Getting cross about the saltire

Saltire no more?

There's a bit of a row brewing over the high-handed attitude of London Olympics organisers, Locog, to the display of flags other than the "officially approved" union jack along the route of the torch relay and at various venues - including Hampden. The multiple national identities within the artificial political contrivance of the British state always portended a plethora of potential presentational pitfalls for the organisers of the London Olympics. It seems that the corporate overlords of the Olympiad are determined to explore all the possibilities offered. (See a far from comprehensive list here.)

I first became aware of what I sincerely hope won't be labelled "flag-gate" by some bone-idle, bone-headed sub-editor, when news broke of the Cornish flag being ripped from the grasp of a torch-bearer in, of all places, Cornwall. This caused a fair bit of agitation. Questions were asked in the House, by Jove! But Locog seems to have adopted a petrol-based approach to fighting the relatively small fire of negative PR which ensued with the result that it is threatening to turn it into a major blaze. It's even possible that the conflagration might engulf yon royal thingy that has so far failed to spark much interest here in Scotland.

The next episode to impinge on my awareness was when I heard tell of the exploits of Alyn Smith, SNP MEP and redoubtable fechter for Scotland's interests in the European arena. It appears that the fire-breathing dragon named Locog had hatched a plot to eradicate all traces of Scotland's flag from Hampden Park - the venue for some Olympic football matches. Even to the extent of banning spectators from carrying their own personal property into the ground. At which the bold "Sir Alyn" girded his loins, lofted his lance and set off to emulate the dragon-slaying adventures of one of mythology's few significant Syrians.

A cheer went up as our champion struck a telling blow, forcing the beast to concede that individuals would, after all, be permitted to take their own saltires into Hampden on condition that they were not doing so in order to make a "political statement". (Presumably Locog also abandoned plans to command the flowing tide in the manner of another famous Cnut.)

But it seems that the corporate fiat of the London Olympics leviathan is not to be totally denied. By summary diktat of Locog, the Scottish flag which customarily flies over Scotland's national football stadium is to be supplanted by some officially approved emblem of obeisance to the gods of corporate sponsorship. What might that be if not a political statement, I wonder?

Given the political climate in Scotland, it is inevitable than some will see the hand of the British political establishment in this attempt to suppress anything that might even tangentially hint at a questioning of the supremacy of the British state. I don't "do" conspiracy theories. But however little substance there may be to such suspicions it cannot be doubted that the "disappearing" of dissent would suit the purposes of British nationalists very nicely. The world is watching. It's better that the world should not be allowed to see how close to disintegration the British state really is. And within the UK it's even more important that nothing be allowed to emphasise the distinctiveness of the nations which are meant to be subsumed within a synthetic "Britishness".

Some unionists have sought to dismiss the protests over banning of the saltire by portraying the whole issue in terms of some kind of romantic "Braveheart" attachment to the trappings of nationhood. In doing so, they expose the hypocrisy of their own enthusiastic waving of the "butcher's apron" at every opportunity. And, worse still, they draw attention to their own sneeringly contemptuous attitude to their country's flag.

Another unionists tack is to say that it's acceptable to object to the disrespectful treatment of the saltire but only within the context of the UK as a whole. According to this "argument" there can be no distinctive Scottish context. Or, presumably, a Welsh, Irish, Cornish or English context. This simply embraces and emulates the very corporate disdain for national/cultural symbols that is the cause of the protest.

Flags are symbols. Flags are not important in themselves. Their importance lies in what the flag is emblematic of. The saltire symbolises the community of Scotland. Not the nation and still less some political party or faction within the nation. The saltire stands for the people of Scotland. All the people of Scotland. Whether motivated by corporate greed or political hubris, disrespect for the saltire necessarily implies a measure of contempt for the people of Scotland. It is only to be expected that such blatant disrespect will provoke an angry response.