COUNCILS OWN GOAL
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No wonder our team was knocked out! Personally I blame the council! As excitement reached fever-pitch during Euro 2000 last month, there was one little corner of this isle that was definitely not forever England—Merton Council near CM'S Sutton, Surrey base banned council workers from flying St George's flags on their vehicles.
Housing department employees had bedecked their vans with flags in the build up to the England-Germany match. This patriotic initiative was thwarted when they were told by the council they must take them down because of Merton's equal opportunities policy. Needless to say this hasn't proved a great vote winner, One Merton resident, whose uncle works as a caretaker, was distinctly unimpressed, telling The Hawk: "I think it is diabolical. We live in England. When you can't even stick your own country's flag somewhere to celebrate a sport then something's wrong."
A council spokesman defends its action thus: "If we allowed flags to be flown for England, or any other team supported by a council driver, then we feel it would lead to a lowering of standards. We are not being stuffy, we just want to preserve the council's good image." You just have mate. In formaldehyde!