Flying The Flag - What's The Meaning?

BACKGROUND

Recently there has been controversy about people flying the Union flag or English flag.

In his speech at the Labour Party conference, Keir Starmer said: “They belong to all of us and we will never surrender them” — referring to the flags of the United Kingdom’s four nations. He affirmed that he is “not just proud of the Union Jack … I’m also proud of the Saltire, proud of the Red Dragon … proud of our union.” He urged delegates to “fly all [flags] … because they are our flags. They belong to all of us.” Starmer also warned that when the flag is painted alongside graffiti telling someone “to go home,” that is not pride — “that’s racism.”

In a recent Reform UK speech in Birmingham, Farage praised the spread of Union flags and St George’s Cross flags on lampposts. He described this display as a way of “sticking two fingers up at the establishment” and said that they reflect national pride. Farage has accused the Labour Party of “hating the English national flag” and of being out-of-step with working-class England over its attitude toward St George’s Cross and national symbolism.

Firstly, we can attempt to unpack the above:
Question: Do you agree with the remarks by Starmer? Or do you agree with Farage?
Question: Do you think there should be any controversy about flying the flag? Does it imply anything that is uncomfortable to you?
Question: Is there any particular reason that the British might be more nervous about flying the flag? Could it be because of the country's imperial past?

DO BRITISH VALUES EXIST?
When discussing British values, the LBC programme host James O’Brien mentioned:

• Freedom of religion;
• Democracy;
• Freedom of expression.

Question: Would you agree with the above?

Question: Can you think of any three other values that you think are British?
Here’s James O’Brien again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZeDIYh2PSQ
Question: What British values - if any - are you proud of?
Question: What qualities - if any - are different between Britain and other countries?

George Orwell wrote often about Englishness or Britishness. In his 1941 essay “The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius”, Orwell described the English as a people with “a gentleness, a hypocrisy, a respect for the law, a hatred of uniforms” and a “fondness for flowers and pets.” He saw decency and a sense of fairness as central to Englishness, even if combined with contradictions like class divisions.
Question: To what extent do you agree with Orwell?
Orwell distinguished between patriotism (love of one’s country and way of life, without wishing to impose it on others) and nationalism (the desire for power and superiority). He argued that his own sense of Englishness was tied to a quiet patriotism rather than aggressive nationalism.

CONCLUSION
Concluding Question: To what extent and how can we distinguish between two uses of the same flag?