The Cross of St George: A Flag of Oppression
The Celtic League have published an email from Tesco Customer Service in Dundee which feeds the mock outrage of 'Cornish crackpots' offended by the sale of England flags in Cornwall.
Dear Mr Chappell
Thank you for your email, which I read with great interest. We at the Tesco Customer Service Centre are based in Dundee, Scotland, and this is a matter which was not known to us here.
I have been looking into some Cornish history since receiving your email, which so far I have found to be very interesting, and I can appreciate your reason for contacting us. Specifically, the use of the St. George flag in Cornish Tesco stores. I can imagine that, if it is seen as a banner of historical oppression, then the use of this flag would not be popular among the Cornish people, just as the use of the St. George flag would most likely cause similar upset in Scotland.
The use of the St. George flag was as a result of a sustained campaign for us to do so, from groups in various parts of England, who desired to know that the food they were purchasing came from England. Similar flag-based labelling is in place in our Scottish and Welsh stores, and it seems as though the Cornish sentiment towards the English flag was not known about, as we certainly wouldn’t want to offend or alienate any group of people in this way.
As we have received a huge number of emails on this subject within the past week, I have been asked to seek further advice on the matter from other parts of the business. I will get back in touch with you with any further information that my colleagues and I are given on the subject.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at customer.service@… quoting…
Kind Regards
Alan McIlvride
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service
22 May 2010
During the "sustained campaign" by various groups in England for supermarkets to display the England flag on English produce, one leading supermarket mentioned that they do not use the English flag on English produce because market research suggests that Scottish people won't buy produce with an England flag on it. So while we English will happily buy a lump of Cornish yarg, Scottish salmon or Welsh lamb with the appropriate flag stamped upon its packaging, our neighbours are effectively boycotting produce bearing the flag of England (whether consciously or sub-consciously).
"Stronger together, weaker apart".
UPDATE
Apparently Tesco are now branding all their cheeses with the flag of England.
Trackback URL for this post:
- Login to post comments
My local Tesco sells English
My local Tesco sells English cheese with the English flag on it.
It's the displays the supermarkets do for football tournaments which can, for obvious reasons, cause disgruntlement.
The English Flag
Personally people can wave whatever flag they like, it's not one of my big beefs. There are plenty of more important issues to be addressed such as devolution to Kernow, clarification of our actual constitutional Duchy set-up and obtaining national minority status for Cornish culture and identity.
But yes the poor old Cross of St George. You see so few of them around these days don't you? Luckily there are plenty of well meaning guys like you around to stand up for the little guy, take Davids corner against Goliath and defend the English flag and nation.
Any old hoo, you might be interested in this excellent article on the flag fuss in Kernow from Cornish Zetetics: http://cornishzetetics.blogspot.com/2010/05/price-of-being-englands-firs...
I particularly like the quote:
"Merely a hint of Cornish self-confidence unleashes a deluge of insults and abuse from some of our English neighbours who seem incapable of preventing themselves going totally apeshit whenever confronted by an uppity Cornish person"
At least no flag-burning
At least no flag-burning though, yet.
Burning flags
Perhaps if your fellow nationalists hadn't decided to illustrate their feelings with a burning flag of St George you might not have got such an "apeshit" reaction. Respect cuts both ways, and your Cornish nationalists showed no respect at all. I doubt you'd like English Nationalist blogs or facebook sites showing burning Saltires, Y Ddraig Goch's or even a burning flag of St Piran. In short, burn our flag or show a symbolic burning of our flag and expect a reaction.
Why do you want national
Why do you want national minority status? Why not go for national majority status and complete independence from us dastardly English? Or is there perhaps something you still want from us?
Indeed, poor hard done-by
Indeed, poor hard done-by England.