Comedian Danny Wallace mocks UK Government’s ‘mid-life crisis’ Union Jack order

A comedian has mocked the UK Government’s new flag order by comparing it to a “mid-life crisis”.

Danny Wallace, author of the book Yes Man, which was turned into a feature film starring Jim Carrey, made the comparison in the wake of the news that the Union Jack must be flown on all UK Government buildings, every single day.

The UK Government claimed that the Union flag represents “the Kingdom of England and Wales” when it announced the move.

According to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Kingdom of England and Wales is one of the “constituent nations” of the UK.

Danny Wallace said: “It’s like watching a country have a mid-life crisis. We left our partner, said we’d be better off, then our new relationship didn’t work out so we lie to everyone about how great we’re doing and then get a tattoo.”

Following the announcement, Welsh Government Minister Jeremy Miles said: “I wonder what power a symbol has if you have to compel its use?”

Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts said that orders to fly the flag “reflects terribly on this Tory Government’s desperate insecurity about the future of their Union”

“They know change is coming,” she said.

‘England and Wales’

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “The Union flag is the National Flag of the United Kingdom, and it is so called because it embodies the emblems of the constituent nations united under one Sovereign – the Kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland, and of Northern Ireland.

“The Union flag dates back to 1606 when James of Scotland became King James I of England and it was decided the union of the two countries should be represented symbolically by a new flag.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The Union flag unites us as a nation and people rightly expect it to be flown above UK Government buildings.”

Currently, Union flags are only required to be flown on all UK Government buildings on designated days. The new guidance, which will come into place in the summer, asks that the flag to be flown all year round.

The UK Government will also now allow dual flagging, allowing the Red Dragon and the Union Jack to be flown on the same pole.

However, they are not imposing the guidance on governments outside of England.

Conservative MP for Morecambe, David Morris, has also called for the flag to be flown from BBC buildings, which in Wales would include central square in Cardiff and upper Bangor.

He said that the corporation “could do with a reminder of how the Union Flag is cherished by the British people”.