How the symbols and substance of our nation are being trashed - Yorkshire Post Letters

How the symbols and substance of our nation are being trashed. It used to be that there was no greater sign of national unity than the Union Jack. Not any more. For some it is now a symbol of former times when Britain was greater and ‘purer’ and also a security blanket that hides modern realities. It serves as a weapon in the search for someone or something to blame for change.

St George's flag has an even stronger message for those with blinkers. St George was born in modern day Turkey and is revered as a national figure in 13 countries apart from England. So his red cross indicates precisely the opposite of narrow nationalism. How flimsily based is our attempt to make him purely British.

Much of the current disturbing tension is stirred up by those pretending to be our political saviours. We are constantly told that ‘Britain is broken’ often referencing waiting lists in the NHS. Simplification hides the truth; our ‘broken’ society is not due to ‘boat people invading our country’. In order to flourish, parties like Reform highlight one (almost entirely irrelevant) aspect and encourage distrust/hatred of a, relatively speaking, minute number of people.

In reality the display of the flags becomes a symbol of danger for NHS workers engaged in home visits; many report being seriously on edge in ‘flagged’ areas. Around 20 per cent of our NHS staff were born outside the UK (36 per cent of our doctors). Flag brandishing encourages them to quit Britain so the waiting lists get longer. Unleash the poison and you create your ‘evidence’. Neat! Such tactics demand our awareness - our critical faculties must be sharper, not blunted by smarmy language and false symbols.

Another ‘enemy’ for people on the right in politics is the BBC. Given the onslaught on broadcast truth we need a stronger not an emasculated BBC. Its world reputation for accurate news remains second to none. Its objectivity can help to make life more difficult for would be dictators like D.Trump.

The absurd nature of his threat of a lawsuit, aiming to give him even more money, means that our supposed close ally joins some Brits in assaulting what remains one of the jewels in our crown.

True, the editing of Trump's words shouldn't have happened but his speech was based on the lie that the election of 2020 was "stolen" by the Democrat Party falsifying votes. The editing simply made clear Trump's intention - to destroy American democracy.

The world of broadcast news (and morality) is now beyond recognition. The 'Renewing the BBC Challenge Committee' (members drawn from different political wings) points out that five billionaires (Musk, Bezos, etc.) control an enormous range of institutions that influence our view of the world (Facebook, What's App, Instagram etc.).

The BBC, despite some issues, remains a guardian of objectivity in this desert. Make the licence fee graduated so that richer citizens pay more.

Mr Farage's attack on the BBC he says is "because it's corrupt right to the top". His proof? A single manager for BBC Wales worked for Plaid Cymru as recently as 2018. Why does Farage take us for such simpletons?

Nigel still dotes on Trump: "the bravest and most resilient person I have met". Eight trips to the US in the first year after becoming an MP. He's now spending hours of his time trying to tell us what is and what isn't a direct insult to Jewish and Asian people.

Why on earth should we want this imposter as PM of our brave nation?