Canny lass

You should talk Eggy! I wasn't even allowed a vote but even if I had been allowed one, I'm not sure how I'd have used it - or even if I'd have used it. Being as I am, an immigrant, I'll have one foot in and one foot out of EU so for me the odds are even. And now - in the even of my life - even my pension is half and half, though both halves are no longer equal one half having recently decreased greatly in value. It's strange that. My old man is a mathematical wizard and even he can't understand it. He thinks it may have something to do with the B-word. Not to worry, I'll soon be able to buy my whisky tax-free when I go through the airport at Newcastle on my homeward journey. Even the darkest cloud can have a silver lining it seems.

My family as well, Vic - every generation before me, that is. I understand that the explanation I gave may have beeen a bit difficult to understand, but it's nothing to do with you being from Blyth. It's just that we have different areas of interest and expertise. If it's any comfort, I have the same problem with mining related explanations - but please keep them coming because even if I don't understand everything I'm always a bit wiser after reading them. Knowledge shared is a wonderful thing and there's a wealth of knowledge, covering a diversity of subjects on this site: History, mining, computers, politics, Bedlington, and, dare I say it, language. Long may we keep sharing.

Sorry if it caused you offence, Vic. That was not my intention. I think you may have misunderstood my use of the word 'even'. ’Even’, in its adverbial capacity, has several uses. It can, on the one hand be used to emphasize something unexpected or surprising (which I believe is your interpretation here): Even a person from Blyth can say it in a more easily understandable way (and therefore somebody from Ashington, Bedlington or Cramlington certainly can). On the other hand, it can be used to invite comparison of a previously made assertion (as was my intention): Even a person from Blyth (and not only a person from Ashington, Bedlington or Cramlington) can say it in a more easily understandable way. Hope that’s cleared it up a bit.

Quite right ex Bedlingtonian! Blyth it was but the rhetorical impact is the same and I'm sure that even someone from Blyth, could have said it in a more easily understandable way. I wondered why he needed to paraphrase at all and have yet to decide if the slur was directed at the language skills of all Ashingtonians, BLYTHONIANS(?) and Cramlingtonians or the HoL's lack of the same.

Nice one at 1.23 as well: ”In the part of the world where I come from, in Ashington, Bedlington and Cramlington, they will say – and I paraphrase - How dare that unelected panoply of panjandrums and pampered popinjays think they know better”. Paraphrase? Is he serious? To paraphrase is to express the meaning of something in different words to make it EASIER to understand! Any Bedlingtonian or Cramlingtonian would have been more easily understood (not sure about Ashingtonians, as I don’t know enough of them to be able to judge). Ah well, it is the HoL! On a positive note – some nice rhetoric touches. I particularly liked the strong alliteration in “panjandrums and pampered, popinjays” and three is truly a magic number is it not! And, the A, B, C (in that order) of Ashington. Bedlington, Cramlington is also a nice threesome. Oh, Lordy. I almost thought I’d died and gone to a rhetorical heaven!

Same here but the prettiness of him was questionable.

If the cap fits ....

Which spurious argument would that be? Please enlighten me.

Please explain further. You lost me at "two self-contradictory views".

I thought delirium had set in when flags and number plates suddenly changed to passports. Still not convinced that it hasn't.

I vaguely remember Beadnell's (at the top end) being self-service very early sixties. I and another pupil used to be allowed to miss school assembly on Wednesday mornings to go and buy the ingredients for the class cookery lesson.

Have you taken your medicine this morning?

Big thanks to everybody for sharing their knowledge! What a job that must have been for a full grown man, never mind a 14 year old.

Vic or HPW, do you know what a 'jockier'(or something similar to that word) is or was? Could it be anything to do with pit ponies (I'm thinking of the word 'jockey' here)? I can read the first 4 letters - jock - and the last letter - r - very clearly but the rest is a bit blurred. I found a relative, a 14 year old boy who is noted on the 1911 census to be a "jock(ie)r, under ground".

Thank you everybody for your very kind wishes. Finally got the Christmas tree down from the post box. To cut a long story short, it kept blowing over so I nailed it to the post box where it has since frozen - I know, I really should get out more!

I spend a lot of time in the south west of England and I haven't heard of her there either! Nothing weird about your world Eggy.

You lot are quick off your marks! It's not until tomorrow! Just popped in for my usual evening moan but as you've all been so nice, I'll let you off - just this once! ... and Eggy, who's that strange woman in my garden - or is it Wilf in disguise! Thank you everybody. Nothing special planned for tomorrow other than taking the Christmas tree down from my letter-box - it's a long story!

"Strange days we live in!" Got it in one, bonny lad! As for the rest, I’m just a tad perplexed as to what, if any, relevance science may have to the topic of number plates and flags but I think you may be getting them (number plates and flags) confused with anthropogenic global warming (I read newspapers too).

There’s nothing more to think about 3g. Thomas Barnes has petitioned the British Government suggesting “Union Jack to appear on British number plates after March 2019.” A link to that petition appeared on this thread. I am responding to that thread. My first reaction on reading the petition was that it seemed like a very strange request, for two reasons. Firstly, I have a former colleague in Wales who proudly displays the Welsh dragon on her number plate though, if I’m honest, this is more related to displaying the fact that she is Welsh – and not English. Secondly, many, many years ago I was a Girl Guide. One of the first things I was taught in the guides was ‘respect’ for the Union Flag. I was also taught how to show that respect, by handling it carefully, keeping it clean, folding it in the correct manner and so on. I was never lead to believe that any measure of respect was statutory. While the former made me realize that it is in fact possible to have other flags on British number plates the latter made me realize how old my knowledge of flag etiquette had become. I wondered if the situation had changed since I was a girl, so I thought a little more deeply – and indeed took the time to even look a little more deeply – into the matter. The results of my research are posted above. The sources are reliable. Indeed, one of those sources, the British Government, is the very instance being petitioned! I also reacted to the claim that “everyone” has lost their national pride –deduced from the statement “to give everyone a sense of national pride once again” - the “once again” suggesting that “everyone” once had national pride and that this has been lost. I’m a British citizen, and therefore included in that “everyone”, but I have not lost my national pride. I doubt if many Brits have. Given the triviality of the cause of the said loss of national pride, the lack of a flag on a number plate, I could almost take umbrage at being included. I have seen no evidence during my visits to Britain or in my contact with British people that British pride is even dwindling, let alone lost. British tourism has never been better – much thanks to British national pride. It’s Britain’s national pride that makes Britain so very, very British. To my eyes, all that is shown by this petition is that some 0,016% of the British population are ignorant of their rights in relation to British registration plates.

...which proves my point nicely, Vic. You, and I, have managed to retain our pride in being British without the use of a flag on our number plate. I'm pretty sure most other Brits have too.

It is NEVER illegal to fly the Union Flag or any of the national flags of Great Britain, so Thomas Barnes may fly his flag with pride when, where and how he wishes even today without breaking any laws. Of course, there is a certain protocol to be followed to ensure that it is flown with dignity. It may be flown every day of the year Normal times are sunrise to sunset but it's not illegal to fly it at night when it should, preferably be illuminated. No permission is neede to fly a flag and flags are excluded from most planning and advertising regulations. National flags should not be flown in a worn, damaged or dirty condition as this is considered a mark of disrespect to the nation they represent - but it's not illegal. It is considered improper - but not illegal - to fly the Union Flag upside down. It is equally improper - but not illegal - to use the flag as a tablecloth, seat- or floor covering. So, as the name suggests, the above serve only as guidelines to the cultural etiquette of flag flying. It is not statutory in any way. (Source: https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags/flying-flags-in-the-united-kingdom/british-flag-protocol/) Like you, I’m still proud to be British. However, my pride has no affiliation whatsoever with a flag on a number plate. I have not lost my national pride just because I own a car with an EU blue side stripe. The stripe doesn’t make me feel any less British or proud. I also own a small, British registered, car which I keep in London for my many journeys in and around the south of England. It does not have an EU blue side stripe but I don’t feel any greater pride when I get into that car. How about you? Have you managed to retain your pride in being British without the need to resort to a car sticker on your number plate? I cannot understand the mentality of Thomas Barnes in petitioning the government of Britain to request something which is already available today, whether that be a national flag on British registered cars or, as you suggest, being able to fly his flag without breaking any laws. There are no flag flying laws to be broken.

If the creator, Thomas Barnes, is a British citizen then he is already British by default. Is there no pride in that? It doesn't need a one inch flag on a number plate to prove your British and proud of it. However, he, and every other Brit, is also European by default - and that's not going to change even after Brexit. Am I to assume that he's not proud of being European? Perhaps he'd rather be Chinese or African? If Thomas, or anybody else for that matter, has lost all his national pride simply because he's got a blue side stripe on his number plate then that's very sad. I have cars with- and without the blue side stripe yet I'm still very proud to be both British and European. Thomas Barnes does not have to jump through any hoops to remove the offending blue side stripe from HIS car. Thomas Barnes does not need to jump through any hoops to get a British flag on HIS number plate. There are four choices of flag available plus the option of no flag at all. I'd be willing to wager that he hasn't even tried despite the fact that it probably involves infinitely less choices (the only hoops he'll have to jump through) than choosing which TV channels or newspapers he subscribes to. I wonder how many hoops he jumped through to do that? If Thomas Barnes is suggesting that EVERY British registered car MUST display a British flag on the number plate then that really would be a 'diktat' - not very becoming of a democratic country. Look again at my flag. Appearances can be deceiving! Are you sure you have one the same?

Well done, Malcolm! I don't know where you get the energy. For future reference: a cold never lasts more than a week. If you've still got any sort of symptoms after that get yourself to a doctor! Don't wait 2 months!