Author Topic: People like this really improve the country (Read 288 times)

I-Yoof · « **on:** June 10, 2004, 10:42:10 AM »

Clare Gorham, writer (Guardian) and broadcaster

"To me the union flag is an ugly, angular, inaccessible, frightening design, but I find the flag of St George much more hostile. There's something about the thinness of the cross itself that reminds me of a trickle of blood, for one.

"I went to a Catholic school and I always likened a lot of Catholic ideals to certain aspects of nazism and fascism. We had a schoolbook called Crusader and there was a picture of a knight with the cross of St George pompously on his horse. I was brought up in the 70s and these flags were about 'Britain for the British, ain't no black in the union jack'. I think the symbol has never been available to everybody.

"I'm somebody who actually hates football anyway. My dislike is substantiated by the number of black friends who try to watch football matches and know they're going to have to sit through chants of 'Nigger!' and banana-throwing. They can support the English team till they're blue in the face but they will never be accepted by any football terrace in the country.