Despite the pyrotechnic glories of London’s New Year fireworks, 2026 started off with a whimper rather than a bang. The display, organised by Sadiq Khan and the Greater London Authority, was painfully predictable, trotting out the usual tired clichés about England as a global melting pot and diversity as the jewel in the nation’s crown.
The fireworks engaged head-on with the Year of the Flag, responding to ongoing debates about national identity
The fireworks engaged head-on with the Year of the Flag, responding to ongoing debates about national identity. A chummy voiceover explored ‘what England means’, while the display showed national flags from around the globe coming together to form a Union Jack. England was defined by weather, tea, football, Caribbean barbers, multi-faith communities, and inclusion:
Here’s what England means to me – the real England.
When it’s sunny, it’s too hot. When it’s cold, the weather’s rubbish.
England, to me, is a cup of tea. How many sugars? I’m sweet enough.
England, to me, is Caribbean barbers with the sharpest trim. It’s Christian neighbours saying Happy Hanukkah, mate, and Muslim mums saying Merry Christmas, love.
And you think you’re seeing flags now? Wait until the World Cup’s on. Then you’ll know about flags, my son.
Because this is what England means to me. It’s about loving each other no matter what colour you are, where you’re from, or who your God is. Because this is England. This is the United Kingdom.
This is evidently a repudiation of Operation Raise the Colours, which saw Union Jacks and St George Crosses flying from lamp-posts across the country last year – a peaceful way for members of the public to express love for their nation along with concerns about mass migration. Even then, that was considered ‘dangerous’. It sent the chattering class into a tailspin, with newspapers such as the Guardian handwringing about flags as ‘symbols of prejudice, not pride – and a distinct air of menace’. Gammonzilla resurrexit.
‘The real England’ is a charged aside, which is in keeping with the elite push to ‘reclaim the flag’ from those pesky flagshaggers. We saw this in action when Keir Starmer bedecked the Labour conference with English flags and insisted that he flies them proudly in his living room. He has claimed that he will ‘never surrender’ the flag to those who apparently wish to divide us. Instead of signifying England and Englishness, the flag is now a ‘symbol of inclusion’, no more, no less.
The narrator’s snide reference to the World Cup – ‘You think you’re seeing flags now? Wait until the World Cup’s on. Then you’ll know about flags, my son’ – was telling. Clearly English flags are more acceptable when safely neutralised in the context of football. The accompanying track, ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, seemed like an ironic juxtaposition.
At one point, the London Eye was lit up in the colours of the EU flag. This is not the first time the capital’s fireworks have seemingly been hijacked to push overtly pro-EU messages. In 2019, the London Eye was also illuminated with the EU flag, and the words ‘London is open’ were spoken in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish after the clock struck midnight. Hardly subtle. Have we forgotten that the public voted to leave the EU nearly a decade ago? Eurocentric luvvies are like the ex who simply can’t let go. Sadiq Khan did not respect the democratic will of the people at the time, even pushing for a second referendum. Ten years on, he hasn’t changed his tune.
This year’s fireworks display was a glaring example of the ‘tweeification’ of England. The country is more than the weather and cups of tea, a cosy and somewhat inane vision of nationhood. Only mentioning a few less-than-impressive elements before claiming that ‘England… is Caribbean barbers with the sharpest trim’ is also history with blinkers on. It sees England purely through a post-Windrush lens, ignoring century after century of nationhood.
At least Paddington Bear was mercifully absent. The same wasn’t true of the fireworks in 2024, when a giant superimposed head of the fluffy oracle intoned gently: ‘As we enter a new year, I always remember what Mrs Brown says: in London, everyone is different, but that means anyone can fit in.’ Sadiq Khan reposted this with the comment, ‘Thank you Paddington Bear for being part of our new year fireworks!’ Paddington’s saccharine message was also painted onto a mural outside Waterloo station, reminding everyone to be inclusive as they enter the capital city. Are we a nation of dribbling toddlers who need to be cajoled by fictitious bears? It’s more of the same from the self-aggrandising #BeKind brigade, who are anything but kind if you disagree with them.
Few things could better represent the globalist vision of the UK no one voted for than the Union Jack made up of different national flags. A clip of Tony Blair, circulated widely in October, reflects the establishment consensus that is causing such unease among the public. Britain’s future, Blair said, ‘has got to be as a nation of global citizens – not just British citizens’. Likewise, when asked to choose between Davos and Westminster in an interview at the World Economic Forum in January 2023, Keir Starmer replied in a heartbeat: ‘Davos.’
No wonder the public is flying the flag in protest. Our own leaders seem to prefer unelected global elites over their own country, while hectoring us endlessly about diversity. Here’s a New Year’s resolution for them: try keeping your smug lectures to yourselves.
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