The Union Jack Banned From Number Plates

(Destroy)

There's been a bit of to and fro among some blogs recently about whether the EU really has banned the use of national flags on licence number plates and, indeed, whether you can be fined for doing so. This written answer from Jim Fitzpatrick below clears it up.

Vehicle Number Plates

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations govern the bearing of representations of (a) the EU flag and (b) the Union flag on motor vehicle licence plates. [225018]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 permit the voluntary display of the GB Euro symbol on number plates. These Regulations would not permit without amendment the Union Flag or other national identifiers.

In other words: you are not allowed to display your own country's flag on your number plate. You can have the EU's symbol, but nothing else.

I'm not a flag-waver myself but the pettiness of this strikes me as beyond credulity. Just think of the mentality of the people who sat down and thought about this long enough to make it law. Then think about the mentality of the buffoons who allowed it to be passed, without comment, into British law. Have they nothing better to do? Was our cash well spent on this piece of legislation?

Links: Bloggers 4 UKIP, Gerald Warner in The Telegraph, The EU Sceptic.