My friends, our flags, the St George’s Cross and the Union Jack, are more than just colours on cloth. They are the heartbeat of our nation. They fly as a reminder of who we are, where we have come from, and what we stand for.
Beneath these flags, our ancestors stood shoulder to shoulder in times of war and in times of peace. They built our towns, our cities, our institutions, and our freedoms. They carried these banners into battles fought for liberty, into stadiums where we cheered as one, and into moments of triumph that lifted us all.
Let us be clear: these flags do not belong to extremists. They do not belong to hate. They belong to the people, to every citizen, from every background, who legally calls this country their home and actively contributes towards it. They are the shared inheritance of all who have worked, served, and sacrificed to make this nation what it is today.
To fly the St George’s Cross, to raise the Union Jack, is to say: I am proud of my country. I am proud of our history. I am proud of our future. It is to affirm that patriotism is not about exclusion, but about unity. Not about division, but about pride. Not about fear, but about hope.
So let us fly our flags with confidence. Let us reclaim them for what they are: symbols of courage, resilience, and belonging. And let us stand together beneath them, one people, one nation, united in heritage, and bound by love of country.
