NationStates Jolt Archive

A family who wanted to fly a Jolly Roger pirate flag at their house for their son's birthday party have been told they need planning permission.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6735959.stm

I wonder if Blackbeard ever had to fight the might of Staffordshire County Council?

Is planning permission for a flag a sensible measure to stop people from causing a nuisance to neighbours, or an absurd waste of time?

Idiots. They should've just put it up for the party and taken it down the next day. The council wouldn't have bothered them at all over that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6735959.stm

I wonder if Blackbeard ever had to fight the might of Staffordshire County Council?

Is planning permission for a flag a sensible measure to stop people from causing a nuisance to neighbours, or an absurd waste of time?
If it were to be permanent, perhaps the council might have an argument. But really, who would complain to the council over having a jolly roger flag for a six year old's party?

That's just st00pid.

their neighbours and the county council need to get a life. the council should just have told the complainers to come back when they had something important to complain about.

Do they WANT global warming?

...

What the hell?! Stuck up neighbourhood, innit?

From my window I can see one flag with the neighbour's monogram, another with a diploma on it (their kid just graduated..), and one with a sunflower.

What's wrong with decorative flags?

Do they WANT global warming?

/thread :p

Idiots. They should've just put it up for the party and taken it down the next day. The council wouldn't have bothered them at all over that.

The neighbours were complaining, though. It does say a lot about the state of neighbourhood relationships in this country; why not just go and ask the family how long they're planning to keep it up for, rather than actually report it to the Council?

Don't forget that things like hosepipe bans are enforced by people snitching on each other. Big Brother isn't just watching us: he's actively supported.

They should've just keelhauled their neighbours! What kind of pirates are they?

Do they WANT global warming?

:D

It would seem they do! :D

Wow. The council and those that complained need to get a life. The family should have been able to put the flag up for the party.

The neighbours were complaining, though. It does say a lot about the state of neighbourhood relationships in this country; why not just go and ask the family how long they're planning to keep it up for, rather than actually report it to the Council?

Don't forget that things like hosepipe bans are enforced by people snitching on each other. Big Brother isn't just watching us: he's actively supported.
They should've put it up on the day of the party, then if/when the neighbours complain, ask them to explain to the child exactly why they want the flag to be taken down.

Mind you, my response to the neighbours would have been something along the lines of "Fuck off", preferably while holding an imitation cutlass or similar.

Do they WANT global warming?

They prolly not pastafarians, and therefore would not understand.

Wow. The council and those that complained need to get a life. The family should have been able to put the flag up for the party.

Agreed. That's one uptight neighborhood.

The neighbours were complaining, though. It does say a lot about the state of neighbourhood relationships in this country;
No it doesn't. It says a lot about the state of neighbourhood relationships in that County, or even just that neighbourhood.

Anyway, the Council is just upholding the law, you can't blame them for that. You can, however, blame the neighbours for being ignorant morons who can't even let a little kid have a pirates flag for his birthday, although I have to ask how long it had been out there if there was time for the neighbours to complain and the Council to respond because, and let's be honest here, local Councils don't tend to respond to anything very quickly.

The biggest asshats here - the jackasses that actually complained about some one flying the Jolly Roger at their house. I vote we find them and make them walk the plank.

They prolly not pastafarians, and therefore would not understand.

Holy crap! I'd completely forgotten about that connection. I thought I'd missed something in the article with the global warming comment.

Alas, my children, you will always remember this day as the day you almost... *SPLOOOSH!!!* ...cap'n Jack Sparrow...