Will U.K. drop the Union Jack?
For more Last Look, watch GPS, Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET on CNN
In six months, the people of Scotland will cast their votes on secession from the United Kingdom.
If they vote for independence, Scots have been warned that they risk losing the pound as their currency. London could lose some control over oil and gas in the North Sea, but they might also have to say cheerio to something more symbolic – the beloved Union Jack.
You see, the current flag, which hasn't changed in over 200 years, is a mix between England's Cross of St. George, Scotland's cross of St. Andrew, and Ireland's cross of St. Patrick. If Scotland leaves the Union, would St. Andrew's cross get the boot? People sent ideas for alternatives to the U.K.'s National Flag Charity, and The Guardian asked Brits to choose from 12 options.
Should Britain: Incorporate the Welsh Flag of St. David? Slide the Welsh national flag into the corner? What about adding the Royal Coat of Arms to a modified Union Jack?
The winner? The one in the video. Well, the Brits are nothing if not traditional – Scotland's blue has simply been replaced with black. Perhaps to mourn the loss of Scotland?
Luckily many say this won't be necessary. After all, what would happen to all the British Overseas Territories (and a few countries for that matter) that include the Union Jack in their national flags?
@fareedzakaria on Twitter
RSS
Of course it is the Union Flag unless it is flying over a ship then it becomes the Union Jack.
I wish that they would stop changing things about London. It used to be almost perfect, but then progress set in.
What about the flag of the U.S. State of Hawaii ? Would they Need To Change it too?
I suppose it is an issue more for David Cameron than for us. He wouldn't like to go down in history as the last prime minister of Great Britain.
He wouldn't necessarily, there's an election in 2015 before Scottish independence, so there could well be a different Prime Minister presiding over the end of the Union. And if this is the case, it's hard to imagine Cameron remaining in the job – the Conservatives would likley elect a new leader and Prime Minister for the remainder of the Parliament.
Cameron would merely go down in history as the Prime Minister who lost the union. Worse in many ways.
Scotland becoming independent wouldn't risk losing the pound, would risk losing the shared currency union with the rest of the UK, but can still go on using the pound regardless as their own currency. The matter of the flag is just silly, it is very doubtful that if in the chance of Scottish independence the UK would change their flag. There would be no need for it and the Union Jack being arguably the most recognisable flag around the world, may slightly effect the status of the country.