I think you've got something there, Wolfgang. You won't find too many Scots and Welsh celebrating union.

For England though, it's only very recently (within the last 2-3 years) that the English flag has had any connotations other than football hooligans and the BNP. So it's been difficult for the English to have any kind of national pride without a symbol to put that pride behind. This only came about through media support of various sporting events - surprisingly, for once the press actually did something that had positive effects on society!

Before that time, you could guarantee that anyone wearing a St George's Cross was a thug - it's certainly been the case all my life. The symbol still scares the crap out of most ethnic minorities in England, even though they realise it doesn't mean now what they'd spent all their lives knowing it meant.

Graham.