Latest news with #UnionJack
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reform UK Chairman Accused Of 'Fantasy Economics' Over Plan To Cut Public Spending By £400 Billion
Reform UK's chairman has been accused of 'fantasy economics' after he said the party would slash up to £400 billion a year of public spending in its first term in office if it wins the next election. Zia Yusuf insisted the party could find the huge savings by cutting back on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes, scrapping Net Zero policies and slashing quangos. Speaking on Sky News on Sunday, he said Reform leader Nigel Farage was 'crazy about' the plan. He said: 'Was when was the last time you had a political leader in this country with a real shot at Downing Street, calling for £300 to £400 billion of cuts in the first term of government? 'I cannot remember it inside my lifetime, he was really crazy about this. Almost all of those cuts would actually improve the lives of British people. That is the state of decay in this country.' Zia Yusuf(chair Reform) tells #TrevorPhillips, with a straight face, that Reform is "calling for £300b to £400b of cuts in public spending in there 1st term of government... & those cuts will improve the lives of British people..." 🤔# — Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) June 1, 2025 But a Labour spokesperson said: 'Nigel Farage's fantasy economics would supercharge the chaos inflicted by Liz Truss, crash the economy, destroy jobs, ruin the public services working people rely on, and add £5,500 onto the average family's mortgage - it would be a disaster for Britain. 'Farage and Reform simply can't be trusted to look after your family's finances, or the country's.' Tory chairman Nigel Huddleston said: 'Reform have given up any pretence of being a serious party. Nigel Farage now wants hardworking taxpayers to foot the bill for unlimited welfare, while handing out fantasy pledges with numbers that don't even begin to add up. 'Reform have abandoned any principles and embraced Corbyn-style chaos. Farage says Corbyn was 'pretty much right' and his chair boasts of slashing £300 billion from public services without naming a single department. 'It's pure populist theatre - uncosted, unserious, and utterly unfit for government. If voters want socialism draped in a Union Jack, sold with a pint and a wink, Reform's their party. 'But if they want lower taxes, secure borders, and grown-up government, that's the Conservatives.' 'This Is Panic': Defence Secretary Forced To Deny Keir Starmer Is Rattled By Nigel Farage Nigel Farage On Course For Commons Majority According To Latest Polls 'Dodgy Maths': Farage Slammed After True Cost Of 'DEI' Government Programmes Revealed
Scotsman
2 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Why nations should be big enough to cope with slights like 'please walk on me' flag
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... According to the Flag Institute, the Union Jack and flags of England, Scotland and Wales should be displayed 'only in a dignified manner' and always flown 'aloft and free'. It is considered 'improper' for a national flag to be turned into a 'table or seat cover', while using them to 'cover a statue, monument or plaque for an unveiling ceremony is discouraged'. So it's hard to imagine what they might make of a flag printed with the words 'please walk on me' and placed on the floor of an art gallery. Before we cause any aneurysms, we should point out that the flag in question was a New Zealand one, this took place in the South Island city of Nelson, and it only lasted 19 days before it was removed following a public uproar. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A New Zealand flag, left, flies alongside two suggested replacements (Picture: Fiona Goodall) | Getty Images
Scotsman
2 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Why nations should be big enough to cope with slights like 'please walk on me' flag
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... According to the Flag Institute, the Union Jack and flags of England, Scotland and Wales should be displayed 'only in a dignified manner' and always flown 'aloft and free'. It is considered 'improper' for a national flag to be turned into a 'table or seat cover', while using them to 'cover a statue, monument or plaque for an unveiling ceremony is discouraged'. So it's hard to imagine what they might make of a flag printed with the words 'please walk on me' and placed on the floor of an art gallery. Before we cause any aneurysms, we should point out that the flag in question was a New Zealand one, this took place in the South Island city of Nelson, and it only lasted 19 days before it was removed following a public uproar. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A New Zealand flag, left, flies alongside two suggested replacements (Picture: Fiona Goodall) | Getty Images
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
NZ gallery removes controversial flag walking artwork
A New Zealand flag printed with the words "please walk on me" and laid on the floor of an art gallery has once again been packed away following public outcry, 30 years after protests forced the removal of the same artwork. The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said on Thursday it had removed the work by Māori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears. The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid public backlash and complaints to law enforcement in 1995. This time, the flag was meant to remain on display for five months. Instead, it lasted just 19 days, reigniting long-running debates in New Zealand over artistic expression, national symbols and the country's colonial history. The piece, titled Flagging the Future, is a cloth New Zealand flag displayed on the floor with the words "please walk on me" stencilled across it. The flag features the British Union Jack and red stars on a blue background. The work is part of an exhibition, Diane Prince: Activist Artist, and was meant to provoke reflection on the Māori experience since New Zealand's colonisation by Britain in the 19th century. Prince created the piece in 1995 in response to a government policy that limited compensation to Māori tribes for historical land theft. "I have no attachment to the New Zealand flag," Prince told Radio New Zealand in 2024. "I don't call myself a New Zealander. I call myself a Māori." Prince couldn't be reached immediately for comment Friday. New Zealand's reckoning with its colonial past has gathered pace in recent decades. But there has been little appetite among successive governments to sever the country's remaining constitutional ties to Britain or change the flag to a design that doesn't feature the Union Jack. New Zealand is among countries where desecrating the national flag is considered taboo and prohibited by law. Damaging a flag in public with the intent to dishonour it is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 New Zealand dollars ($A4,641), but prosecutions are fleetingly rare. As in the United States and elsewhere, the country's flag is synonymous for some with military service. But for others, particularly some Māori, it's a reminder of land dispossession and loss of culture and identity. Protests of the artwork in the city of Nelson, population 55,000, included videos posted to social media by a local woman, Ruth Tipu, whose grandfather served in the army's Māori Battalion during World War II. In one clip, she is seen lifting the flag from the floor and draping it over another artwork, an action Tipu said she would repeat daily. A veterans' group also denounced the piece as shameful and offensive. City council member Tim Skinner said he was horrified by the work's inclusion. But others welcomed it. Nelson's deputy mayor, Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, posted on social media: "in strong defence of artistic expression and the right for us all to be challenged and confronted by art." The work was perhaps expected to provoke controversy and in the exhibition's opening days, The Suter Gallery defended its inclusion. But a statement on its Facebook page late Thursday said a "sharp escalation in the tone and nature of the discourse, moving well beyond the bounds of respectful debate" had prompted the flag's removal. "This should not be interpreted as a judgement on the artwork or the artist's intent," the statement said. The gallery didn't detail specific incidents of concern and a gallery spokesperson didn't respond to a request for an interview on Friday. New Zealand's Police said in a statement Friday that while officers were investigating complaints, they weren't called to any disturbances at the exhibition. Prince said when she revived the work in 2024 that threats of prosecution by law enforcement had prompted its removal from the Auckland gallery in 1995. The Nelson gallery didn't suggest in its statement that police involvement had influenced Thursday's decision. A New Zealand flag printed with the words "please walk on me" and laid on the floor of an art gallery has once again been packed away following public outcry, 30 years after protests forced the removal of the same artwork. The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said on Thursday it had removed the work by Māori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears. The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid public backlash and complaints to law enforcement in 1995. This time, the flag was meant to remain on display for five months. Instead, it lasted just 19 days, reigniting long-running debates in New Zealand over artistic expression, national symbols and the country's colonial history. The piece, titled Flagging the Future, is a cloth New Zealand flag displayed on the floor with the words "please walk on me" stencilled across it. The flag features the British Union Jack and red stars on a blue background. The work is part of an exhibition, Diane Prince: Activist Artist, and was meant to provoke reflection on the Māori experience since New Zealand's colonisation by Britain in the 19th century. Prince created the piece in 1995 in response to a government policy that limited compensation to Māori tribes for historical land theft. "I have no attachment to the New Zealand flag," Prince told Radio New Zealand in 2024. "I don't call myself a New Zealander. I call myself a Māori." Prince couldn't be reached immediately for comment Friday. New Zealand's reckoning with its colonial past has gathered pace in recent decades. But there has been little appetite among successive governments to sever the country's remaining constitutional ties to Britain or change the flag to a design that doesn't feature the Union Jack. New Zealand is among countries where desecrating the national flag is considered taboo and prohibited by law. Damaging a flag in public with the intent to dishonour it is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 New Zealand dollars ($A4,641), but prosecutions are fleetingly rare. As in the United States and elsewhere, the country's flag is synonymous for some with military service. But for others, particularly some Māori, it's a reminder of land dispossession and loss of culture and identity. Protests of the artwork in the city of Nelson, population 55,000, included videos posted to social media by a local woman, Ruth Tipu, whose grandfather served in the army's Māori Battalion during World War II. In one clip, she is seen lifting the flag from the floor and draping it over another artwork, an action Tipu said she would repeat daily. A veterans' group also denounced the piece as shameful and offensive. City council member Tim Skinner said he was horrified by the work's inclusion. But others welcomed it. Nelson's deputy mayor, Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, posted on social media: "in strong defence of artistic expression and the right for us all to be challenged and confronted by art." The work was perhaps expected to provoke controversy and in the exhibition's opening days, The Suter Gallery defended its inclusion. But a statement on its Facebook page late Thursday said a "sharp escalation in the tone and nature of the discourse, moving well beyond the bounds of respectful debate" had prompted the flag's removal. "This should not be interpreted as a judgement on the artwork or the artist's intent," the statement said. The gallery didn't detail specific incidents of concern and a gallery spokesperson didn't respond to a request for an interview on Friday. New Zealand's Police said in a statement Friday that while officers were investigating complaints, they weren't called to any disturbances at the exhibition. Prince said when she revived the work in 2024 that threats of prosecution by law enforcement had prompted its removal from the Auckland gallery in 1995. The Nelson gallery didn't suggest in its statement that police involvement had influenced Thursday's decision. A New Zealand flag printed with the words "please walk on me" and laid on the floor of an art gallery has once again been packed away following public outcry, 30 years after protests forced the removal of the same artwork. The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said on Thursday it had removed the work by Māori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears. The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid public backlash and complaints to law enforcement in 1995. This time, the flag was meant to remain on display for five months. Instead, it lasted just 19 days, reigniting long-running debates in New Zealand over artistic expression, national symbols and the country's colonial history. The piece, titled Flagging the Future, is a cloth New Zealand flag displayed on the floor with the words "please walk on me" stencilled across it. The flag features the British Union Jack and red stars on a blue background. The work is part of an exhibition, Diane Prince: Activist Artist, and was meant to provoke reflection on the Māori experience since New Zealand's colonisation by Britain in the 19th century. Prince created the piece in 1995 in response to a government policy that limited compensation to Māori tribes for historical land theft. "I have no attachment to the New Zealand flag," Prince told Radio New Zealand in 2024. "I don't call myself a New Zealander. I call myself a Māori." Prince couldn't be reached immediately for comment Friday. New Zealand's reckoning with its colonial past has gathered pace in recent decades. But there has been little appetite among successive governments to sever the country's remaining constitutional ties to Britain or change the flag to a design that doesn't feature the Union Jack. New Zealand is among countries where desecrating the national flag is considered taboo and prohibited by law. Damaging a flag in public with the intent to dishonour it is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 New Zealand dollars ($A4,641), but prosecutions are fleetingly rare. As in the United States and elsewhere, the country's flag is synonymous for some with military service. But for others, particularly some Māori, it's a reminder of land dispossession and loss of culture and identity. Protests of the artwork in the city of Nelson, population 55,000, included videos posted to social media by a local woman, Ruth Tipu, whose grandfather served in the army's Māori Battalion during World War II. In one clip, she is seen lifting the flag from the floor and draping it over another artwork, an action Tipu said she would repeat daily. A veterans' group also denounced the piece as shameful and offensive. City council member Tim Skinner said he was horrified by the work's inclusion. But others welcomed it. Nelson's deputy mayor, Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, posted on social media: "in strong defence of artistic expression and the right for us all to be challenged and confronted by art." The work was perhaps expected to provoke controversy and in the exhibition's opening days, The Suter Gallery defended its inclusion. But a statement on its Facebook page late Thursday said a "sharp escalation in the tone and nature of the discourse, moving well beyond the bounds of respectful debate" had prompted the flag's removal. "This should not be interpreted as a judgement on the artwork or the artist's intent," the statement said. The gallery didn't detail specific incidents of concern and a gallery spokesperson didn't respond to a request for an interview on Friday. New Zealand's Police said in a statement Friday that while officers were investigating complaints, they weren't called to any disturbances at the exhibition. Prince said when she revived the work in 2024 that threats of prosecution by law enforcement had prompted its removal from the Auckland gallery in 1995. The Nelson gallery didn't suggest in its statement that police involvement had influenced Thursday's decision. A New Zealand flag printed with the words "please walk on me" and laid on the floor of an art gallery has once again been packed away following public outcry, 30 years after protests forced the removal of the same artwork. The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said on Thursday it had removed the work by Māori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears. The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid public backlash and complaints to law enforcement in 1995. This time, the flag was meant to remain on display for five months. Instead, it lasted just 19 days, reigniting long-running debates in New Zealand over artistic expression, national symbols and the country's colonial history. The piece, titled Flagging the Future, is a cloth New Zealand flag displayed on the floor with the words "please walk on me" stencilled across it. The flag features the British Union Jack and red stars on a blue background. The work is part of an exhibition, Diane Prince: Activist Artist, and was meant to provoke reflection on the Māori experience since New Zealand's colonisation by Britain in the 19th century. Prince created the piece in 1995 in response to a government policy that limited compensation to Māori tribes for historical land theft. "I have no attachment to the New Zealand flag," Prince told Radio New Zealand in 2024. "I don't call myself a New Zealander. I call myself a Māori." Prince couldn't be reached immediately for comment Friday. New Zealand's reckoning with its colonial past has gathered pace in recent decades. But there has been little appetite among successive governments to sever the country's remaining constitutional ties to Britain or change the flag to a design that doesn't feature the Union Jack. New Zealand is among countries where desecrating the national flag is considered taboo and prohibited by law. Damaging a flag in public with the intent to dishonour it is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 New Zealand dollars ($A4,641), but prosecutions are fleetingly rare. As in the United States and elsewhere, the country's flag is synonymous for some with military service. But for others, particularly some Māori, it's a reminder of land dispossession and loss of culture and identity. Protests of the artwork in the city of Nelson, population 55,000, included videos posted to social media by a local woman, Ruth Tipu, whose grandfather served in the army's Māori Battalion during World War II. In one clip, she is seen lifting the flag from the floor and draping it over another artwork, an action Tipu said she would repeat daily. A veterans' group also denounced the piece as shameful and offensive. City council member Tim Skinner said he was horrified by the work's inclusion. But others welcomed it. Nelson's deputy mayor, Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, posted on social media: "in strong defence of artistic expression and the right for us all to be challenged and confronted by art." The work was perhaps expected to provoke controversy and in the exhibition's opening days, The Suter Gallery defended its inclusion. But a statement on its Facebook page late Thursday said a "sharp escalation in the tone and nature of the discourse, moving well beyond the bounds of respectful debate" had prompted the flag's removal. "This should not be interpreted as a judgement on the artwork or the artist's intent," the statement said. The gallery didn't detail specific incidents of concern and a gallery spokesperson didn't respond to a request for an interview on Friday. New Zealand's Police said in a statement Friday that while officers were investigating complaints, they weren't called to any disturbances at the exhibition. Prince said when she revived the work in 2024 that threats of prosecution by law enforcement had prompted its removal from the Auckland gallery in 1995. The Nelson gallery didn't suggest in its statement that police involvement had influenced Thursday's decision.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
NZ gallery removes controversial flag walking artwork
A New Zealand flag printed with the words "please walk on me" and laid on the floor of an art gallery has once again been packed away following public outcry, 30 years after protests forced the removal of the same artwork. The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said on Thursday it had removed the work by Māori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears. The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid public backlash and complaints to law enforcement in 1995. This time, the flag was meant to remain on display for five months. Instead, it lasted just 19 days, reigniting long-running debates in New Zealand over artistic expression, national symbols and the country's colonial history. Police told The Associated Press on Friday that officers were investigating several complaints about the exhibition. The piece, titled Flagging the Future, is a cloth New Zealand flag displayed on the floor with the words "please walk on me" stencilled across it. The flag features the British Union Jack and red stars on a blue background. The work is part of an exhibition, Diane Prince: Activist Artist, and was meant to provoke reflection on the Māori experience since New Zealand's colonisation by Britain in the 19th century. Prince created the piece in 1995 in response to a government policy that limited compensation to Māori tribes for historical land theft. "I have no attachment to the New Zealand flag," Prince told Radio New Zealand in 2024. "I don't call myself a New Zealander. I call myself a Māori." Prince couldn't be reached immediately for comment Friday. New Zealand's reckoning with its colonial past has gathered pace in recent decades. But there has been little appetite among successive governments to sever the country's remaining constitutional ties to Britain or change the flag to a design that doesn't feature the Union Jack. New Zealand is among countries where desecrating the national flag is considered taboo and prohibited by law. Damaging a flag in public with the intent to dishonour it is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 New Zealand dollars ($A4,641), but prosecutions are fleetingly rare. As in the United States and elsewhere, the country's flag is synonymous for some with military service. But for others, particularly some Māori, it's a reminder of land dispossession and loss of culture and identity. Protests of the artwork in the city of Nelson, population 55,000, included videos posted to social media by a local woman, Ruth Tipu, whose grandfather served in the army's Māori Battalion during World War II. In one clip, she is seen lifting the flag from the floor and draping it over another artwork, an action Tipu said she would repeat daily. A veterans' group also denounced the piece as shameful and offensive. City council member Tim Skinner said he was horrified by the work's inclusion. But others welcomed it. Nelson's deputy mayor, Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, posted on social media: "in strong defence of artistic expression and the right for us all to be challenged and confronted by art." The work was perhaps expected to provoke controversy and in the exhibition's opening days, The Suter Gallery defended its inclusion. But a statement on its Facebook page late Thursday said a "sharp escalation in the tone and nature of the discourse, moving well beyond the bounds of respectful debate" had prompted the flag's removal. "This should not be interpreted as a judgement on the artwork or the artist's intent," the statement said. The gallery didn't detail specific incidents of concern and a gallery spokesperson didn't respond to a request for an interview on Friday. New Zealand's Police said in a statement Friday that while officers were investigating complaints, they weren't called to any disturbances at the exhibition. Prince said when she revived the work in 2024 that threats of prosecution by law enforcement had prompted its removal from the Auckland gallery in 1995. The Nelson gallery didn't suggest in its statement that police involvement had influenced Thursday's decision.
