The Union Jack, the most famous national flag in the world, may soon be changed for the first time in 200 years to incorporate the Welsh flag, which features The Red Dragon (Welsh: "Y Ddraig Goch"). The Union Jack was created in 1606 by the Scotsman King James I (of England&Wales) VII (of Scotland). He was the first king of both the kingdoms of England&Wales and Scotland after the 1603 Union of the Crowns, although England&Wales didn't unify with Scotland politically (Ibecoming Great Britain) until 1707, though a flag was created to represent England/Wales and Scotland in 1606. Wales and England unified as one country in around the 1500s, and when the Union Flag was created in 1606 the Welsh Red Dragon, known in the Welsh language as "Y Ddraig Goch", wasn't included, with Wales being represented by the English flag as the two countries had already been unified for about a century. The reason why the Red Dragon appears on the Welsh Flag may hark back to over a thousand years. Legend has it than when the Celts (the Welsh) did battle with the Anglo-Saxons (the English), the Celt armies carried banners with red dragons and the Anglo-Saxon armies carried banners with white dragons.
The last change to the Union Jack came in 1801 when Ireland joined the Union and the Irish flag - a red, diagonal cross on a white background - was added to it.
Now, the Welsh Red Dragon may be incorparated. The most likely new design for the Union Jack would feature a smallish Red Dragon in the very centre of the flag.
Welsh dragon call for Union flag
Ian Lucas MP says Wales' flag (above) which features a "Red Dragon" ("Ddraig Goch" in Welsh) should be combined with the Union Jack as is the case with Scotland, England and Ireland
The union jack should be combined with the Welsh flag, according to an MP who wants the change to be made to reflect Wales' status within the UK.
In a Commons debate, Wrexham's Labour MP Ian Lucas said Wales' Red Dragon should be added to the union jack's red, white and blue pattern.
He said the union jack currently only represented the other three UK nations.
But Stewart Jackson, Conservative MP for Peterborough, said the plan was "eccentric" and would be unpopular.
"I do not believe it would add to the unity of the country," he said.
Let the debate begin, let the rest of the world know that the iconic symbol of the United Kingdom may change
Ian Lucas
Wrexham's MP
However, Culture Minister Margaret Hodge conceded that Mr Lucas had raised a valid point for debate.
She said the government is "keen" to make the Union Jack "a positive symbol of Britishness reflecting the diversity of our country today and encouraging people to take pride in our flag".
And the minister acknowledged that a number of people across Britain were unhappy about flying the Union Jack as they felt it does not "truly represent the United Kingdom".
However, she said redesigning the flag had not been part of a consultation currently being carried out.
'State of grace'
The Union Flag was first created in 1606 by a Scotsman, King James I (of the kingdom of England&Wales) and VII (of the kingdom of Scotland). He was the first monarch to be monarch of both England&Wales and Scotland, as this was just three years after of the Union of the Crowns, when the English and Scottish crowns unified as one, as it has been ever since. So he created a flag to represent this union. The two kingdoms of England&Wales and Scotland did not unify as one country politically - known today as Britain - until 1707, though. The first Union Flag, between 1606 and 1801, mixed up the English flag with the Scottish flag in an ingenious design. Wales was represented on the Union Flag with the English flag, as those two nations had already been united as one country since the early 1500s. But then when Ireland joined the Union in 1801, the Irish flag - a red diagonal cross on a white background - was added. Though when Ireland split into two in 1922, and the southern portion seceded from the Union, Northern Ireland's flag changed to become similar to England's but with a red hand in the centre. But the red diagonal cross remains on the Union Flag. Now, a Red Dragon representing Wales may be added.
Their comments come after a Commons debate in which Mr Lucas said: "I believe that the Union Flag should change now to reflect the four nations of the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales."
He argued that the UK "did not exist in a constitutional state of grace".
"Changing an iconic image such as the union flag may appear to be more difficult to achieve than 200 years ago, but nonetheless I believe the change is right," he said. "Let the debate begin, let the rest of the world know that the iconic symbol of the United Kingdom may change and that the reason that it will change is that we have a new constitutional settlement that affords Wales its true place in the Union."
Your Welsh flag designs
An MP has called for the Union Jack to be combined with the Welsh Flag to reflect Wales' status within the UK. Stan Lewry was one of many who sent in their own designs. This proposed new Union Jack shows the symbols of Northern Ireland (above left), England (above right), Scotland (bottom left) and Wales (bottom right).
Amanda Burton: "I did this a couple of years ago for my daughter, who thought it was unfair Wales wasn't on the Union Flag."
Matthew Harris thinks the Red Dragon wouldn't work, but the Cross of St David (Wales' patron saint) would. This would then put it on a par with Ireland, England, and Scotland, whose patron saints' crosses are all on the flag
Andrew Van Der Hoek thinks the initiative is an excellent idea: "Finally the Welsh have a chance to get their place on the Union Jack." England (above left), Wales (above right), Scotland (bottom left) and Northern Ireland (bottom right)
news.bbc.co.uk
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WELSH FLAG
The national flag of Wales is The Red Dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch). It consists of a red dragon, passant, on a green and white field. As with any heraldic charge, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many different interpretations exist.
The flag was granted official status in 1959, but the red dragon itself has been associated with Wales for centuries; indeed, the flag is sometimes claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use, though the origin of the adoption of the dragon symbol is now lost in history and myth. A plausible theory is that the Romans brought the emblem to what is now Wales during their occupation of Britain in the form of the Draco standards borne by the Roman cavalry, but it could be even older.
The green and white stripes of the flag were additions by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. Green and white are also the colours of the leek, another national emblem of Wales.
The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 830, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. It is particularly associated in Welsh poetry with Cadwaladr king of Gwynedd from c.655 to 682.
Many legends are associated with the Welsh dragon. The most famous is the prophecy of Myrddin (or Merlin) of a long fight between a red dragon and a white dragon.
According to the prophecy, the white dragon would at first dominate but eventually the red dragon would win, this eventual victory and recapturing of Lloegr would be, according to Welsh legend, brought about by Y Mab Darogan. This is believed to represent the conflict in the 5th and 6th centuries between the British Celts (who later became the Welsh) and the invading Saxons.
The Welsh Flag is the only flag of the constituent countries of the UK not to be used in the Union Flag. Wales had no explicit recognition in the flag because Wales had been annexed by Edward I of England in 1282 and, since the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, was considered to be a part of the Kingdom of England. There have since been proposals to include the Dragon or the flag of Saint David (itself a cross) on the Union Flag, but these have never met with much support.
Wales and Bhutan are at present the only countries to have a dragon on their flag, though the Chinese flag also featured a dragon during the Qing Dynasty.
In popular culture, the character of Idris the Dragon from the children's animation Ivor the Engine, is clearly based on the red dragon from the flag.
wikipedia.org
The last change to the Union Jack came in 1801 when Ireland joined the Union and the Irish flag - a red, diagonal cross on a white background - was added to it.
Now, the Welsh Red Dragon may be incorparated. The most likely new design for the Union Jack would feature a smallish Red Dragon in the very centre of the flag.
Welsh dragon call for Union flag
Ian Lucas MP says Wales' flag (above) which features a "Red Dragon" ("Ddraig Goch" in Welsh) should be combined with the Union Jack as is the case with Scotland, England and Ireland
The union jack should be combined with the Welsh flag, according to an MP who wants the change to be made to reflect Wales' status within the UK.
In a Commons debate, Wrexham's Labour MP Ian Lucas said Wales' Red Dragon should be added to the union jack's red, white and blue pattern.
He said the union jack currently only represented the other three UK nations.
But Stewart Jackson, Conservative MP for Peterborough, said the plan was "eccentric" and would be unpopular.
"I do not believe it would add to the unity of the country," he said.
Ian Lucas
Wrexham's MP
However, Culture Minister Margaret Hodge conceded that Mr Lucas had raised a valid point for debate.
She said the government is "keen" to make the Union Jack "a positive symbol of Britishness reflecting the diversity of our country today and encouraging people to take pride in our flag".
And the minister acknowledged that a number of people across Britain were unhappy about flying the Union Jack as they felt it does not "truly represent the United Kingdom".
However, she said redesigning the flag had not been part of a consultation currently being carried out.
'State of grace'
The Union Flag was first created in 1606 by a Scotsman, King James I (of the kingdom of England&Wales) and VII (of the kingdom of Scotland). He was the first monarch to be monarch of both England&Wales and Scotland, as this was just three years after of the Union of the Crowns, when the English and Scottish crowns unified as one, as it has been ever since. So he created a flag to represent this union. The two kingdoms of England&Wales and Scotland did not unify as one country politically - known today as Britain - until 1707, though. The first Union Flag, between 1606 and 1801, mixed up the English flag with the Scottish flag in an ingenious design. Wales was represented on the Union Flag with the English flag, as those two nations had already been united as one country since the early 1500s. But then when Ireland joined the Union in 1801, the Irish flag - a red diagonal cross on a white background - was added. Though when Ireland split into two in 1922, and the southern portion seceded from the Union, Northern Ireland's flag changed to become similar to England's but with a red hand in the centre. But the red diagonal cross remains on the Union Flag. Now, a Red Dragon representing Wales may be added.
Their comments come after a Commons debate in which Mr Lucas said: "I believe that the Union Flag should change now to reflect the four nations of the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales."
He argued that the UK "did not exist in a constitutional state of grace".
"Changing an iconic image such as the union flag may appear to be more difficult to achieve than 200 years ago, but nonetheless I believe the change is right," he said. "Let the debate begin, let the rest of the world know that the iconic symbol of the United Kingdom may change and that the reason that it will change is that we have a new constitutional settlement that affords Wales its true place in the Union."
Your Welsh flag designs
An MP has called for the Union Jack to be combined with the Welsh Flag to reflect Wales' status within the UK. Stan Lewry was one of many who sent in their own designs. This proposed new Union Jack shows the symbols of Northern Ireland (above left), England (above right), Scotland (bottom left) and Wales (bottom right).
Amanda Burton: "I did this a couple of years ago for my daughter, who thought it was unfair Wales wasn't on the Union Flag."
Matthew Harris thinks the Red Dragon wouldn't work, but the Cross of St David (Wales' patron saint) would. This would then put it on a par with Ireland, England, and Scotland, whose patron saints' crosses are all on the flag
Andrew Van Der Hoek thinks the initiative is an excellent idea: "Finally the Welsh have a chance to get their place on the Union Jack." England (above left), Wales (above right), Scotland (bottom left) and Northern Ireland (bottom right)
news.bbc.co.uk
********************************************
WELSH FLAG
The national flag of Wales is The Red Dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch). It consists of a red dragon, passant, on a green and white field. As with any heraldic charge, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many different interpretations exist.
The flag was granted official status in 1959, but the red dragon itself has been associated with Wales for centuries; indeed, the flag is sometimes claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use, though the origin of the adoption of the dragon symbol is now lost in history and myth. A plausible theory is that the Romans brought the emblem to what is now Wales during their occupation of Britain in the form of the Draco standards borne by the Roman cavalry, but it could be even older.
The green and white stripes of the flag were additions by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. Green and white are also the colours of the leek, another national emblem of Wales.
The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 830, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. It is particularly associated in Welsh poetry with Cadwaladr king of Gwynedd from c.655 to 682.
Many legends are associated with the Welsh dragon. The most famous is the prophecy of Myrddin (or Merlin) of a long fight between a red dragon and a white dragon.
According to the prophecy, the white dragon would at first dominate but eventually the red dragon would win, this eventual victory and recapturing of Lloegr would be, according to Welsh legend, brought about by Y Mab Darogan. This is believed to represent the conflict in the 5th and 6th centuries between the British Celts (who later became the Welsh) and the invading Saxons.
The Welsh Flag is the only flag of the constituent countries of the UK not to be used in the Union Flag. Wales had no explicit recognition in the flag because Wales had been annexed by Edward I of England in 1282 and, since the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, was considered to be a part of the Kingdom of England. There have since been proposals to include the Dragon or the flag of Saint David (itself a cross) on the Union Flag, but these have never met with much support.
Wales and Bhutan are at present the only countries to have a dragon on their flag, though the Chinese flag also featured a dragon during the Qing Dynasty.
In popular culture, the character of Idris the Dragon from the children's animation Ivor the Engine, is clearly based on the red dragon from the flag.
wikipedia.org
