Town Flag Options

[motormad]

A flag costs £15 to make and can be designed in a web graphics designers spare in-hours working time in a week.

[Andy Capp]

A flag costs £15 to make and can be designed in a web graphics designers spare in-hours working time in a week.

Sure, if you want one that looks like it has, but I'm sure Mr Swift-Hook et al. will find a way to make it more expensive.

[Simon Kirby]

Must admit I'm not convinced we need a flag BUT if the Council had gone about it the way you suggest and properly involved the community; Newbury Society, local Arts College, etc. etc. they would probably have got the job done for nothing, been provided with a real rationale for its design and, most of all, generated some significant community involvement and civic pride.

It really is an excellent opportunity for all of those things isn't it.

[Simon Kirby]

I surprised that Simon is such a flag enthusiast, considering what they represent and their original purpose.

I like flags, they're a colourful and fun way of asserting and celebrating identity. For sure, despotic ideas have also been promoted and identified with flags, but my feeling is that celebrating the positive aspects of identity, culture, and belonging is a good thing. Newbury is the town where I live and I want to celebrate its culture and distinctiveness.

[Simon Kirby]

Sure, if you want one that looks like it has, but I'm sure Mr Swift-Hook et al. will find a way to make it more expensive.

It's almost £200 just for the planning permission to fly it from the town hall - assuming WBC grants them permission.

[Andy Capp]

I like flags, they're a colourful and fun way of asserting and celebrating identity. For sure, despotic ideas have also been promoted and identified with flags, but my feeling is that celebrating the positive aspects of identity, culture, and belonging is a good thing. Newbury is the town where I live and I want to celebrate its culture and distinctiveness.

They are colourful, but I think flags represent dominion and conflict.

[NWNREADER]

They are colourful, but I think flags represent dominion and conflict.

You do? The Swiss flag (a country which has never gone to war)?

[user23]

You do? The Swiss flag (a country which has never gone to war)?

What about the flag of the Red Cross, also?

[Andy Capp]

You do? The Swiss flag (a country which has never gone to war)?

That depends on what you call Switzerland, but it still represents dominion. But of course, there will be examples of flags of peace, but I talking about what their primary use has been.

What about the flag of the Red Cross, also?

Do you know what inspired the Red Cross movement?

[NWNREADER]

That depends on what you call Switzerland, but it still represents dominion. But of course, there will be examples on flags of peace, but I talking about what their primary use has been.


Do you know what inspired the Red Cross movement?

1. The Swiss Confederation borders have barely changed since the Cantons came together (not always in peace) in 1848, after 500 years of broad co-operation.

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International...escent_Movement does for me......

I always believed the prime purpose of an identifier was 'here I am' as much as 'this is mine, stay away'.

[Andy Capp]

1. The Swiss Confederation borders have barely changed since the Cantons came together (not always in peace) in 1848, after 500 years of broad co-operation.

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International...escent_Movement does for me......

I always believed the prime purpose of an identifier was 'here I am' as much as 'this is mine, stay away'.

Don't be an aerosol Newbs.

[Simon Kirby]

They are colourful, but I think flags represent dominion and conflict.

Yes, flags have been used to do that, but as User illustrates flags have been used positively too. I think you're confusing the message for the messenger. Flags are just a means of asserting a message. It happens that sometimes the message is pugnacious, hateful or domineering, but the message can also be one of belonging, inclusivity, distinctiveness, respect, and pride. I accept that people can be offended or challenged when others assert their identity, belief, affiliation, loyalty, admiration, support, etc by flag or any other means, but I believe in qualified freedom of expression, and I don't accept that flying a flag that celebrates Newbury's excellence and distinctiveness can reasonably cause offence.

Though it does depend on the flag, and the design that the town council have come up with doesn't celebrate Newbury's excellence and distinctiveness, it asserts the tyranny, fogyism, and crapulence of the town council, and that's just rubbish.

So I really like the idea of a flag to celebrate what's good about Newbury, and I think the Newbury Society should engage the local schools and colleges and come up with a great one.

[Squelchy]

You do? The Swiss flag (a country which has never gone to war)?

*cough*

1460 Swiss Conquest of the Thurgau

1468 Swiss-Habsburg War

1474-1477 Burgundian War

1499 Swabian War

1499-1504 Milanese and Neapolitan War

1508-1509 War of the League of Cambrai

1510-1516 War of the Holy League

1513 Luzern Peasant War

1529 First War of Kappel War between Zürich and the
Five Cantons

1531 Second War of Kappel War between Zürich and the Five Cantons

1536 Bernese Conquest of Geneva

1563-1700

1620-1637 Graubünden Troubles

1653 Swiss Peasant War Peasant Rebellion against overtaxation, starting in Luzern, spreading into Bern, Solothurn, Basel

1656 First War of Villmergen Swiss civil war fought between Reformed, Catholic cantons

1712 Second War of Villmergen Swiss civil war fought between Reformed, Catholic cantons

1789-1815 ..... go to narrative history of Switzerland Helvetic Republic, 1798-1803, 1803-1815

1799-1801 Second War of the Coalition , Switzerland battleground

1802 Swiss Rebellion Uprising of traditionally dominant cantons against Helvetic Republic

1847 Sonderbund War, Swiss civil war, fought between League of Catholic cantons and Federation


But apart from that, you're dead right as usual

[pbonnay]

We already have "The Newbury Coat". Do we need a flag as well?

[Simon Kirby]

We already have "The Newbury Coat". Do we need a flag as well?

The richer the cultural identity of Newbury the more the community benefits. The 50's provincial market town has gone, we're not that any more, and if we don't discover our new identity and celebrate what it is that makes Newbury great and unique in the 21st Century then we'll be just another clone town. Life is more than shops and work.

A flag in itself doesn't change anything, but the process of creating the flag can galvanise community involvement and inclusion, and those are the things that really matter.

[Cognosco]

The richer the cultural identity of Newbury the more the community benefits. The 50's provincial market town has gone, we're not that any more, and if we don't discover our new identity and celebrate what it is that makes Newbury great and unique in the 21st Century then we'll be just another clone town. Life is more than shops and work.

A flag in itself doesn't change anything, but the process of creating the flag can galvanise community involvement and inclusion, and those are the things that really matter.

What with granite paving sets and new shopping centres with chain stores.......

Well involving the community and inclusion NTC definitely does not do.

[pbonnay]

The richer the cultural identity of Newbury the more the community benefits. The 50's provincial market town has gone, we're not that any more, and if we don't discover our new identity and celebrate what it is that makes Newbury great and unique in the 21st Century then we'll be just another clone town. Life is more than shops and work.

A flag in itself doesn't change anything, but the process of creating the flag can galvanise community involvement and inclusion, and those are the things that really matter.

So, following the logic of your argument, a flag should be redesigned every few years to reflect changes in the town?

[Simon Kirby]

What with granite paving sets and new shopping centres with chain stores.......

Well involving the community and inclusion NTC definitely does not do.

Exactly. Worse than that, NTC actively crushes grass-roots community activity, but we get the democracy we deserve. I don't see anything stopping Newbury becoming a clone town. Like Plato says: "The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

[Simon Kirby]

So, following the logic of your argument, a flag should be redesigned every few years to reflect changes in the town?

No reason why a town shouldn't redesign its flag every couple of years, but I'm just thinking about this time round.

[pbonnay]

No reason why a town shouldn't redesign its flag every couple of years, but I'm just thinking about this time round.

If a flag is to have any serious meaning, then it should be able to withstand the test of time - not be some tawdry banner to suit the views of the few who are alive today.