Red Ensign banned?

[britemp]

Can anyone confirm what I have just read in a history newgroup:

"On the 27th November 2003, the Daily Express revealed that Euro MP's had
been given the green light in the proposal to scrap the British Merchant
Navy Red Ensign which has been the official flag of our Merchant Fleet since
1864 and replace it with a European Union Flag. I am totally appalled that
such a gesture will go through without the intervention of our own
Government.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II holds the title of "Master of the Merchant
Navy & Fishing Fleet", which was passed down by King George VI and was the
title held by King George V who bestowed the title "Merchant Navy" on us
after WWI. In WWI 17,000 Merchant Seamen sailing under the Red Ensign were
killed with a further 32,000 in WWII, which happens to be a higher
percentage rate than any of the three armed services. Post WWII the Red
Ensign has been involved conflicts in Palestine 1945-1948, Korea 1950-1953,
Suez 1956, Cyprus, 1954-1959, Borneo, 1962-1966, Falklands 1982 & the Gulf
1991 & 2003, with medals issued to it's serving members in all areas of
operations.

In 2000 the British Government introduced the official "Merchant Navy Day"
in recognition of the important role the Merchant Navy plays in supplying
this Island nation in war as well as peace. 3rd September every year since,
the Red Ensign is flown from public buildings the length & breadth of this
country. Please don't let others take the last vestige of our service. This
is not sentimentalist talk; it is our Maritime Heritage that is under
threat."

Say it's no so!

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[Artie]

Yes it is true - due to the pressure from the Spanish and is now awaiting approval from the European Parliament!
Wrinklies like me remember that when that "Raggie" Prime Minister Edward Heath provided the country with a choice we voted to enter (or not) The EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET and not anything else. All this Euro stuff has crept in by stealth and now we are on the verge of being crushed by Eurotrash.
I am not a European- I am British - not jingoistic British, I feel British and I want to stay British. The continentals are different and can all fly the same flags so long as I don't have to along with all those who are proud of our heritage and history.

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[britemp]

Right! That's it!

I've had about all I can take from this govt. and its euro nonsense!

Prepare for ramming speed Mr. Sargeant . . . . . . . .


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[BrendanS]

Nothing to do with the government. A Spanish green party MEP has managed to slip an amendment into new European Commission maritime proposals, requiring ships to display the European gold stars circle emblem in a corner of their flags.

Under the proposals the Red Ensign will remain, it'll just have a EU emblem in the corner.

Anyway, British MEPS are fighting it and will try to vote out the proposal at the plenary session of the European Parliament. If that fails they believe the European Council will overrule it.


<hr width=100% size=1>Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo

 

[hlb]

Stuff the lot of them. Lets just use our own.


[image]http://arweb.co.uk/aralbums/boaters/Mucky_Farter_009.sized.jpg[image]


/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[BrendanS]

Hmmm. I think the merchant navy types who are outraged, would find that suggestion equally sacrilegious /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo

 

[Birdseye]

Doesnt the fact that it was printed in the Daily Express give you confidence that more than half of it is wrong and the rest wont come to pass. It does me.

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[oldgit]

Re:More fairy tales than Grimm? ?

Since when has the truth been allowed to rear its ugly head to ruin a perfectly good fairytale in the Daily Wail/The Bum or the Sexpress./forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[BrendanS]

It's been printed in many more places than just the Express. A similar thread started on scuttlebutt after someone read it in The Telegraph.

However, I suspect it won't come to pass

<hr width=100% size=1>Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo

 

[hlb]

Cant see nufink wrong with dat. Why wont it work??

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[BrendanS]

Cos the red ensign lovers are gonna get equally upset no matter what anyone suggests it's replaced with - gold stars or pissed mice

<hr width=100% size=1>Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

His Toniness will never let it happen 'coz the tabloid rags will kick his butt over it big time and, anyway, he's listening to us now, have'nt you heard?

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[tripleace]

I guess this is so they can fish in our water .. ie same flag etc.



<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boating-ads.co.uk> Boating Website</A>

 

[Bejasus]

Fishing?

Nah, they've already been here and decimated our fishing industry, coz we were stupid enough to let them. Another EEC victory.

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[itsonlymoney]

Does that meen that in spring 2005 I am not only going to get Bollocked for speading but also for having wrong flag ?

(Windermere berthed)

Ian

<hr width=100% size=1>Play the best game you can with the cards you've been dealt ! ! !

 

[jhr]

No / in the [image] at the end?

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[oldgit]

Re: We let them and other old chestnuts.

We did not let them.
Those perfidious foreigners purchased their catch allocations from our "good ole boys" who sold their fishing options to the highest cash bidders.They then scrapped their boats and promptly sauntered off counting the dough on the first Easyjet flight down to Malaga to buy a Sealine 46T and nice villa somewhere nearbye......./forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[penfold]

Re: We let them and other old chestnuts.

All of which wouldn't have happened if Ted Heath had had a spine when he negotiated our entry into the common market; one of the conditions was handing control of our fisheries to Brussels. I suspect our fishermen (those who wanted to keep fishing rather than flog their licences to Pedro) might have been tempted to bury the MinAg&F under a mound of rotting fish if they had tried half of what the eurocrats have done. ah well, no point in crying over spilt euromilk lakes, there's bugger all fish left anyway.

cheers,
david

<hr width=100% size=1>I employed you people to get a little railroad laid, not to dance around like Kansas City faggots!

 

[Artie]

Re: We let them and other old chestnuts.

True - There is Bugger all left in fishing but as I live in Guernsey and we are NOT part of that Grasping Union of Frog and Crout + satelites I want to stay that way. Trouble is that seeing how Blair and co treated Gibralta earlier this year we Crown Dependencies have a lot to worry about particularly as out States Members (Politicians) have not got the balls to declare independance if necessary. Imagine a new "Common Market of ex Crown Dependencies" (Gib, Jersey. Guernsey. and I.O.M.)

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[Blue_Blazes]

Re: We let them and other old chestnuts.

With respect Artie, what the heck has that got to do with red ensigns and their being defaced with EU stars. Half the boats in Guernsey already fly an ensign defaced with a whopping great gold cross anyway.

Bill.

<hr width=100% size=1>One of these days I'll have a boat that WORKS