As row erupted at a sleepy village in Norfolk after some wanted to block a proposal to fly the Union Jack at the village hall - we headed down to Claxton to get the views of those on the ground.
Locals at Claxton, a few miles southeast of Norwich, passed a motion at the Parish Council to erect a flagpole, but there is an ongoing dispute regarding what flags it can fly.
Dick Thompson from Claxton was proud to fly the flag
GB News
Some parishioners are supporting flying the Union Flag as a sign of patriotism, but said that the flag has “negative connotations” and hoisting the flag above the village hall could be seen as “nationalism.”
Claxton local Dick Thompson told GB News: “I'm very patriotic. I think we should have a flagpole. I definitely want the Union Jack up. I don't like to see lots of other flags up, I must say.
When asked for his reaction to some people saying that the Union Flag could be a sign of nationalism and that it was divisive, Mr Thompson said “Is it rubbish! That's a lot of rubbish. It's not divisive. It's our flag. Every country shows their flags. Why the hell shouldn't we show ours?”
Mr Thompson, a retired prison officer, added: “I've lived in this village 60 odd years. We've never had this problem. In our early days, we all helped each other. No one was against anybody. We agreed things. We used to have meetings at the village hall as it was then, and it was all okay.
“But all of a sudden we’ve got newcomers coming in and I'm not against it because we've got quite a few, and a lot of them are damn nice people, but we've just got one or two [causing trouble].”
Another local told GB News that one of the main agitators against the flagpole was invited to a party in the village soon after he voiced his opposition to the flag.
When he arrived, a large Union Jack was on display in the house, but he did not complain.
Newly elected Labour MP for the area, Ben Goldsborough, has not taken a side in the dispute and has urged the villagers to sort it out on their own terms.
He said: “The most important thing is making sure that all residents feel listened to.
“There are people for and against this and they all need to have some buy-in in the process.”
Mr Goldsborough, the MP for South Norfolk, was reportedly urged to intervene by one of the locals.
In May, the village hall committee approached Claxton Parish Council for permission to install a flagpole on their grounds.
And it’s not just the Union Flag that they want to fly, with the St George’s cross and the Norfolk flag also on the list of colours they want to display.
But debate continues about which flags can be flown in Claxton.
