Racism or celebration? What England’s flag-hoisters are saying – and what others are hearing

Speaking to those who are uneasy with the proliferation of flags and those who support it is a journey of discovery

If it started anywhere it was among the suburban streets off a large roundabout in Weoley Castle, known by local people in this part of south-west Birmingham's urban sprawl as the square".

From Falkirk to Folkestone, Harwich to Holyhead, fluttering off the Angel of the North and marked out on a Wiltshire white horse, the national colours of England and the United Kingdom, and Scotland and Wales to a lesser extent, have been on show across the country in recent weeks.