Would this be the same John Peake who said only eight months ago

"Dorset County Council now serves only part of the county since Bournemouth and Poole
were given unitary status in 1997 and we therefore have no authority
to introduce such a flag.
"A small number of people have, on occasions, raised with us the
question of creating a new county flag, each with their own idea of a
design.
"We have our own flag for our purposes which represents the area we serve but it is not appropriate to use this for the whole county as
Bournemouth and Poole also have their own."

http://www.dorsetech
o.co.uk/search/displ
ay.var.1580074.0.fla
g_calls_rejected_by_
council.php

white43 wrote:
Would this be the same John Peake who said only eight months ago

"Dorset County Council now serves only part of the county since Bournemouth and Poole
were given unitary status in 1997 and we therefore have no authority
to introduce such a flag.
"A small number of people have, on occasions, raised with us the
question of creating a new county flag, each with their own idea of a
design.
"We have our own flag for our purposes which represents the area we serve but it is not appropriate to use this for the whole county as
Bournemouth and Poole also have their own."

http://www.dorsetech
o.co.uk/search/displ
ay.var.1580074.0.fla
g_calls_rejected_by_
council.php

You are quite right, I realised the link also. However, I think that having a submission of other designs is healthy: I think that your historical, heraldically correct and attractive flag would easily win over other designs - you have an excellent website that justifies your design brilliantly, whereas other possible designs that have no historical significance or are heraldically incorrect will be easily defeated. The 'contest' would give your design publicity and legitimacy. I will certainly vote for it.

white43 wrote:
Would this be the same John Peake who said only eight months ago "Dorset County Council now serves only part of the county since Bournemouth and Poole were given unitary status in 1997 and we therefore have no authority to introduce such a flag. "A small number of people have, on occasions, raised with us the question of creating a new county flag, each with their own idea of a design. "We have our own flag for our purposes which represents the area we serve but it is not appropriate to use this for the whole county as Bournemouth and Poole also have their own." http://www.dorsetech o.co.uk/search/displ ay.var.1580074.0.fla g_calls_rejected_by_ council.php

Yes, it is the same John Peake, remember he is a Councillor that cannot recall what was said 8 minutes ago let alone 8 months. Don't let the DCC get involved, we will never get our own flag. They would find no go loop holes in any suggestion put forward.

From what I can see in the council quote, they're saying they don't have the right to give permission for a flag design. That's why they're saying they'll open it up for people to vote on different designs. David White has obviously put a lot of work in, but I don't see why he gets to decide what the flag should look like. What about other people who might have ideas? I get all the heraldic stuff he's researched, but his design doesn't really say Dorset to me - I'd prefer blues and greens, stuff that reflects the sea and the countryside and looks attractive. That yellow's a bit eye-popping.

The council wouldn't have done a thing if the campaign for St Wite hadn't gotten underway.

Where does it say they will allow the public to vote?

And, have they secured agreement with Poole and Bournemouth Boroughs? I note this article does not appear in the Bournemouth Echo?

Green and Blue - naff, everybody uses those colours. See Devon and Wiltshire. They're generic.

I don't like this flag. I can't see what the significance of a Saint that has been dead for over 1000 years has on the modern Dorset we live in today.

From the website:- http://www.flagfordo
rset.org.uk/

it states that the yellow represents our sandy beaches. If I am not mistaken a considerable amount of the beaches along the Heritage Coast have no sand at all.

I believe we need to get together as a county, along with the Hampshire rejects and collate some designs and vote upon them. This is the only way we can get a flag that the people of the county can get behind.

Wykeite wrote:
I don't like this flag. I can't see what the significance of a Saint that has been dead for over 1000 years has on the modern Dorset we live in today. From the website:- http://www.flagfordo rset.org.uk/ it states that the yellow represents our sandy beaches. If I am not mistaken a considerable amount of the beaches along the Heritage Coast have no sand at all. I believe we need to get together as a county, along with the Hampshire rejects and collate some designs and vote upon them. This is the only way we can get a flag that the people of the county can get behind.

And what have you done to make this happen ?

JamesY wrote:

Wykeite wrote: I don't like this flag. I can't see what the significance of a Saint that has been dead for over 1000 years has on the modern Dorset we live in today. From the website:- http://www.flagfordo rset.org.uk/ it states that the yellow represents our sandy beaches. If I am not mistaken a considerable amount of the beaches along the Heritage Coast have no sand at all. I believe we need to get together as a county, along with the Hampshire rejects and collate some designs and vote upon them. This is the only way we can get a flag that the people of the county can get behind.

And what have you done to make this happen ?

I have logged onto this website and expressed my feelings on matter. What about yourself?

I quite like it, a little deeper yellow perhaps but that's about all.

I've had few thoughts about this item over the week and not wishing to degrade Dave's good work but;
Why does it have to be a cross? there are plenty of Agnostics, Atheists and even some Pagans who are proud of Dorset but have no interest in Christianity. I'd love to see something 'Mondrianesque' (http://en.wikipedia
.org/wiki/Piet_Mondr
ian)This would be an opportunity to include the whole county from Gold Hill in the north, along the valleys and rivers to the sea in the south. Just a thought, maybe to adventurous.

Scolopax - I'm not entirely sure what that means - but I did have a look at the Wiki entry - so maybe I have some idea. Send them to John Peake if you can knock something up.

This may be late in the day, but isn't this St Wite's flag plagiarising the Devon flag? It's the same design with different colours. Shouldn't we have something more distinctive than a cross? Perhaps a design based on a diamond (roughly the shape of the county). Colours could include green (hills of West Dorset), purple (heathland of East Dorset) and creamy white (for Purbeck and Portland stone). Above all - keep it simple!

Everywhere you look on this subject you keep fining the name of Mr White. I admire his persistence which is perhaps closely linked to the fact that he is selling these flags on his internet site! I'll "Echo" an earlier comment if I may where your correspondent asks "why he gets to decide on the design".

The saint connection is pretty spurious, and is a trap many local regions fall into where they try to create an artificial history. Dorset should be above that. Anyway, Mr White's design is pretty awful.

Eyefor.

The reason you see my name everywhere connected to this is related to the very first post on this page. John Peake and friends knocked us back a year ago when we asked for a Dorset flag. They could have started a competition way back then, but they didn't - so we moved forward on our own. Why do I get to choose the flag? Because it is our campaign - it is entirely due to our efforts that Dorset will get a flag.

If you want choice, you have to pay for it - and you are now that the county council have been dragging their heels on it for the last three months. You will get to vote.

I don't sell these flags for gain, just to get them out there - we make no profit and any we do we plan on giving to charity. The reason our flag exists as there wasn't a competition initially - our flag is far more than just a concept - it is tangible unlike the other entries.

The Saint connection is overhyped by the media - this page is outdated - we call it the Dorset Cross now. We listened to people who complained about the saintly connection and dropped it effectively - much to the pleasure of druid groups.

Our design is not pretty awful - it's striking, warm and stands out from other flags and many, many people say so.

bellepuss wrote:
This may be late in the day, but isn't this St Wite's flag plagiarising the Devon flag? It's the same design with different colours. Shouldn't we have something more distinctive than a cross? Perhaps a design based on a diamond (roughly the shape of the county). Colours could include green (hills of West Dorset), purple (heathland of East Dorset) and creamy white (for Purbeck and Portland stone). Above all - keep it simple!

So is the Cornish flag plagiarising the English flag? Are the Scandinavian flags copying each other? St Patricks copying St Andrews?

No in all cases. It is a popular design and it is trying to show connection to Devon and Cornwall by using the cross shape.

A diamond shape on a flag? I don't see it myself - but as you indicate, you are a little late in the game to be suggesting designs now that the end date has been reached.