England Flags

Copy & pasted below a news report about flags on taxi cabs. Now I'm a bit concerned about bans like this and am intrested to hear others opinions. My feeling is that I would not be concerned if I used a taxi showing alligence to another country or religion. In fact it would open up, for me, an intresting conversation as I would be eager to pick their brains and find out what I could about them and the reason for showing their alligence. I also accept that I wouldn't wish to see symbols of extremism and hate. But I could always wait for another cab I suppose ! It has taken many years for the general English public to snatch back the George Cross from extremists but blanket bans like this hand it back to them. The English are somtetimes shy in showing patriotism for fear of being labled, yet to support your country should be a thing of pride not shame. I know Canterbury quite well. I live about 15 miles away. It is the seat of the Anglican faith, the Church of England. Do I detect some irony here ? It is a reasonably, but not overly, multi-cultral city with a large university with a large body of foreign students. It has a broad spectrum of restaurants from many different cultures and a lot of the pubs are staffed by students of different nationallitys. As far as I am aware there is no racial tension in the city or surrounding areas. OK a taxi is a public service vehicle and it is bound by certain codes of practice but would the council be so quick to ban if there was a large minority and it was celebrating a festival of it's own or showing support for it's mother country ? A difficult decision I know, but to stop English people celebrating their Englishness is to me a dangerous choice to make as it fosters ill-feeling by doing it . . . . . . .

Taxi drivers in a Kent city are upset after being told they are not allowed to fly flags from their vehicles during the World Cup football tournament.
Canterbury City Council has said attaching England flags to cabs would breach rules on what can be displayed on public service vehicles.
Cabbies face having their licences revoked if they ignore the ban.
The authority has said it is happy to review the policy but that a full consultation needs to take place.
'Strict rules'
Cab driver Colin Mitchell said: "It is about being patriotic to the country and because England are in the World Cup."
Larissa Laing, from the council, said: "We accept that many taxi drivers want to be patriotic and we have been fully supportive of them wearing England shirts.
"However, it is a public service vehicle and as such there are very strict rules and what can and cannot be displayed on a taxi and sadly an England flag, or any flag, cannot be displayed."