It was just another Tuesday morning on ITV’s Loose Women—or so viewers thought—when a simple question about a flag ignited one of the most impassioned debates daytime television has seen in years. The St. George’s flag, that bold red cross on a white field, was at the center of the storm. What started as a discussion about a few flags being removed from council property quickly became a heated, soul-searching argument about what it means to be English today, who gets to claim patriotism, and why a piece of cloth can trigger so much emotion, suspicion, pride, and pain. The show’s host, Christine Lampard, set the stage with a question that sounded innocent enough: Is the St. George’s flag a symbol of national pride, or has it become something more complicated, even problematic? The answer, as it turned out, was anything but simple.
Denise Welch, always candid, was the first to weigh in, and you could sense the emotion in her voice—the kind that comes from years of watching the flag’s meaning shift and warp in the public eye. She said she wished the flag could be seen as a symbol of unity and pride—after all, isn’t that what a national flag is supposed to represent? But Denise didn’t shy away from the uncomfortable truth: the St. George’s flag, she argued, had been hijacked by the far right, and that reality is impossible to ignore. She spoke of how, for many, seeing the flag outside a pub doesn’t evoke feelings of camaraderie or celebration, but instead, a sense of hostility and exclusion. There’s a stereotype, she said, about the kind of people who gather under its shadow, and it’s not always flattering. Denise’s words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of history and the pain of division.
Janet Street Porter, never one to back down, shot back almost before Denise had finished her sentence. “That’s absolutely mad. Bonkers,” she exclaimed, her voice slicing through the tension like a knife. Janet’s perspective was the polar opposite: she insisted that the only way to reclaim the flag was for ordinary, everyday citizens to embrace it openly and defiantly. If you love England, she argued, and you’re not aligned with extremist politics, then you need to own your flag. Fly it from your window, wave it at the football, let it flap in the breeze. Janet even lightened the mood with a story about flying her own customized JSP flag years ago—a flag that, she joked, looked like a skull and crossbones. But beneath the humor was a serious point: symbols only regain positive meaning when they’re used by everyday people, not just by those who want to weaponize them for their own agenda.
The debate didn’t stay confined to the studio for long. Social media lit up almost instantly, with viewers taking sides and voicing their opinions in real time. Some slammed Denise, accusing her of exaggerating the negative connotations of the St. George’s Cross. Comments on X, formerly Twitter, branded her an idiot, dismissed her views as unhelpful, and called for a more positive approach to national symbols. Others, however, rallied to her defense, arguing that flags have indeed been weaponized by extremist groups and that context matters. You can’t just ignore the way a symbol has been used, they said, and to do so is to turn a blind eye to the very real pain and fear that some people feel when they see it.
Janet, meanwhile, found herself at the center of a wave of support from viewers who agreed that patriotism shouldn’t be confused with racism. “Flying St. George’s flag isn’t racist,” one user declared, echoing Janet’s call for ordinary citizens to reclaim their symbols. Another posted both Union Jack and St. George’s emojis in solidarity, a digital gesture of support for Janet’s stance. But even among Janet’s supporters, there was nuance. Some pointed out that flying a flag on private property is one thing, but erecting them on lampposts or council buildings without permission is inappropriate. There’s a difference, they argued, between personal expression and public imposition, and respect for shared spaces matters.
As the hours passed and the debate raged on, it became clear that the St. George’s flag is more than just a piece of cloth. For some, it’s a source of pride—a reminder of history, heritage, and identity. For others, it’s a symbol of exclusion, a marker of division, and a tool that has been used to intimidate and marginalize. The truth is, both perspectives are valid, and that’s what makes the issue so complex. Flags are powerful because they represent something bigger than ourselves. They’re shorthand for belonging, for community, for the stories we tell about who we are and where we come from. But they’re also dangerous, because they can be co-opted, twisted, and turned into weapons. The St. George’s flag is no exception.
Denise’s pain was palpable as she spoke about the way the flag has been used to signal hostility. She wasn’t saying that everyone who flies the flag is a racist or a thug—far from it. But she was honest about the fact that, for many, the flag has become associated with a certain kind of aggression, a certain kind of nationalism that excludes rather than includes. That’s not something you can just wave away with a joke or a cheerful anecdote. It’s real, and it matters.
Janet’s optimism was infectious, and you could see why so many viewers rallied to her side. She refused to let extremists define what it means to be English, and she called on everyone to reclaim their symbols, to take back their flag from those who would use it to sow division. Janet’s message was simple: if you want the flag to stand for unity and pride, then you have to use it that way. Don’t let fear or prejudice dictate what you can or can’t do. Be proud, be visible, and let the world know that patriotism is not the same as hatred.
The clash between Denise and Janet was more than just a television spat—it was a microcosm of a much larger debate happening all across England, and indeed, all across the world. What does it mean to be patriotic in an age when nationalism is on the rise, and when symbols are more contested than ever? Can you love your country without being accused of xenophobia? Can you fly your flag without fearing that you’ll be mistaken for an extremist? These are questions that don’t have easy answers, and the debate on Loose Women showed just how raw and unresolved they still are.
As the show drew to a close, there was no neat resolution, no tidy conclusion. Both Denise and Janet stuck firmly to their beliefs, and the viewers at home were left to make up their own minds. But one thing was clear: the conversation had struck a nerve. People care about symbols because they care about belonging, about identity, about the stories they tell themselves and each other. The St. George’s flag may be just a piece of cloth, but it carries the weight of centuries of history, conflict, and change. It’s a mirror, reflecting back the hopes and fears of a nation still searching for itself.
In the end, maybe that’s the real lesson of the day. There are no easy answers when it comes to national identity, no simple fixes for the wounds of history. But if we’re willing to talk, to listen, and to engage with each other honestly—even when it hurts—then maybe, just maybe, we can find a way forward. The flag will always mean different things to different people. What matters is that we keep asking the questions, keep challenging the assumptions, and keep fighting for a country where everyone feels they belong.
For now, the St. George’s flag will continue to fly—in pubs and homes, on council buildings and football pitches, in the hearts of patriots and the minds of skeptics. And as long as it does, the debate will rage on, a testament to the power of symbols and the complexity of belonging. Loose Women may have sparked the conversation, but it’s up to all of us to keep it going. Because in the end, the meaning of a flag is not fixed—it’s shaped by the people who use it, the stories they tell, and the future they imagine together.
