Originally Posted by
Zippity
This isn't having another go at Mids...we've had that discussion but that's a fair question so I'll expand on what I said earlier. The Confederate flag was always the symbol of an oppressive regime and will forever be a symbol of the worst aspects of those times. Whatever other values the 'South represented', they are not the ones being celebrated by those who fly it now. No, not every person who rallies behind the confederate flag is racist....but I suspect the vast majority of them are. Far right American groups all use it as an important symbol precisely because of what it represents. The flag of St Andrew is a positive symbol of pride in a nation who don't have that appalling background and hasn't been appropriated by racists.
To address Geordie's point, the flag of St George should be exactly the same as the Scottish saltire and a lot of positive work has gone into reclaiming it from the morons in the national front, etc because there's nothing wrong with being patriotic (the national front and their ilk have a very different interpretation of what patriotism means)