I, like most people, gave a little patriotic cheer when Eric Pickles announced that the pointlessly bureaucratic rules on flag flying are going to be relaxed. Pickles has always been a man that is willing to confront the issues  that others shy away from.

I think the benefits of doing this are manifestly obvious. We all accept that flying flags is a fantastic catalyst for community cohesion; there’s something about flags flapping away that brings a community together. As he rightly points out “misplaced political correctness” can prevent the unification that comes from flying national and local flags.

Though we all know this is true I’m pleased that Pickles  must have at last found an objective evidence base to prove this is true. After all, it is unlikely that a Government that has  put such store in the lack public funds would waste valuable time and effort  on something like this without clear  evidence.

I think I’d always known that there must be some Kafkaesque bureaucracy surrounding the flying of flags, though as I don’t have  a flag  pole it isn’t something that I’ve ever been confronted with. Fortunately the press release from Communities and Local Government highlight the ridiculous hoops these jobsworths make us jump through.

Apparently you do not need permission to fly the flag of:-

• any country in the world
• the European Union
• the United Nations
• the Commonwealth
• any County
• the patron saint associated with a County

There are a number of flags that can be flown with deemed consent, these are:-

• An organisations own flag
• An advertisement for an event in the building

When you look at both the lists above  you do begin to wonder which  community it is that is being disadvantaged by the current rules. Clearly communities can quite happily already fly national and local flags without seeking permission so what is this all about?

The only people I can think of that currently need to ask permission to fly flags are pirates. Pirates are frequently maligned in the press and it is good to see Pickles doing his best  to redress this. Worth every penny.