Our Commonwealth flag picnic

A big thank you to all those who joined us last weekend to celebrate the success of keeping the Commonwealth national flags flying. We were joined by fellow Brits and one or two Canadians and Australians as well as a number of Caribbean lagers, ales and stouts.

Earlier this month Andrew Rosindell MP, advisory board member at CX, argued the case for the Commonwealth flags to remain on Horse Guards, in Westminster for the during and in support of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.

CX has long campaigned to make sure that the flags fly more regularly and we were pleased to play a leading role in advocating this.

Here are a number of the photos we took in the glorious London sunshine. Vexillologists enjoy! 

CX Success! The Commonwealth flags will fly during the Games

CX brings welcome news that the UK Culture Department has agreed to allow the Commonwealth flags to remain along Horse Guards Road in Westminster for the duration the Commonwealth Games this year.

This is down to the work of our Advisory Board member, Andrew Rosindell MP, through his persistence and leadership. He told his local newspaper:

"I proposed this to the Secretary of State...that we should fly them in celebration of the Commonwealth Games. To take them down would be ridiculous when the Commonwealth Games are about to begin"

CX played a leading role in bringing this issue to Mr. Rosindell's attention back in April of this year.

Our Change.org campaign added to the calls that is why we owe a huge thank you to all those who signed our petition from all over the Commonwealth. We could not have achieved this without each and every signature. You should all feel proud today.

We will be hosting a picnic along Horse Guards during the Games to celebrate this shared achievement. More details will follow.

For the moment, sit back and enjoy the snaps we took of the Commonwealth Flags over at Horse Guards a few months ago.

Flying the flags: The Commonwealth in your words

Thanks to all those who have already signed our petition to fly the flags in Parliament Square during the Commonwealth Games this summer. We've had signatures from all over the world and they keep coming. If you haven't already signed, then do so here!

However, what has been really great to see is not just the signatures but the messages that have accompanied them. You can read them all on the petition page but here is a quick visual representation of what the flags, and the Commonwealth more generally, means to you:

Naturally, some of the Commonwealth institutions such as HM the Queen and the Games featured quite heavily. It's also great to see a recognition of the history and heritage of the Commonwealth, the ideas of shared values and of being a family, and support for the Commonwealth continuing to have a role in the future.

To all those who have signed and left messages: Thank you and please tell your friends to do the same!

To those who haven't: Do so here!

New Petition: Fly the Commonwealth flags on Parliament Square during the Commonwealth Games

You can sign our petition through Change.org here. Please share far and wide for maximum impact. Thank you Commonwealth supporters.

The flags of every Commonwealth nation fly on Parliament Square each year during Commonwealth Day in the UK. Commonwealth Exchange (CX) believes that the flags should fly more frequently. 

Problem: This year the flags did not fly on the Square due to a potentially avoidable event.

Solution: We want to see this rectified with the UK Government Department responsible to agree to fly the flags on the Square for the duration of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games (23 July to 3 August 2014).

Thousands of Commonwealth tourists will visit the UK this summer and it would be a welcome sight to see their flags against the backdrop of the Mother of All Parliaments.

Andrew Rosindell MP has been a strong advocate through his chairmanship of the All Party Group (APPG) on Flags and Heraldry as well as his membership of the APPG on the Commonwealth. He has asked numerous questions to the Government about the Commonwealth flags here, here, and here.

How you can help: I urge people from all over the Commonwealth to sign this petition in order to show the UK Government that the Commonwealth matters to a great many people and this can be readily identified through the flying of national flags. It is visual, emotive, and offers a great sense of shared identity as equals.

This is a worthwhile and noble goal. With your help we look forward to the Commonwealth national flags flying on Parliament Square during the Games.

Thank you.

The Commonwealth Exchange team.

Commonwealth Week Highlights

As Commonwealth week draws to a close, here are some of our highlights:

1) We celebrated Commonwealth Day by publishing a Buzzfeed post promoting some of the things we love about the Commonwealth. Read our 10 reasons the Commonwealth is Awesome here.

2) Ralph Buckle, our Director and Co-founder, also wrote a piece for ConservativeHome (one of the UK's leading political blogs). He argued that, as the Commonwealth approaches 65, it's time for it to be refreshed not retired. Read it here.

3)Tim Hewish, our Executive Director and Co-founder, attended the Commonwealth Day Reception 2014 at Marlborough House. At the event he had the opportunity to explain CX's aims and activities to Her Majesty The Queen. He also had a productive discussion with the Commonwealth Secretary General, His Excellency Mr Kamalesh Sharma.

Photos by Richard Lewis & Stefan Kneba

Photos courtesy of The Commonwealth Digital Library

4) Her Majesty The Queen released her Commonwealth message. She said that "Affinities of history and inheritance from the past are strong, yet we are bound together by a sense that the Commonwealth is a powerful influence of good for the future. People of all ages from different cultures are weaving an ever-growing network of links which connect us in our diversity and our common purpose." The full message is here.

5) The UK's Commonwealth Minister Hugo Swire wrote a piece for the Huffington Post on his vision for the Commonwealth. You can read it here.

6) On Thursday CX also attended a Parliamentary meeting with the Indian Cabinet Minister for External Affairs, Mr Salman Khurshid. He discussed opening up the market for Indian & UK lawyers to work together referencing the benefits of similar legal systems. Our Advisory Board member Lord Flight quizzed him on the commercial environment and trade. The Minister concluded by calling the partnership "The Unique Relationship" to mirror the UK and the USA's "Special Relationship."

7) MP's discussed the Commonwealth in a Westminster Hall debate. You can read our highlights here and the full text of the debate here. Our Advisory Board Member Andrew Rosindell MP's comments on the absence of the Commonwealth flags from Parliament Square this year are particularly worth reading.

8) In spite of the lack of flags flying in Parliament Square, they were flying on Horse Guards Road which runs alongside the Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence. We arranged for a photographer to take a few shots. Click through on the image below:

9) Over 500 Commonwealth Flags were also flown all over the UK thanks to the Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth initiative.

10) On Friday we had a productive meeting with the Commonwealth Unit at the FCO to discuss our programme of activity and how we can collaborate to make sure the Commonwealth thrives in the 21st Century.