UK Flag History and "This is England" (movie)

 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland flys the "Union Flag" or, as it is more popularly called the "Union Jack." It is easily distinguishable from other flags by ist double cross design and blue background. The flag has been used in a variety of forms since 1606, when the flags of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland were first merged to symbolise the "Union of the Crowns," which occurred in 1603.  The current design of the Union Jack dates back to 1801 and the union of Ireland and Great Britain. The flag remains unchanged even after the partition of Ireland in 1921 and the creation of the Irish Free State.

The large red cross, edged in white, centering the flag is the the cross of Saint George, the patron saint of England.  It is superimposed on top of the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  Both are are superimposed on the Saltire of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland.

Prior to the Union Jack, the flag flown in England was that of St. George's Cross. A relatively simple flag with a white background and the red cross of St. George centering it. The exact origins of the flag are unclear, however, it is known that the flag appeared during the Middle Ages.  The first known record of the use of St. George's Cross as an emblem of England is related to an account of the Welsh War of 1275.

One theory suggests that the flag was born from the Crusades.  St. George's cross was already associated with England at the start of the Crusades and the Pope made the decision that English crusaders would wear a white cross on red, French crusaders a red cross on white and italian crusaders a yellow cross on white. The English traded with their rivals, the French in January of 1188, so that they could don the red cross with white background.

Reference:

This Is England

Is a British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates that skinhead subculture, whose 1960s roots include elements of black culture especially ska, soul, and reggae music, became adopted by white nationalists, which led to divisions within the skinhead scene.

Synopsis:

Set in 1983, against the aftermath of the Falklands War, the film introduces us to eleven-year-old Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), whose soldier father was killed in the conflict. Living with his mother and trying to deal with his grief and loss, Shaun has become an angry youngster, quick to use his fists when teased by schoolmates who taunt, bully and pick fights with him. It is not long before he falls in with a gang of older boys - and girls. They act as a kind of surrogate family and protect him from being picked on. There's really nothing to worry about here.

But suddenly, Shaun's world receives another jolt, like an earthquake. Combo (Stephen Graham), who has recently been released from jail, strides into Shaun's life and turns it upside down. Aggressive, confident, articulate and much smarter than Shaun's newfound friends, Combo is also a skinhead. Angry with the world, he is a member of the National Front, totally at loggerheads with the new, multiracial England. What follows is Shaun's "education" at the hands of this charismatic and brutal man who believes the country is going to hell in a handbasket.

Trailer: