In front and back gardens across central Scotland the Saltire or the flag of Catalonia flutters from a plastic flagpole, on occasion a bridge on the motorway into Glenrothes in the Kingdom of Fife is festooned with the regalia of fair and ancient Caledonia, and outside public buildings the Scottish Government has refused to take down the flag of the European Union. If we can rely on Hollywood this is common occurrence in the United States and the national flag can be displayed with unashamed pride across the entire homeland of the brave and the free. The British flag has also unusually found itself smuggled into the backdrop of the leader of the Labour Party’s call to the faithful, or appeal to the undecided. It seems like Brexit, Trump and Scottish Nationalism has made loyalty to the flag a vote-winner in the minds of politicians.
The difference between Scotland and in England is that displaying the flag is more culturally acceptable in Scotland. In England the Union Jack is associated culturally with chauvinism, and in Scotland the flag is associated with Football (or Braveheart). Perhaps this is because the Union Jack is a symbol of Empire and Scottish flag is a symbol of rebellion. However, even in Scotland where Scottish independence is popular a flagpole still signifies something a bit odd.
Perhaps the Labour Leadership has access to better focus groups than I do but I am inclined to think that displaying the flag will appeal to a sub-set in society who identify with it. Fresh from watching an Adam Curtis documentary ‘the century of the self’ in which public relations companies categorise consumers and where political parties can therefore do the same with voters I can in all fairness, without much evidence, place those who identify with flag wavers as a small minority in Society. I think we can find something very similar with the keyboard warriors on Twitter. They are very concentrated on a platform, like a bunch of flag wavers at a rally, but in Society they are small dispersed minorities. However, this group, who are very active and vocal in the media bubble that is twitter, are very good at getting access to politicians and getting their viewpoint heard.
Meanwhile, across the rest of Scotland those who lack the fervour of the zealots are not asked their opinions and consume the news with a mixture of apathy and horror as the politicians focus on pleasing the lunatic fringe lurking on Twitter. Richard Nixon spoke of the silent majority and this association perhaps implies that there is something sinister about this group. However, this group is the nation’s defence against the Bolshevik tendencies of Political parties to impose their ideology which has been dreamt up after reading a few books and then discussing it at dinner with 4 or 5 people without even stopping to ask what any other person out with their social bubble might actually think; and worse still to shout down and denigrate anyone who might ever disagree with them in the slightest. From such Imagineering and conjectures are born all the disasters and pratfalls of History.
So instead of treating platforms such as Facebook like something conjured by a Witch during the Spanish inquisition why not use new technology to engage with the electorate, get out of the media bubble foxholes and avoid disasters like Trump and Brexit?
Who will be the standard bearer for the advance of the common people in the interests of the commonwealth?
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