St Fair

Sun 21 Sep, 07:45

Very true. BUT, not celebrating success - and almost at times being somewhat embarressed about our past - has created the rather negative outlook society we have today. Ideal conditions for the more extremist political leaders to thrive. 

Sun 21 Sep, 07:02 (last edited on Sun 21 Sep, 07:04)

I read this recently, written by a child-refugee from the Nazis, and found it very moving:

"‘But the British, who had beaten [the Nazis], had so little use for boasting that they did not mind if their children mislaid their flag and could not sing their anthem. Parades and demonstrations meant so little to them that they did without them, even on the day of the greatest victory in history.  These peaceable and informal people, with quiet determination and a minimum of fuss, had defeated the bullies and braggarts. They had done so without vanity and without hatred."

PS - thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make the Street Fair a success!

Sat 20 Sep, 12:47 (last edited on Sat 20 Sep, 12:56)

 I respect for some people flags are invested with a lot of symbolic meaning and support their freedom to express themselves in this way, with the caveat that flags aren't used to intimidate or communicate to others that they don't belong. 

One of the problems flags can pose is they represent and include some people(s) and not others. I am proud that so many people in Charlbury stand with Ukraine in the unacceptable aggression they are facing.

 I am feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the absence of similar visibly manifested solidarity with the awful aggression faced by the people of Palestine outside Charlbury's public buildings and in its festival displays. I wonder whether I am alone in this?

And it also has to be said that I've found Charlbury to be a wonderfully welcoming and inclusive place to live, and long may that continue. I hope everyone enjoys Street Fair. Its a fantastic community event and a great chance for us all to come together.  Thanks to all the people that give their time and energies to make it possible.

Sat 20 Sep, 12:41

Christ!! Wish I had not asked!. John H

Sat 20 Sep, 10:29

No flags thanks, we know what country we are in.

Sat 20 Sep, 10:12

I’ll bring an umbrella!

Sat 20 Sep, 08:47

The weather forecast is not good for this afternoon, are there contingency plans?

Fri 19 Sep, 22:17

Flags are very dangerous. Having served many years with our Army in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and the 1990s, I know this to be true. So long as the spirit behind the display of a flag is good hearted, I am happy to accept it. In this Town you proudly allowed the Union Flag to be flown from the Corner House on VJ Day. However, you quickly replaced it afterwards with the Ukraine Flag, a rightly more pressing issue. A people comfortable with their identity and culture, as I believe the people of our Charlbury are, don't need to get in any way caught up in debates about flag display. When it's a national day fly the national flag. At other times go with your gut, fly what you believe to be appropriate. If people kick off, change it. At the heart of the current national flag 'raise the colours' debate is a divisiveness that harks back to my experiences in Northern Ireland. That is not Charlbury and that is not the nature of the good hearted people of this town. I know that what I have written is not a reply to the direction of this thread and I'm sorry to have been a bit heavy... but it's important to understand how dangerous flags can be,

Fri 19 Sep, 21:34

Perhaps a suitable solution be to fly the Union flag all the time whilst also showing support  with other flags. 

Fri 19 Sep, 18:03

The union flag is only a Jack when it is flown from the prow of a ship.

Fri 19 Sep, 12:21

Can we please fly the Union Jack on the Corner House for the St Fair??. John H