Philip Jackson (Letters, April 18) advocates flying the Lincolnshire instead of the Union Flag, and relates it to a feeling of pride. I won’t argue over his choice of precedence, but is flying any flag the best way of showing pride?
Wouldn’t a better way be to support, or demand, the raising of our public estate and public services from their present shabby state?
Near where I live, is a stretch of pavement which is in the same rumble-tumble state it was when I first moved to this address 27 years ago – and there are plenty more like it, dangerous as well as unsightly.
I hardly need to mention other examples, but – for instance – most are conscious of the state of the NHS, of which Mrs Thatcher started the run-down policy, which has been followed by all succeeding governments of her party.
If people vote repeatedly for a policy of public shabbiness, waving a flag doesn’t disguise the truth. Improvement of course costs money, collected via the tax man.
Our taxes are currently higher than we have been used to, but we started from a low base.
For most of the post-war period British taxes were amongst the lowest in Europe.
Equivalent European countries with higher tax and better public estate and services, also managed greater productivity and economic growth to pay for them.
Although it will take time to get out of the economic hole we are currently in, I would like to see the UK aim for a state of visible pride and the willingness to pay for it.
That would be a better demonstration than flying a flag, though the latter is, of course, cheaper.
John Tippler
Spalding
