13,000 sign petition urging Cardiff council to withdraw its blessing for ‘provocative’ use of gigantic Union Jack
A petition against covering a tax office in Cardiff with an enormous 100-ft high Union Jack has received well over 13,000 signatures.
The controversial decision by Cardiff Council to give the flag the go-ahead has angered taxpayers and residents in the capital and all over Wales and led grassroots pro-independence group YesCymru to launch the petition.
It needs another 2,000 signatures to reach 15,000.
It calls on the Chair of Cardiff Council Planning Committee, Cllr Keith Jones, to reverse the decision to give the huge flag the go-ahead.
Sign
The flag is set to be wrapped around the outside of the landmark city-centre building, called Tŷ William Morgan, but according to YesCymru it “does not represent the people of Wales”.
It has branded the move a “blatant political act designed to act as a provocation”.
Signator Tim Hollinghurst said: “Wales is not represented on the UK flag and until it is, it should not fly in Wales.”
Arfon Williams said: “The Union Jack has no meaning in my life, it is the flag of oppression, colonialism and many more, the only flag that should be flown in Wales is our own Ddraig Goch as you are aware voted the best flag ever.”
Kevin Davies said: “Aside from our being a waste of taxpayers money, it reinforces the image of Wales as a colony and is divisive, desperate and shallow
‘Annoyed’
Alun Rees, who has signed the petition, said: “The Union Jack doesn’t represent Wales… we are not represented on it at all.”
Judy Fear said: “The government are totally wrong if they think that a massive representation of the Union flag will help bring the nations together. It’s like a tomcat marking its territory. It’s really annoyed me and I’m English!”
Warren Cooper said: “I don’t think we should have the Union Jack flying in Wales. We are not represented on the flag we are Wales we have our own flag a beautiful red dragon. Put that up and be proud of Wales and our nation.”
Ryan Harper said: “Wales has struggled to maintain its identity after years of Westminster tomfoolery, this is just another example of English Parliament trying to force Wales to keep in line.”
‘Gigantic’
The petition states: “We believe that as the capital city of Wales, visitors, commuters and residents should not be faced with a gigantic Union Jack flag on arrival at Cardiff Central railway station.
“This decision by Cardiff Council Planning Committee to grant permission to drape the HMRC building on Central Square is an act of political symbolism designed to promote ‘muscular unionism’ a reminder to the people of Wales of their subservient status in the United Kingdom.
“This flag does not represent the people of Wales and is a blatant political act designed to act as a provocation to the people of Wales.
‘Withdraw’
“We the undersigned call on the Cardiff Council Planning Committee, and its chair Councillor Keith Jones, to withdraw their permission for this advertisement.”
The prominent branding comes amid a move towards “muscular unionism” by Boris Johnson’s government, which has also recently ruled the Union Jack must be flown above the Welsh flag and ordered civil servants to stop referring to “the four nations of the UK.”
The Tŷ William Morgan building was recently constructed in the city’s Central Square development and is one of 16 new UK Government ‘hubs’.
Wales Secretary Simon Hart said Tŷ William Morgan, which provides offices for 4,000 civil servants but could also be used to host cabinet meetings, “shows the UK Government’s commitment to Wales and to strengthening the Union” when he officially opened the £100m building last January.
But the building sparked a constitutional backlash earlier this year when a large UK Government sign was applied to its façade. Nation.Cymru recently revealed that the branding cost almost £15,000.
I mean what's wrong with these people?
What could be more natural than drapping a 100 foot long Union Jack over a building named to commemorate William Morgan, the person who translated the Bible into Welsh in 1588?
It's what he would have wanted…!!https://t.co/NxXY6WPuHo
— Richard Wyn Jones (@RWynJones) July 4, 2021
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To overturn the kowtowing now would mean CCC would have to hand the bribe back.
There are two things to do that I can immediately see – there may well be others.
1) A couple of drones to spray green paint over the occupation flag
2) Everybody who reacts as I do to such a symbol to raise their right arm above the horizontal when they pass it.
The naming of the Prince of Wales Bridge in 2018 was not stopped by a petition of 30,000 signatures against it. How can it be different this time? From my American perspective, Welsh independence is the only answer to such absurdities.
If Cardiff City Council is in the pocket of Westminster, it may be time to move the status of Capital City to a place that better represents Cymru, rather than a City near the border chosen for the fact that “the masters” don’t have to travel far to oppress our land. And then all that “capital city investment” can be spent somewhere else for a change. Let’s make it Aberystwyth and run motorways to Caernarfon and Swansea respectively (but not due East) make roads that suit OUR people, not Westminster. It would be more accessible to North AND South, handy… Read more »
Good points except that Aberystwyth is too small. The capital city should be moved to Swansea/Abertawe. Swansea is a superb city with the world’s best university right by the beach, do they still serve curried hard boiled eggs and rice in the refectory gazing at the rain falling on Devon? Reinstate a North-South rain line from Swansea to Aberystwyth to Bangor (The University Line); start ferry services from Swansea to France and Spain; upgrade the airport on Fairwood Common; construct a tidal power station and extend the Heads of the Valleys road from Hirwaun up to Brecon and onward to… Read more »
Thank god we are British and proud and it’s the British army that protects us .