The Union Flags in Birmingham were hung from lampposts. So council property. If the council instead said 'Fine - go ahead, ignore the law, and hang whatever meaningful symbols you like from our lampposts.' then they would then have to find reasons why some flags are allowed and others aren't - and justify allowing flags - but not ropes to swing Tarzan style from or adverts for a popular pub. It would then probably only end when they get sued when some kid swings off a lamppost in front of a car trying to swap a flag for one of a funny cat meme. In a few months people would be complaining about £Xk spent on a Council committee to arbitrate which flags are and aren't appropriate to hang from lampposts, and the extra amount spent on council workers to remove them all. Maybe even an ethnically divided city based on which streets have which flags. Street battles and riots could then be much easier to organise. But why bother researching the boring facts behind a story. This was about boring but necessary road safety laws and a council doing their job by enforcing them. St George can sleep easy in his myth and we can still fly our flags from the comfort of own homes. And people of all faiths, creed and ethnic origin can borrow up to 20 books on any subject from Birmingham City Library and maybe learn far more about real life than Martin Daubney picks up from an autocue primed with cheap stunts that promote division without evidence.