First Nick Groom gave a presentation on his book on the Union Jack. He made a very libertarian point. The reason that the Union Jack is such a totemic design, in use in many countries and on all kinds of consumer goods, is precisely because there aren't any laws about its usage.
When James V1/1 moved down to London in 1603 he ordered all of his ships to fly both the St Andrew's and St George's flags from the same mast. The problem was that the arrangement meant that the country of the uppermost flag had defeated the lowermost country in war. And, yes, all of the Scottish ships flew the Saltire on top and the English ones did the opposite. Hence the Duke of Nottingham being asked to design what became the Union Jack.
Nick was followed by the very funny Aidan Smith, author of Heartfelt, in which:
A lifelong Hibs fan takes on the challenge that TV's Faking It and Wifeswap were too scared to even contemplate - he tries to follow hated Edinburgh rivals Hearts for an entire season.We heard all about the tribulations of being Mr Hibee and Doctor Jambo at the same time. Smith has also spent time with England supporters and another book is on its way.
A very good event.
No comments:
Post a Comment