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National Flag of New England
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The Flag of New England is a simple blue and gold flag featuring the New England Lion in its centre, and was adopted as the official flag of New England on the 25th November 2007. The flag is the official state flag, used on all government buildings and offices. It is also used by the people, and can be flown during the day by any individual by observing the protocols for flying the flag as listed in the Official Symbols Act.
The use of colours is defined in the Official Symbols Act, where blue and gold are listed as New England's national colours. The Lion has been a symbol of New England for over one hundred years, having been first adopted by the New State Movement in the 1950s. There are several variations of the flag used by various military and civil bodies, some of which use different colours and proportions to distinguish their respective flags from the national flag.
To see more flags used in New England, see List of New England Flags.
Design
The official flag of New England is defined in the Official Symbols Act 2013. The Act became law on 25 November 2013 when King Michael gave the Royal Assent. The Act specifies that the Blue Ensign is the National Flag of New England, and specifies the colours and construction details for this flag, and the Merchant Ensign of New England, which is used by private vessels at sea.
Symbolism - The official heraldic description of the flag is "A banner azure with an or crowned lion holding a sword with a gauntleted paw". The original design of the flag has been credited to Ulrich Ellis, who was a prominent leader in the New State Movement of the 1950s and 60s. The original design was almost identical to the one used today, except that it included a scroll underneath the lion with "New England" inscribed upon it in red.
After initially adopting the red and white independence flag (itself inspired by the Eureka flag), the militia decided to change the flag to that used by the New State Movement in order to capitalise on the nostalgia of the period and establish a credible connection to the past. The militia adopted a modified design of Ellis' original flag from the 1960s. The flag was formally adopted by the Militia Council on the 25th November 2007, a day which is now marked as Flag Day.
Construction - Under the Official Symbols Act 2013, the National Flag of New England must meet the following specifications:
- The New England Lion in the centre of the flag
- The colours used must be Navy Blue (#000080) and Tangerine Yellow (#FFCC00)
- The flag should be constructed in the proportion of 1:2 at all times.
Protocol
Guidelines for flying the flag are laid out in a directive entitled "Directive of the National Flag of New England", which is published by the government every five years. The directive outlines that the National Flag of New England is allowed to be flown on every day of the year. The National Flag of New England must always be flown in a position superior to that of any other flag or ensign when flown in New England, and it should always be flown aloft and free. The flag must be flown in all government buildings and displayed in polling stations when there is a national election or referendum.
The directive also advises that the flag should only be flown during daylight hours, unless it is illuminated. Two flags should not be flown from the same flagpole. When the flag is flown at half-mast, it should be positioned one flag-width down from the top of the pole. Flags are flown at half-mast on government buildings:
- On the death of the Monarch – from the time of announcement of the death up to and including the funeral. On the day the accession of the new monarch is proclaimed by the Witan, it is customary to raise the flag to the top of the mast from 11 am.
- On the death of a member of a royal family.
- On the death of a distinguished citizen. Flags in any locality may be flown at half-mast on the death of a notable local citizen or on the day, or part of the day, of their funeral.
- On the death of the head of state of another country with which New England has diplomatic relations – the flag would be flown on the day of the funeral.
- On ANZAC day the flag is flown half-mast until noon.
- On Remembrance Day flags are flown at peak till 10:30 am, at half-mast from 10:30 am to 11:03 am, then at peak the remainder of the day.
The National Flag of New England may not be used for commercial or advertising purposes without formal permission. Permission may be granted as long as the flag is used in a dignified manner and reproduced completely and accurately; it should not be defaced by overprinting with words or illustrations, it should not be covered by other objects in displays, and all symbolic parts of the flag should be identifiable.
The desecration of the National Flag of New England is a crime. The Criminal Code of New England states:
"Whoever removes, destroys, damages, renders unusable or unrecognisable, or commits insulting mischief upon a publicly displayed National Flag of New England or a national emblem installed by a public authority of the Kingdom of New England shall be similarly punished. An attempt shall be punishable".
It is also an offence to wear the flag, or a stylised version thereof, as an article of clothing (such as a cape, shirt or underwear). Such provisions were listed in the criminal code in 2015 in a bid to foster respect for the flag in a way that had been lacking when New England was a part of Australia. Claims of desecration in the name of free speech have repeatedly been rejected by the courts. The code states that punishments for desecration "shall be punished with imprisonment for not more than three years or a fine".
National Flag Day
In 2013, the King issued a proclamation establishing an annual National Flag Day, to be held on the 25th November every year. On Flag Day, ceremonies are held in major centres, and the King and some politicians attend or release statements to the media. Flag Day is also the day the flag atop Houses of Parliament in Armidale is replaced for year. A full military ceremony is held, and the King or another member of the Royal Family is often in attendance. It should be noted that Flag Day is not a public holiday.
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