As the Welsh say that they want their Red Dragon (Ddraig Goch) that is on their flag to be put onto the Union Flag as a symbol of their place in the United Kingdom......
Japan offers to solve 'Union Jack problem'
By Richard Holt
01/12/2007
The Telegraph
The Welsh want a dragon in the Union Jack. Here's one....
The Welsh flag. Wales is the only part of the UK that isn't represented on the Union Jack and now they want the Red Dragon (Ddraig Goch) to be put onto the Union Jack.
Some facts about Wales:
1) Along with Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, Wales is a constituent part of the UK
2) Wales is the third largest constituent part of the UK in land area and population, after England and Scotland, but is larger than Northern Ireland
3) Wales and England became unified as one country in the early 1500s. Scotland joined the Union in 1707, and then Ireland in 1801. The southern portion of Ireland then broke away in 1922, leaving Northern Ireland as part of the UK
4) Wales is the world's largest principality
5) Welsh, the language spoken by the people of Wales, is Europe's oldest surviving language
Japanese readers have made an unlikely intervention into the Britishness debate by offering to help solve the row over the future of the Union Jack.
Earlier this week a Labour MP called for the Union flag to be redesigned to include the Welsh Dragon.
Some designs were comic, others would have a somewhat limited shelf-life. Click to see more
Following an invitation for Telegraph readers to submit their designs, a broad range of interesting suggestions were sent in.
At first most of the readers' flags were sent from within the UK, but then a Japanese website offered to help.
"We heard the news of the Union Jack problem," they wrote.
"We believe that our new ideas will help."
Others were more subtle re-workings of the original Union Jack design On the left, a cool version of the Ddraig Goch (Red Dragon) and on the right the yellow Cross of St David (patron saint of Wales) joins the crosses of the patron saints of England, Ireland and Scotland on the Union Jack
The designs ranged from the sober and sensible to the frankly comic.
The debate began when Wrexham MP Ian Lucas said the current design does not represent Wales's "true place in the Union".
In a Commons debate he 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 added: "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."
Not everyone was keen on the idea of redesigning the flag.
Conservative MP Stewart Jackson said: "I believe this is an eccentric proposal, although well meaning.
But Margaret Hodge, the culture minister, said: "I do acknowledge the comments on the Union flag and the need for Wales to be represented - I think a valid point has been raised."
She said that, although there were no current plans to redesign the flag, she was aware that some people did not feel that it was representative.
"The Government is keen to make the Union flag a positive symbol of Britishness reflecting the diversity of our country today and encouraging people to take pride in our flag," she added.
The Union Jack should be redesigned and combined with the Welsh flag, according to Ian Lucas, the MP for Wrexham. Telegraph readers have sent us their designs for the flag.
Japan has ridden to our rescue - the flag design problem was picked up by a Japanese website and their readers have sent us many suggestions
The Welsh say they want the Red Dragon (or, as the Welsh say in their language "Y Ddraig Goch") on the Union Flag as they are the only constituent part of the United Kingdom not to be represented on the British national flag. Here are some proposed designs from all over the world Imainly Japan), some are ingenious and others are humorous
Charles Ashburner included all the flags in his design. This could be many people's favourite to be the next Union Jack (from left to right within the flag are the symbols ofEngland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland)
One of the Japanese forum's readers sent us this rather bizarre flag, explaining that the girl is a famous manga character called Ana Coppola who hails from Cornwall
A reader called Dave pictured England's patron saint, St George, slaying the Welsh dragon
"Anonymous of Norway" retaliated with a rather cool dragon
Another of the Japanese forum's readers eschewed the dragon altogether and plumped for that other familiar Welsh symbol - the leek
A flag with an outline of the dragon sumperimposed over the Union Jack, sent to us from Japan
Another reader in Japan sent us this ingenious design, incorporating the dragon and the green field from the Welsh flag
The designer of this flag calls it: "Principality: Britain is mine!"
Steve Speirs has managed to superimpose the dragon on the Union Jack in a way which is simple and effective
Karmiso sent this, saying, "I did my best. You please do your best, too"
Ray sent in this suggestion ...
And also this subtle reworking
This deconstruction of the flag by an anonymous reader adds the Welsh dragon as well as a royalist touch
SH Tiedke sent his effort, with the motto, "Simple, elegant, intimidating. Rule Britannia!"
telegraph.co.uk
Japan offers to solve 'Union Jack problem'
By Richard Holt
01/12/2007
The Telegraph
The Welsh want a dragon in the Union Jack. Here's one....
The Welsh flag. Wales is the only part of the UK that isn't represented on the Union Jack and now they want the Red Dragon (Ddraig Goch) to be put onto the Union Jack.
Some facts about Wales:
1) Along with Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, Wales is a constituent part of the UK
2) Wales is the third largest constituent part of the UK in land area and population, after England and Scotland, but is larger than Northern Ireland
3) Wales and England became unified as one country in the early 1500s. Scotland joined the Union in 1707, and then Ireland in 1801. The southern portion of Ireland then broke away in 1922, leaving Northern Ireland as part of the UK
4) Wales is the world's largest principality
5) Welsh, the language spoken by the people of Wales, is Europe's oldest surviving language
Japanese readers have made an unlikely intervention into the Britishness debate by offering to help solve the row over the future of the Union Jack.
Earlier this week a Labour MP called for the Union flag to be redesigned to include the Welsh Dragon.
Some designs were comic, others would have a somewhat limited shelf-life. Click to see more
Following an invitation for Telegraph readers to submit their designs, a broad range of interesting suggestions were sent in.
At first most of the readers' flags were sent from within the UK, but then a Japanese website offered to help.
"We heard the news of the Union Jack problem," they wrote.
"We believe that our new ideas will help."
Others were more subtle re-workings of the original Union Jack design On the left, a cool version of the Ddraig Goch (Red Dragon) and on the right the yellow Cross of St David (patron saint of Wales) joins the crosses of the patron saints of England, Ireland and Scotland on the Union Jack
The designs ranged from the sober and sensible to the frankly comic.
The debate began when Wrexham MP Ian Lucas said the current design does not represent Wales's "true place in the Union".
In a Commons debate he 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 added: "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."
Not everyone was keen on the idea of redesigning the flag.
Conservative MP Stewart Jackson said: "I believe this is an eccentric proposal, although well meaning.
But Margaret Hodge, the culture minister, said: "I do acknowledge the comments on the Union flag and the need for Wales to be represented - I think a valid point has been raised."
She said that, although there were no current plans to redesign the flag, she was aware that some people did not feel that it was representative.
"The Government is keen to make the Union flag a positive symbol of Britishness reflecting the diversity of our country today and encouraging people to take pride in our flag," she added.
The Union Jack should be redesigned and combined with the Welsh flag, according to Ian Lucas, the MP for Wrexham. Telegraph readers have sent us their designs for the flag.
Japan has ridden to our rescue - the flag design problem was picked up by a Japanese website and their readers have sent us many suggestions
The Welsh say they want the Red Dragon (or, as the Welsh say in their language "Y Ddraig Goch") on the Union Flag as they are the only constituent part of the United Kingdom not to be represented on the British national flag. Here are some proposed designs from all over the world Imainly Japan), some are ingenious and others are humorous
Charles Ashburner included all the flags in his design. This could be many people's favourite to be the next Union Jack (from left to right within the flag are the symbols ofEngland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland)
One of the Japanese forum's readers sent us this rather bizarre flag, explaining that the girl is a famous manga character called Ana Coppola who hails from Cornwall
A reader called Dave pictured England's patron saint, St George, slaying the Welsh dragon
"Anonymous of Norway" retaliated with a rather cool dragon
Another of the Japanese forum's readers eschewed the dragon altogether and plumped for that other familiar Welsh symbol - the leek
A flag with an outline of the dragon sumperimposed over the Union Jack, sent to us from Japan
Another reader in Japan sent us this ingenious design, incorporating the dragon and the green field from the Welsh flag
The designer of this flag calls it: "Principality: Britain is mine!"
Steve Speirs has managed to superimpose the dragon on the Union Jack in a way which is simple and effective
Karmiso sent this, saying, "I did my best. You please do your best, too"
Ray sent in this suggestion ...
And also this subtle reworking
This deconstruction of the flag by an anonymous reader adds the Welsh dragon as well as a royalist touch
SH Tiedke sent his effort, with the motto, "Simple, elegant, intimidating. Rule Britannia!"
telegraph.co.uk