That is why all flags except this one
![Image](http://www.ulsternation.org.uk/images/ie-stpat.gif)
should be banned
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Sometimes a bit of dictatorship is a good thing. Singapore isnt quite a dictatorship/fascist state but there are elements of it in there. Ordered, clean, profitable and some of the best food in the world, price of booze being one of few drawbacks. Pretty good place to live as a result of itnamron wrote:That my dear boy is flag fascism.daveysemtex wrote:It's time UR had some balls, either they are pro inclusion or not. I demand a statement telling fans 9 counties or UR official flags ONLY at all games from now on
No it doesn't - you have missed the point by miles. A GAA fan makes an incredibly positive post about Ulster Rugby on a GAA board and all you can do is accuse him of "petty bitterness".petey11 wrote:
"My only bugbear would be the Northern Ireland flags waving about but in fairness they are red and white and there were only about half a dozen"
That comment itself proves exactly what I'm talking about. It's that GAA fan's own petty bitterness that made him feel the need to make that comment about a few flags. Maybe if his first choice of sport was a little more inclusive he'd not have noticed.
Why does using flags that everyone can associate with have to be at the cost of the many? Being inclusive doesn't mean anyone has to be put out. And it's hardly "appeasing the few" we're talking about here, my assumption is everyone discussing on this thread is an Ulster Rugby fan.Samstew wrote: I'm a bit of "what the majority of what people want goes" type of person and until the views and choices of that majority change, then that's what we go with.
I'm afraid I'm not much up on appeasing the few for the sake of the many!
You're living in a dream world. Rugby is part of society so it has to deal with the issues in society itself. One of those is flags and emblems and anthems and everything that goes with them.petey11 wrote:Anyone who is so offended by a red and white flag that they would never follow Ulster Rugby is, in my opinion, better off staying away. There are those who will always judge others by their own standards and attempt to bring politics into the innocent (or maybe naive) waving of a flag in your support of your rugby team. It may mean something in the round balled games but our rugby won't be so easily politicised. If you find offence mainly due to your own petty bigotries or simply because you spend your life looking for offence then kindly do stay away from rugby. I've never met a rugby fan who felt any such offence so lets keep the politics out of our game.
"My only bugbear would be the Northern Ireland flags waving about but in fairness they are red and white and there were only about half a dozen"
That comment itself proves exactly what I'm talking about. It's that GAA fan's own petty bitterness that made him feel the need to make that comment about a few flags. Maybe if his first choice of sport was a little more inclusive he'd not have noticed.
+1 mikerobmikerob wrote:No it doesn't - you have missed the point by miles. A GAA fan makes an incredibly positive post about Ulster Rugby on a GAA board and all you can do is accuse him of "petty bitterness".petey11 wrote:
"My only bugbear would be the Northern Ireland flags waving about but in fairness they are red and white and there were only about half a dozen"
That comment itself proves exactly what I'm talking about. It's that GAA fan's own petty bitterness that made him feel the need to make that comment about a few flags. Maybe if his first choice of sport was a little more inclusive he'd not have noticed.
ruckover wrote:The flegs allowed should be:
1. The provincial fleg (yellow one)
2. Any fleg with the Ulster Rugby logo
3. Any fleg that is the nationality of the player on our team (e.g. Saffer fleg, NZ fleg)
4. Any red fleg (e.g. the Tunisia one the 2BC bring)
No others, or that could cause problems.
Mike, if yoou want to fly the England flag at, say the Olympics for example, you go ahead.mikerob wrote:Yeah but a "majority goes" approach should mean the England flag, not the Union flagSamstew wrote: I certainly have no problem with the Union flag at any event which, collectively or otherwise, includes participants from Eng, Sco, NI or Wales.
Yeah but Pete ask yourself, how many of us Ulster fans from the unionist side of the tracks get, even for the briefest of seconds, a little annoyed that the tricolour is seen as the flag of Irish rugby and feel slightly excluded because of it? It might be silly to feel so, but a lot of us succumb to this occasionally.petey11 wrote:Anyone who is so offended by a red and white flag that they would never follow Ulster Rugby is, in my opinion, better off staying away.
If he wants, Pete has the right to have an issue with the GAA, if indeed he does. Many people do have a problem.OneMore wrote:+1 mikerobmikerob wrote:No it doesn't - you have missed the point by miles. A GAA fan makes an incredibly positive post about Ulster Rugby on a GAA board and all you can do is accuse him of "petty bitterness".petey11 wrote:
"My only bugbear would be the Northern Ireland flags waving about but in fairness they are red and white and there were only about half a dozen"
That comment itself proves exactly what I'm talking about. It's that GAA fan's own petty bitterness that made him feel the need to make that comment about a few flags. Maybe if his first choice of sport was a little more inclusive he'd not have noticed.
Sort yourself out peteywetey. Looks like someone has a bugbear about GAA...
Defend the indefensible?OneMore wrote:Out of interest, anyone fancy offering a defense of the flying of a union flag at Thomond Park last week? Anyone think it was anything other then provocative and idiotic?
Absolutely right. This is a real world issue and has to be addressed that waybigchiefally wrote:Yeah but Pete ask yourself, how many of us Ulster fans from the unionist side of the tracks get, even for the briefest of seconds, a little annoyed that the tricolour is seen as the flag of Irish rugby and feel slightly excluded because of it? It might be silly to feel so, but a lot of us succumb to this occasionally.petey11 wrote:Anyone who is so offended by a red and white flag that they would never follow Ulster Rugby is, in my opinion, better off staying away.
With that in mind if I had grown up "on the other side" of the NI divide, or possibly in an Ulster ROI county, would it not be reasonable to expect the same slight unease/annoyance with the NI flag being flown for Ulster rugby, again even only for a second or two before their rational side kicks in?
I dont think the type of person who so vehemently hates the idea of the NI flag that they would never set foot anywhere near Ravenhill is our target audience. I'd say that most of this lot are bigots and we are better off without them. I am convinced though there is a much much larger group of moderate nationalists who we should be doing everything in our power to convince to come to games. They come to a couple and like the GAA fan mentioned in the post they suddenly dont think the place is "foreign soil". Heck, they come to enough games and they would realise that espescially at Ravenhill if someone is waving a NI flag they arent doing it to be provocative, they are doing it just like Joe Munster does when he brings a tricolour to an Ireland game. Just waving it to support the team.
Its that initial sceptiscm and perception we need to get through and the flag issue does matter.
Samstew wrote:Mike, if yoou want to fly the England flag at, say the Olympics for example, you go ahead.mikerob wrote:Yeah but a "majority goes" approach should mean the England flag, not the Union flagSamstew wrote: I certainly have no problem with the Union flag at any event which, collectively or otherwise, includes participants from Eng, Sco, NI or Wales.
I can't see you upsetting anyone there.
They are, as people should be, less touchy about these sort of things