Flag Victory

Press Release
    13th December 2005
    The People's No Campaign

    " Cross of St. George Flag Victory...
    Council concedes defeat and the EU Flag will not be flown."

    Another victory for The People's No Campaign and a victory for
    England. A victory that will have implications for all other Local
    Authorities across the country who are flying the EU Flag unlawfully.

    Wear Valley District Council has succumbed to people pressure and
    abandoned its attempt to replace the Cross of St. George with the EU
    Flag.

    The row, which erupted in September surrounded the flying of the EU
    Flag by Wear Valley District Council. Campaigners Neil Herron and
    Jim Tague successfully forced the District Council to remove of the
    EU 'Ring of Stars' as it is classed as 'an outdoor advertisement'
    and not the flag of a nation state and therefore needs planning
    consent. It was also argued that to fly the EU Flag was using public
    money to promote a political project which falls foul of local
    authority guidelines.

    The Cross of St. George was proudly erected outside the Civic
    Offices replacing the EU Flag.

    However, Wear Valley DC then applied to itself for planning
    permission to fly the EU Flag and this permission was granted with a
    unanimous decision by elected councillors present at the planning
    committee.
    One must question the political motives behind the desire to fly the
    EU Flag, but members of the Labour controlled council include Olive
    Brown. the North East's alternate member on the EU's Committee of
    the Regions.

    A meeting was convened for Tuesday 13th December between Director of
    Housing, Michael Laing, the Council Officer responsible, Freedom of
    Information Officer, Lawrence Serewicz and Jim Tague and Neil Herron
    where a number of questions, proposals and an ultimatum were put to
    the officers.

    Mindful of the massive national publicity and furore surrounding the
    attempted removal of the Cross of St. George it was decided that the
    EU Flag would not be flown and the Cross of St. George would
    continue to fly alongside the Union Flag and the Wear Valley
    District Council flag.
    The campaigners agreed to this and allowed the concession that the
    EU Flag could be flown on one day...May 9th, classed as 'Europe Day.'

    Neil Herron, Campaign Director states, "I must commend Council
    Officer, Michael Laing, for correctly standing up to political
    pressure. Local authority guidelines prevent the use of public money
    to promote political projects or influence the public to hold
    a political opinion. Wear Valley District Council's aspiration to
    become the best District Council in England has taken a massive leap
    forward by continuing to fly the Cross of St. George and abandon the
    flying of the EU Flag. Let us hope that many others follow the lead
    and put people before politics and patriotism before political
    correctness."/

    Jim Tague, Wear Valley Co-ordinator states, /"This is a victory for
    people power and a victory for common sense. In such politically
    correct times this is an extremely brave decision by an officer
    of Wear Valley District Council to give the English flag such
    prominence. It will now only be removed on the instructions of
    politicians with an obvious pro-EU agenda. Councils across the rest
    of the country will hopefully follow this lead.I look forward to my
    Council becoming the best District Council in England."