Carole Malone entered a frosty exchange with a fellow guest on The Jeremy Vine Show, as she argued no one should be afraid of the St. George’s flag. The journalist was in a debate with presenter Gavin Ramjaun on the Channel 5 programme about whether people are feeling intimidated by the English flag. It comes after St George’s flags are reportedly creating “no-go zones” for NHS staff, with health leaders claiming that some are facing frequent abuse. Staff reportedly feel intimidated by the presence of flags across the country, according to several chief executives and leaders of NHS trusts.
A poll of senior managers revealed that 45% were extremely concerned about discrimination towards NHS staff from patients and the public, whilst 33% were moderately concerned.
Speaking on The Jeremy Vine Show, Carole Malone argued that no one should be afraid of the St. George’s flag or the desire to protect the British way of life.
She said: “The reason for the upsurge in the national flag is that in this multi-cultural country that we now live in, many British people are made to feel that our culture is divisive and offensive to people. It’s to do with British people being told that their culture is offensive.”
Gavin argued that there is “something loaded onto the flag,” to which Carole shot back: “No, there isn’t.” Gavin then said that the “vibe has changed” and that in some areas “people feel a certain way.”
A growing number of St George’s and Union Jack flags have been going up in cities, villages, and towns in recent months.
Earlier this year, readers of the Daily Express had their say over whether they think the St George’s flag is racist or not. The Express issued a poll on Saturday, August 23, asking for views following Dorset Council leader Nick Ireland’s suggestion that a campaign to fly Union and England flags had been exploited by some far-right groups.
He told the BBC that there was an “underlying tension” to the campaign, which he argued had been “hijacked” by people whose views were “completely unacceptable.”
In total, 12,795 votes were cast in the Express’s poll. One percent of the votes (155) agreed that the St George’s flag is intimidating and racist.
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