A few months ago the Daily Telegraph had a news iten in which it was said that the treat of fines for motorists who wanted to display the Union Flag or regional flags would be removed and that amended regulations would be introduced.
My local garage tells me that it is still an offence to have other than the EU flag on a number plate and any other would cause the car to fail its MOT.
Is this yet another example of a Goverment promising to change the law, but failing to do so? Or is my garage wrong.
If national emblems are now legal, where can I get plates with the St George's Cross and ENG as suggested in the DT article?
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That is not correct: the DVLA site is not up to date.
See the National Assembly for Wales site at
www.wales.gov.uk/newsite.dbs?37E752F2000942E000000...0
where the following announcement was made on 28 December 2001 by the Minister for the Environment:
"Welsh win the right to fly the Dragon on Number Plates.
The decision to allow motorists to display national flags and symbols on number-plates has been warmly welcomed by Minister for Environment Sue Essex.
The UK Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, which has responsibility for vehicle registration regulations, initially expressed concerns about the ability of enforcement cameras to read number-plates with flags.
However, following advances in technology and high-profile campaigning by drivers across the UK, it has been decided to allow national identities to be displayed.
Welcoming the move, Ms Essex said: "The people of Wales were particularly vocal about the suggestion that the national flag was not permitted on vehicle number-plates.
"Drivers who wish to do so may now legally display the Red Dragon to demonstrate their nationality. I am very pleased that DTLR has acknowledged the strength of public feeling on this matter and has shown great flexibility in reaching this decision."
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You kind of people who use any excuse to have a go at the government get on my tits!
"Is this yet another example of a Goverment promising to change the law, but failing to do so?" No it's not. There are more pressing priorities than having a freaking flag of YOUR choice on the number plate for god's sake.
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Yup.
Like banning foxhunting?
Or guns (which will, obviously to anyone with an ounce of common sense, increase danger to the public)?
Or mounting a speed camera campaign (which might actually take a little thought to spot the flaws in the argument)?
And haven't they got more pressing things to worry about than criminalising flags on number plates?
Or people agreeing to trade in pounds and ounces?
Or finding new ways of stealth taxing motorists?
Or stealth taxing spectacles?
Or stealth taxing pension funds?
Clearly not.
Which is why we normal people are just as angry as you.
But with reason.
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Bogush - normal people???? I think not.
Phil I
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Well, clearly then there are two groups who are normal.
Mine who think that the government should have better things to do than banning foxhunting, guns (which will, obviously to anyone with an ounce of common sense, increase danger to the public), mounting speed camera campaigns (which might actually take a little thought to spot the flaws in the argument), criminalising flags on number plates and people agreeing to trade in pounds and ounces, finding new ways of stealth taxing motorists, spectacles and pension funds.
And yours which agrees with the government that they are acting sensibly, even sanely.
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I tried to post this earlier but the damned ISP went U/S.
The UK is a member of the EU. GB is not. President Tony doesn't know the difference as he claims to be PM of GB. Probably many other people do not know the difference either but it matters to some of us.
As GB is not a member why the hell do we have to have GB on plates with the EU stars?
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Being politically non-alligned I think I'll stick to plain old plates....I find myself agreeing with old Bogush here ...you left out Street Crime by the way... Mr. Angry should read the latest soundbite about reducing benefits to the parents of persistant young offenders and get angry about that. I'm sorry with Mr Angry but I don't get wound up about trivia whether deemed to be anti or pro government. Will drive around Hersham today looking for the geezer with the steam coming from his ears.
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Pugugly
Yes, got to agree. This government is too keen on 'trendy' issues and seems to ignore the issues that really do concern the public. Why on earth it's concerned about banning foxhunting, (which many of its MP's perceive as good old class warfare) when what it should be concerned with is the dramatic rise in street crime, beggars belief.
Why is it seemingly unconcerned about driving standards, and more about using cameras to police the roads? Can't be the income, surely?
And what about the courts. The two boys cleared of the Damilola Taylor case have a string of offences behind them, and effectively they've been released onto the streets every time with minimal punishment. A chap who was collecting lost golf balls from a lake, who'd been declaring the income on his tax returns gets three months for theft. Clearly someone the public needed to be protected from don't you think? What sort of message does this send to young offenders? No wonder so many cars are stolen for 'joy-riding'.
Yes, managed a couple of motoring links there!
Regards
John
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This is a danger of course, if one regails one's car with a badge of national identity one invites retribution from anyone with a grudge. Nationalism as opposed to patriotism can be an ugly emotion. My brother (who through a twist of genetics) works for the US forces in Germany and he has now registered his car with local plates after it attracted hostile attention with its US forces plates after Sept. 11.
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You are only allowed to have your national flag if it is part of the blue EU strip along with the gold stars.
I don't think this is fair, as I wish to display my flag WITHOUT the EU logo. So I do.
I went to a craft shop and bought some plastic self-adhesive union Flags and stuck them on.
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Brian - try drivetheflag.org.uk
Andy.
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As an apolitical animal (who cares who wins!), it is politics for the masses with this or any other government. I agree, why can't we have your national flag IF you want. Jumping on the EU bandwagon as good boys does nothing for us as motorists and road users. Ask yourself this, would the French jump as much? Would they 'eck as like.
Perhaps if I wanted to show the national flag of Libya, that would be alright then. Mustn't annoy the minority view...
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The French (and pretty much every othe EU country) have adopted EU pattern plates without apparent demur. The advantage is that travel across EU boundaries is not complicated by the need for stick on national plates. In the Schengen countries they drive over borders as easily and with as little thought as you or I pass into the next county. The permitting of the plates in the UK was simply a convenience for those of our citizens who wished to participate in that scheme.
The use of GB is AFAIK based on allocations by the UN, and applies to the UK and with varaitions to territories such as the IoM and Gibralter. In the era of devolution there would be good reasons for trying to negotiate separate identifiers for the constituent nations of the UK.
The mystery is why the government gave in to the little englanders who wants to display other flags. Perhaps I would like to display a rose for my home county, or a company logo, where does it stop?. I await with interest the wails from those who take these plates to Europe and get nicked by the local plod.
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But if they get nicked in Europe, that's OK, it'll be the fault of those b****y foreigners in the EU, won't it?
I'd be happy to display the Union flag or St George's flag on my car (motoring link) if they hadn't been previously hijacked by various so-called "loyalists" (e.g BNP, NF, Ian Paisley).
You can't even wear a crew cut nowadays............
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Yeah, "Papa" had a case of twisted genetics when on business in the US about 30 years ago ! Well at least I get cheap, decent and reliable house-swaps out of it anyway !
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PU Twisted genetics? Sounds *very* painful! Much more seriously, don't forget that our own Services in Germany had to do exactly the same several years ago following a series of very serious attacks by terrorists on soft targets driving in cars with BAOR plates.
Jack
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Derek -
I put a St George's Flag sticker on my car when Scotland became devolved.
As for the BNP and the NF I reckon that I have as much right to fly my national flag as they.
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Are these illegal then?
As I understood you cannot stick any stickers onto a number plate? As its defacing them or something, yet most of the cheap car dealers just stick their own company over the name of the previous one.
Surely someone could set up an authentic car dealership with 'proud to be British' or other such sad saying.....
Kev
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So I'll stick GBJ on a UK plate then....
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What a fuss. When has anyone ever been actually prosecuted for having the wrong flag on a number plate?
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Absolutely. Old Tone has to sort out the world first
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