It seems that new driving licences will now include the Union Flag as well as the EU one. Transport Minister, Claire Perry, said:
People in this country rightly take pride in our national flag which is why I am delighted it will now be displayed on British driving licences.
Celebrating Britain strengthens our sense of national identity and our unity. I will feel proud to carry my new licence and I hope others will too.
Well, actually, no. The change is pointless, and it smacks of nationalism, which I detest. Hopefully, the idea will get reversed (or an opt-out introduced) some time in the next 10 years before my licence is due for renewal.
Unfortunately, I can see it appealing to quite few people and, therefore, gaining a few votes for the current Mickey Mouse government we have. Incidentally, no one has claimed anywhere that the change has anything to do with cutting bureaucracy or reducing costs. In fact, with 127,000,000 licences having been issued since 1998 even as little as a tenth of a penny on the cost of each licence would amount to over £100,000.