Political Penguin

I’ll admit I’m leading into a bit of a rant today, but no foul language I promise. My subject is the issue of car license plates and identity. Now before someone tries to be clever and post something about identity not being purely a question of geographic location, I’ll add that I’m fully aware of this and maybe that will be the topic of another post, but purely in terms of the this post I am considering primarily that facet of personal identity that is derived from a geographic context.
Just so that everyone is clear where I’m coming from, I thought I’d start of by giving you my concept of identity as I see myself. First and foremost I’m a member of the human race, yes, our species of homo-sapiens that have come to be the dominant species on our planet. Secondly I’m a European, being that I have spent every second of my life within the generally agreed area of what constitutes Europe. Thirdly I’m a Brit, an Englishman, a Midlander, a Wulfrunian and whatever term could be used to describe someone as coming from Willenhall. I am completely happy with my identity/identities as they are, I neither see one nor the other as being more or less important. I also see no reason to openly display affiliation to one or the other as a preference.
So now the gripe. A few years ago we started to intoduce number plates on new cars that have the GB emblem and a litle EU flag above it. However, it seems common that people stick little England flags over this part of the license plate, presumably as some form of expression of hatred for the European Union and to display their nationality as they see it.
Before I start to get comments about being an England basher and being unpatriotic I would add that I have no problems with the display of the England flag in many different contexts, be it hanging out of windows, across streets or even those little flagpole things that people put on their cars during football championships. I’ve also been known to hang the flag out during the European and World Cups myself.
However what I don’t agree with is the deliberate defacing of car number plates that are there for an official reason.
Now the legal requirements in the UK do not need to have the GB and Euro flag element on the number plate contrary to what rabid anti-European’s might like people to believe in this being a conspiracy to rob us poor Brits/English of our identity. However, from my point of view they just seem sensible and here’s the reason.
Should one want to drive on the continent, it is a requirement that the car must display the internationally recognised national identifier tag of ‘GB’. To not do this is an offence. So for all those people who stick England flags over their number plate, sorry, but you’re daft behaviour means that you’re going to have to fork out more money for another ‘GB’ sticker should you ever pop over to France on a beer and fag run. Doesn’t this just sound that bit illogical?
A final point. Having made clear that I personally am quite content with what I see as my own identity, lets take the English identity here as the example. Were I to own a car with a GB and EU flag number plate then I would feel no desire to whack an England sticker over the top as an assertion of my identity because I’m quite secure in how I see mine.
Which beggars the question, does the need to do such a think show a deepseated insecurity in those who need to outwardly show such a pointless assertion of their nationality? It truly is as pointless as the argument that suddenly we are less British if we have the Euro. I’m sorry for all those who think that their identity is defined by a few coins in their pocket, or a sticker on their number plate but I happen to think there’s a bit more to it than that.
Oh, and I am just waiting for the Sun headline about some dipstick pulled over by the French police for not showing a GB sticker after he’s plastered an England flag over his plate. It has to happen some day.