WHAT THE HELL HAVE WE BECOME? Birmingham City Council is going to the High Court over unauthorised flags and other attachments on its streets following a campaign overwhelmingly associated with the Union Flag and St George’s Cross. The council says this is about highways, safety, intimidation and unauthorised use of street furniture. Fine. Then here’s a remarkably simple test: Apply exactly the same rules to EVERY flag. Union Flag? Same rule. St George’s Cross? Same rule. Palestinian flag? Same rule. Pakistani flag? Same rule. Somali flag? Same rule. Bangladeshi flag? Same rule. No favourites. No fashionable exceptions. No deciding that one community’s flag represents “diversity” while another’s represents a threat to “community cohesion”. Because something has gone badly wrong when displaying the flag of England, in England, becomes something authorities feel compelled to explain, manage and take to court. The Union Flag isn’t extremist. The St George’s Cross isn’t racist. They belong to everyone who calls this country home, regardless of colour, religion or ancestry. And British people should never be made to feel embarrassed about displaying them. If the issue genuinely is attaching things illegally or dangerously to council property, enforce that rule universally. But if foreign national or political flags are tolerated in precisely the circumstances where British flags are removed, then councils should expect people to ask some extremely uncomfortable questions. Patriotism isn’t hatred. National pride isn’t extremism. And equality doesn’t mean celebrating everybody’s identity except your own. One city. One law. One standard. Every flag. Anything less isn’t inclusion. It’s hypocrisy wrapped in a diversity policy.