this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2025
100 points (94.6% liked)

United Kingdom

5364 readers
368 users here now

General community for news/discussion in the UK.

Less serious posts should go in !casualuk@feddit.uk or !andfinally@feddit.uk
More serious politics should go in !uk_politics@feddit.uk.

Try not to spam the same link to multiple feddit.uk communities.
Pick the most appropriate, and put it there.

Posts should be related to UK-centric news, and should be either a link to a reputable source, or a text post on this community.

Opinion pieces are also allowed, provided they are not misleading/misrepresented/drivel, and have proper sources.

If you think "reputable news source" needs some definition, by all means start a meta thread.

Posts should be manually submitted, not by bot. Link titles should not be editorialised.

Disappointing comments will generally be left to fester in ratio, outright horrible comments will be removed.
Message the mods if you feel something really should be removed, or if a user seems to have a pattern of awful comments.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I have to laugh about the fact that half the flags are the wrong way around so here is a friendly guide.

It assumes the flag pole is on the left by the way.

top 41 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 5 points 14 hours ago

This is why I scruffily daub England flags onto mini roundabouts.

I'm not sure who told the far right that flying a flag is anti-establishment. The fucking king flies them for fucks sake.

[–] huf@hexbear.net 3 points 12 hours ago
[–] Etterra@discuss.online 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

How are you supposed to even tell from a distance? In America hanging the flag upside down is used as a distress signal - how do y'all do it?

[–] echodot@feddit.uk -3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

If it's been flown at all it's a sign of distress. It's something only racists do, to try and prove they're better then everyone else.

[–] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

You think any and all instances of a country's flag being flown means the person who put it up is racist? That seems like a bit of an extreme opinion.

Where I am, I see plenty of Scotland/Northumberland/Ukraine flags, interspersed with the occasional UK, England, and Palestine flag. Are all of these people who raised these flags racist/bigoted?

[–] blinfabian@feddit.nl 2 points 11 hours ago

dude, that "no racism" flag youre holding is so racist

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 8 points 20 hours ago

Why is your flag orientable but difficult to tell‽

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 5 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

What percentage of Brits would recognize the "distress signal" of hanging flag upside down?

[–] brashboy@lemmy.world 5 points 14 hours ago

Literally thought it was rotationally symmetrical until I saw this post

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 8 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

That just means you need to put the kettle on, which as a Brit you will already be doing anyway.

[–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 3 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I trust someone named Nigel on this topic.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 15 hours ago

Good old-fashioned common farmer don't you know.

[–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 3 points 20 hours ago

"Started at the bottom now we here". First red stripe in upper left is at the bottom.

[–] BennyCHill@hexbear.net 8 points 1 day ago
[–] TIN@feddit.uk 14 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Why is it not symmetrical though?

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 9 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

(I'm going to call them Xs because referring to them as saint's crosses or whatever can be confusing)

because if it were symmetrical, the white X would look like it's merely a border to the red, which is not supposed to be the case because it's a separate symbol.

there's also optical alignment at play. i didn't find much about this online but as a designer I've learned that diagonal lines, if broken by another object, can look weirdly crooked if perfectly aligned, so if you actually slightly misalign them you can make them look more straight. the red X here is broken, but it still looks centered rather than to the side of the white X.

[–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 3 points 20 hours ago

Because of the way it is! Duh!

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

They did this to themselves.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 3 points 1 day ago

To illustrate the equal partnership between England and Scotland. England gets the foreground, while Scotland gets the pride of place in top left corner.

[–] bear@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

It's because the part representing Scotland is elevated in heraldry over Northern Ireland.

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Sometimes, you just want to fly a flag upside down, knowing which way is up certainly helps with that! Probably not very popular as a statement in the UK, though, considering how subtle the visual effect is.

[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago

Not that subtle. Right flag is disturbing.

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 11 points 1 day ago

Flag flying is cringe, its funny that this is the UKs current culture war

[–] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 9 points 1 day ago

I like how it is an interesting flag from an aesthetic point of view. So intricate and detailed. Unlike most tricolours. It even works in black and white pretty well.

I acknowledge, however, the political and historical controversies it carries. Not trying to undo that.

[–] ramble81@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 day ago

You just gave me a good way of looking at it. The stripes on the right side is the “right” way up. Now I’ll always remember which way it goes.

[–] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 day ago (4 children)

What's the punishment for hanging it the wrong way around?

[–] ShawiniganHandshake@sh.itjust.works 6 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

When I worked at a historic site that flew the Union Flag, you had to run around the parade square three times if you screwed up while raising or lowering it. That included hanging it upside down or letting it hit the ground.

[–] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

There was a cell at the site but we mostly just pretended to lock tourists in it for pictures.

[–] the_mighty_kracken@lemmy.world 3 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

You get hanged the wrong way around

[–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)
[–] brashboy@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Don't threaten me with a good time

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 17 points 1 day ago

You have to house a fighting-age male immigrant in your shed.

[–] Stillwater@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 day ago

Straight to jail

[–] milliams@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It depends on which side the flag poles is on.

[–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago

Did you read the post, sir?

[–] DaGeek247@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

What about hanging it vertically?

[–] heydo@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Believe it or not, straight to jail.

[–] brewery@feddit.uk 8 points 1 day ago

According to https://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/Flying_Flags_in_the_United_Kingdom.pdf:

Union Flag - If hung horizontally or vertically, the broad white diagonal should be uppermost in the top-left corner.

[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago
[–] Horsey@lemmy.world -1 points 19 hours ago

Who cares about the idolatry of a flag?