the White Horse Hunt and the Cotswold Hunt groups, both in Cirencester.

A police spokesman said: "Anti-hunt slogans were painted and a number of vehicles were damaged." The Animal Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for the attacks with their spokesman Robin Webb, saying "I am confident it would be the work of ALF activists because so many hunts have ignored the intent of the hunting ban." What a splendid organisation, hiding their faces and carrying out cowardly attacks as they do, perhaps these people should get a life or at least get a job!

And finally, on a lighter note meet Achmed the Dead Terrorist