Sunday 29 April 2012

Pickles told to fly flag over DCMS offices

The EU Commission has drawn up a proposal to force any organisation handling development money laundered through the EU to fly the EU flag permanently.

The rule change is an enhancement of existing rules that require said organisations to put the EU logo on all their stationary and on plaques to tell the world that the EU has graciously and beneficently given us back a fraction of the £50m a day we give them and all they've modestly asked for in return for such a selfless and generous act is to have their logo displayed everywhere.

Eric Pickles has criticised the plan because it means that the EU flag will gave to be flown over the offices of the British Department for English Media, English Culture and English Sport all year round rather than just for "Europe Week".  Eland House has two flag poles so there's no excuse for not flying the EU logo alongside the union flag but there is a quite simple answer, other than leaving the obvious one of leaving the EU: the English flag comes above the EU logo in the order of precedence and as culture, media and sport are devolved, Eric Pickles' department is a de facto English department and it would be entirely appropriate to fly it above his offices.

All it takes is a simple change to the flag flying rules his department issues saying the English flag should be flown over British government departments that are de facto devolved English departments and the EU Commission will have failed to get the EU logo over Eland House.  It would also have the beneficial effect of reminding Mr Pickles which country he works for and informing the electorate which British government departments are devolved.

Killing three birds with one stone, that's an efficiency Eric Pickles must surely approve of?  We'll write to him and suggest it, I'm sure he'll be terribly grateful.