Welsh Tory MP fumes about lack of Union Jacks in the Senedd
A fuming Welsh Tory MP has complained a lack of Union Jacks during debates in the Senedd.
Jamie Wallis, who represents Bridgend at Westminster, asked the UK Government’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden for his response to the Llywydd telling Senedd members to stop displaying flags of any kind when joining debates on video call.
Elin Jones imposed the order after Tory MSs Janet Finch-Saunders and Laura Anne Jones displayed the British banner.
She said that she’d noticed a “proliferation of flag flying” and even jokingly threatened to fly the flag of the “Independent Tropical Republic of Ceredigion” if it continued.
This move displeased Wallis who, during a debate in the House of Commons, insisted that people “across Wales are proud” to fly the Union Jack.
He also hit out at a reference by First Minister Mark Drakeford for a reference to the “vacuous symbolism” of “tea-towel waving Tories”.
Dowden responded by claiming that the Union Jack “unites us as a nation” because it “embodies the emblems of four or three countries united under one sovereign”.
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are represented on the Union Jack. However, Wales is not because it was considered to be part of England when the flag was created.
‘The issue’
Wallis said: “I want to draw my right honourable friend’s attention to the issue of displaying the Union flag in the Welsh Parliament.
“As many will know, the presiding officer of the Senedd banned the displaying of the Union flag by Conservative members last week, and yesterday the First Minister Mark Drakeford described them as ‘vacuous symbolism by tea-towel [waving] Tories of 2021’.
“Does my right honourable friend agree with me that people across Wales are proud to display the Union Jack because their pride in their country they live in and of what the UK stands for.”
The Culture Secretary said: “Well of course I share my honourable friend’s pride in the Union flag.
“Of course it unites us as a nation, and a people, and as he well knows the Union flag is the national flag of the United Kingdom and it is so called because it embodies the emblems of four or three countries united under one sovereign.
“The kingdoms of England, Wales, of Scotland and of course of Northern Ireland. I do think it’s quite extraordinary that the First Minister should describe it as vacuous symbolism by tea towel Tories, it really does show how out of touch he is with the people of Wales and the Labour Party is with the wider United Kingdom.”
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Is this really what we elected our politicians to argue about? The Llywydd’s ruling last week was spot on. No flags in the siambr or for AMs participating remotely.
“it really does show how out of touch he is with the people of Wales” – said about the party that have just won a Welsh election again. I’m no Labour supporter but being out of touch with Welsh people is THE one criticism that you can’t aim at them!
Maybe this chubby oaf can wave his Union Jack tea towel. It may interest you to know that this particular example of Tory high-ideals is the fine gentleman that to their eternal shame the people of Bridgend voted in. He ran a quickie divorce business on his (now defunct) website called clean-break or something, where he ALSO advertised one of his other websites sugar-daddy.net with THIS revolting slogan “Whether you’re a boy, girl, straight or gay, there’s a sugar daddy for you.”. Its purpose was to introduce young people to wealthy men. There can only be one reason why these… Read more »
Am I suddenly living in some extremist state where patriotism is mandatory and enforced? Especially since it is a ‘country’ that I don’t feel the slightest connection with
Yes and the “patriot” being “patriotic” over this flag nonsense has also been a procurer of young people for wealthy old men. Rule Britannia, Britannia waives the rules.
So about average for one of Boris’ gang
yet another member of the ministry of vacuous comments,
Tories are denying reality now, the Union Flag never has and never will represent Wales. They are well aware of the history, they just choose to white wash it.
There were flags there, but Jamie ate them all.
The Anti-Welsh Party.
His Wiki page makes interesting reading… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Wallis
What a disgusting creature.
“… four or (ahem) three countries…”
You run straight to Dowden over this then you should keep your rag on your side of the border, Jamie.
You know, the side you truly represent.
I can’t see what any of this has got to do with Dowden. It’s a Welsh matter.
And will he please desist from referring to the UK as “the nation”? It’s a state.
Am I missing something? The Culture Secretary encapsulates the whole point: ‘the Union [Jack] … embodies the emblems of four or three countries under the sovereign’ [emphasis added]
Apologies to defaid for not acknowledging her/his post. Did not see it before I posted mine!
I think it can’t be pointed out often enough 🙂
He should campaign to have Wales represented on the Union Flag..imagine it without the George Cross and with the flag of St.David instead….
lol ! Tories you’ve gota love em! Getting more deluded by the day.
The Fenian Café on the Falls Road, Belfast sells Union flag toilet paper. Bung that in the jacks in the Senedd and let the porcine prat wipe his bum on it to his heart’s content.
What happens at the Senedd has nothing to do with him.
Does this dirty pimp man not know that many feel shame about the union jack? I was for 40 years a Londoner – never English except on paper. If I went abroad socially I always said I was Dutch because it’s such a shaming thing to admit to being English. Drunken, bad mouthed, arrogant lout nation. Then in midlife I came to Wales by marriage and have proudly become adopted Welsh. Almost another 40 years now and very happy.
How on earth did people in Bridgend vote for this character? Baffling.
I agree. How on earth did people vote for a person of such low morals who obviously sees nothing wrong with exploiting vulnerable young people for the gratification of dirty old men?
I think this is not just a ‘nationalist vs unionist’ argument. The Conservative Party needs to take stock of why many Welsh people, even some unionists, object to the union flag and try to be more sensitive to our sense of nationhood. Wales is omitted from the flag and this injustice has never been seen as important enough to be corrected. If our country is not represented on the flag that is supposed to represent the whole union why should we Welsh kowtow to it? How would the English or Scottish or NI Unionists feel if their countries were omitted… Read more »