New EU Flag C/D?

Hey Gareth, how about EU deck chairs? Ker-ching, some thought has gone in to it after all!

has this definitely been adopted or is it just a proposal? I like the idea of flags which change progressively, the Union flag being composed of the St George & St Andrew crosses and then later St Patrick, for example, and the US flag with its increasing number of stars. The old EU flag was great as it followed the same principle. As more countries joined the fold, so more stars were added. "But wait!", some of you will be thinking, "the new flag has that characteristic too! We simply add new colours!" Well, it may be that the new countries will have colours not yet represented, but it seems doubtful. The more countries join, the more they'll say that their country's flag isn't being fairly represented (e.g. Cyprus wants to join and the chief characteristic of that flag is its unique map of the country; the colours are pretty irrelevent). The printing cost *is* a factor, kids won't be able to draw it is a good point well made and it won't be seen properly on a small scale - think: car registration plates.

no, PLEASE tell me this is just a proposal and not definite. If it is definite, then why was no-one consulted? I'm not euro-sceptic but making a unilateral decision on the flag plays into the hands of those who are (think about the fuss over the euro in the UK).

EU may get new 'bar-code' logo

The European Union may be set to get a new bar-code-style logo as part of an image overhaul

It would replace the current blue EU flag which has 12 gold stars representing member states.

European Commission president Romano Prodi commissioned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas to create the new design.

It places all the colours of the national flags of EU nations in strips alongside each other.

Mr Koolhaas says he wants to show the unique diversity and unity of Europe in one image.

The Independent reports Mr Prodi wants departments across the EU to look at altering Brussels' visual communication in the light of Mr Koolhaas' work.

Once member states agreed to the change, flags and letterheads would be changed.

Some designers don't like the new logo.

Bruce Dunlop, of Bruce Dunlop and Associates, said: "This is one of those ideas that would seem great around a boardroom table after a couple of Aussie chardonnays, but in practice it doesn't work."

The current EU flag was officially adopted by the European Commission in 1986

Same reason therefore works to not adopt this stripey monstrosity - if new countries come in do we add their colours to the end. It also favours countries with horizontal/vertical stripey flags - ie all the countries in Europe bar us and Greece.

12 stars was the official flag of the Council Of Europe long before the EU was founded, so the number of stars representing the 12 member states of the late eighties/early nineties was a happy accident.

As it was my first acquaintance with the Telegraph family, it led to me assume that the Sunday Telegraph was read by people who were concerned about the ease of home reproduction of flags, and were therefore to be avoided. I don't know whether they do have this trait, but the judgement was undeniably sound.

Rule number one of the North American Vexillological Association: "A flag should be so simple that a child could draw it from memory."

Part of me is tempted to say it's brilliant of the EU to completely violate the contract that people should be able to make their own flags (to rally under or fly patriotically or burn in protest), as the EU of course constitutes itself not of people but of already- complex nations. (Thus this flag constitutes, what, the EU pissing all over Europe: yes, little nationalists, we really will turn your country into three stripes in a pan-European bar code, and our flag will be something you're unable to even comprehend or reproduce mwah ha ha.)

Of course, another part of me is quite simply blind.

Basing it on the current membership suggests that the membership will not increase which I think is K-unlikely.

I have just looked at it from a long way away and it looked brilliant.

Oh, wait, that would actually be pretty cool.

http://www.inkyfingers.com/pyrates/flags/englandF.gif

New anthem by Motorhead.

2. I don't like Koolhaus and other such foolz

3. Obviously I agree that we can't draw it

4. yes, good point, maybe that makes this a deliberate critique of ideas of political / aesthetic Representation blah

5. "IRA own Irish language" --??

6. Aw Maw, maith go leor. Ni chaithfead brachan go deo agus ni bheith aon mheas agam feasta ar Ghaedhlaibh.

Re: the proposed new flag design, it's not as hideous as media coverage had led me to believe (deckchairs, pyjamas, etc.), but I kind of liked the 12 gold stars on blue.

(Bah for doing one bettah than mine)

So if it looks like a load of ugly random dots then that's why, if the picture doesn't load then maybe it's too huge for IE (though the uncompressed version is actually not outlandishly large so I don't know why it would), and if something else has gone wrong then I don't know why because it should be perfectly valid html, with a doctype and everything *blub*

(Graham, I didn't see yours, did you post it to the boards? sorry...)

hee-hee.

(Rebecca, can you mail me?)