A question

Why do some people seem to have such a great problem with people putting flags on their cars? It's not like the flags are harming you, and it's not like they're ugly or something.

In my opinion they are ugly, plus how does displaying a flag aid David Beckham in kicking a ball into a net from 12 yards?

It's stupid and pointless. "Oh look, I'm in England and I need to show you that I support England by putting English flags everywhere, because if I didn't it wouldn't be obvious!" Can we not just take it for granted that the majority of the population are going to support England? It's hardly going to impress anyone.

They are ugly? They are just england flags, a simple red cross on white. How can this be ugly?

The attacks on flags are a codifiication of the general dissatisfaction with nineteenth century style nationalism

MB

Noone actually pointed out the obvious fact: the England flag has never really been used that much. Usually the Union Jack is used.
The Union Jack is the official flag of our state, the United Kingdom.

But since devolution and because the Union Jack is being somewhat rejected by the Scots (and the Welsh), just as God Saves The Queen is (officially because there's a quite obscure verse in it about crushing rebellious Scots), a lot of English people have decided that enough is enough and there's nothing wrong with being proud of being English.

The English flag isn't appreciated that much because it represents nationalism. England is seen as a nation of narrow-minded people where immigrants will never be considered as being truly English, whereas Britain is seen as a more tolerant society where we attempt to integrate immigrants in one big happy family.

In the national census, saying your nationality is English instead of saying British is seen as a form of nationalism/racism because immigrants can't obtain English nationality (there is no official English nationality, you just have to be recognized by the majority as being English to be English), whereas British citizenship is obtained somewhat "easily" for somewhat who wasn't born in the UK or whose parents are foreign.

So people don't like it cos it shows that people are english or support?

Thats still no reason to be so terribly opposed to them as a lot of people I know are...

Why do some people seem to have such a great problem with people putting flags on their cars? It's not like the flags are harming you, and it's not like they're ugly or something.

What really disturbs me is that the resurrection of the flag of St George in recent years is mirrored by the rise of violent Nationalism (read BNP)