Wimbledon and the Union Jack thing...

[Pavilionaire]

Watching Henman tonight, it seems to me that the only sectors of English society that haven't ditched the Union Jack in favour of the St. George flag are male student nerds and frumpy Middle England females aged 25-55.

Football fans have ditched it, cricket fans have ditched it (and we've got 2 Welsh in the team!), when will tennis fans learn?

You can bet your life that if Henman was Scottish or Welsh the only flags the Scots or Welsh would be waving are the Saltire or the Dragon...

Interestingly, those inside Centre Court were predominantly with Union Jack while the hoi polloi on Henman Hill were predominantly with St. George Cross. Is this a class thing?

 

[timco]

Can I just say, unless its a small flag on a boat.......

IT'S A UNION FLAG!

thank you

 

[Sam]

Can I just say, unless its a small flag on a boat.......

IT'S A UNION FLAG!

thank you

haha was about to say the same thing myself!

 

[Gully]

I think you might have hit the nail on the head, the people who have the Union Flag probably come from the part of society who still believe we have an empire and rule the waves. Those who display the St George's cross accept that England is pretty much on its own now, the Union ain't what it were, what with devolved parliaments for the Scots and Welsh. Amongst my small collection of flags I have a Union Flag, can't really see much use for it anymore, despite me still feeling more British than English...

 

[tainan]

Could it be that in tennis the players nationality is shown as British, (whether he is from England, Scotland, Wales, etc, etc), whereas in football, cricket, etc, the team is England (or Scotland ...) not Britain? Therefore implying that he represents Great Britain, and not just England.
Not that I give a toss about tennis anyway.

 

[Marc]

is'nt the Davis Cup also made up of British players? think tainan has hit the nail firmly on the head!

 

[GUNTER]

All the tennis players from Wales, NI, Scotland and England play under the GB banner, hence the Union Flag.

 

[Mick Beard BHA]

..and when non-English GB players have been involved in big matches over the last few years- i'm thinking Miles Maclagan- i remember the vast majority of the flags around the court still being the Union flag.

Although Gully's point about yer average tennis-watcher and their background seems to make sense to me, and i guess is relevant in the above case too

 

[Lammy]

It's becasuse Henman is representing Britain not England. You don't see too many crosses of St George at the Olympics!

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think that if Henman was Scottish any Scottish fans on Centre Court would be waving a saltire and not a Union flag.

Rangers fans apart, I see little evidence of Britain before England in the celtic fringes of Scotland and Wales.

Basically, I can't see them dancing in the streets of Glasgow or Cardiff if Henman wins Wimbledon, whereas a vistory for McHenman or Llan-Henman-Davies-Williams would be met with great joy in London.

 

[fatbadger]

Basically, I can't see them dancing in the streets of Glasgow or Cardiff if Henman wins Wimbledon, whereas a vistory for McHenman or Llan-Henman-Davies-Williams would be met with great joy in London.

well, yes - because they would be representing GB. However, would many of these celebrants be out on the streets celebrating a Scottish or Welsh win in, say, football or rugby? Other than the Scottish or Welsh ex-pats, of course.

 

[Curious Orange]

the Union ain't what it were, what with devolved parliaments for the Scots and Welsh.

Wales does not have a devolved parliament, it has an Assembley.

(Which less than a quarter of the population of Wales voted in favour of)

 

[Superphil]

When are the fixtures out?

 

[Easy 10]

Quite apart from the flags, the women watching Tim on centre court yesterday had to be the biggest collection of BIFFERS this side of a Wimmins Rights rally.

Several times I physically recoiled from the screen as the camera suddenly picked out some monstrous troll, wielding a union flag and screeching "COME ON TIM". One of them had upper arms the size of a four-door family saloon.

Roll on Wednesday when the Euro 2004 babes will once again be out in force. I swear FIFA must be hiring supermodels to go to some of those games. Hubba hubba.

 

[Gully]

Point taken Curious O, I admit I was generalising slightly, what I was trying to get at was those two parts of the UK are not totally dependant on the London Parliament for the decisions affecting themselves and are continuing to develop a separate identity.