THE union flag has long been a symbol of the British empire, imperialism and so on.

However it has been mostly, at least in official terms, a ceremonial one — raised or lowered as Britain claimed or exited territory around the world, saluted on formal occasions, often royal ones.

In the last 50 years the flag has been used by fascists and the far right. 

Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists used a specific fascist flag. 

As the academic Paul Gilroy has noted “there ain’t no black in the union jack,” underlining the use of the flag by racists.

Indeed it has long been closely associated with British imperialism and known as the “butcher’s apron.” 

This was perhaps particularly the case in Ireland but applies to countries around the world that Britain invaded and plundered at some point.

British imperialism used to be marked on Commonwealth Day. As a young school student in the 1960s, I remember parading around the playground waving a small union jack as the teacher drew attention to a map of the world with the bits of it that were coloured pink, for Britain. 

That particular tradition doesn’t seem to have survived beyond the 1960s.

Right-wing politicians, with the exception of the ceremonial occasions noted above, were not great flag people, however. 

There is a picture of Churchill addressing a crowd in central London on VE Day, May 8 1945. There is not a union flag to be seen anywhere on the platform.

When Churchill was replaced by a Labour government, Clement Attlee took the decision to develop British nuclear weapons. 

Foreign secretary, rightwinger Ernie Bevin, noted that the warheads had to have the “bloody union jack” on them. 

A recognition of the symbolism of the matter and the reality that even the anti-communist right in Labour, while undoubtedly patriotic, as they saw it, were not great fans of flag-waving.

It is tempting to say that as British capitalism, and indeed the Tory Party, looked globally for profit from the Thatcher era on, the desire of right-wing politicians to clothe themselves in the flag is almost a subconscious angst, and that despite all the Brexit bombast, their interest is not in Britain but profit (often for themselves and their mates).

There is also a copying of the style of Trumpism, although US politicians have been keener on their flag in general, I suspect, for much longer

Why Keir Starmer had a moment of clothing himself in the flag as well is unclear but, unsurprisingly, it didn’t seem to go down well with anyone.

New Labour’s Cool Britannia period for example involved using the union jack, not as a nationalistic symbol for politicians to drape themselves in, but as a cultural campaign.

It might be noted that a specific association with the union flag is not the same as a profession of patriotic belief and practice. 

That is a much more complex matter but not usually associated with flag-waving.

Patriotic unions formed part of the crowd at Peterloo and there has been a continuing battle over what is means to be patriotic.

At the moment various Tory politicians have tried to make the flag a part of their culture wars. 

Boris Johnson has had a new press briefing room built festooned with union jacks, while BBC journalists have been reprimanding for liking tweets critical of Tory flag-waving.

In contrast to all this, it’s important to underline that socialists are anti-racists, anti-imperialists and internationalists. 

At least since 1848 the socialist flag has been red and in 2021 it remains so, however much the Tories wave the union jack.