Well to be honest there is a lot of people around the world that do not know the difference between;
Great Britain
England
The United Kingdom.
Some think Scotland is somewhere else completely.
Some are not sure if Ireland is part of the UK or not.
Most have never heard of Wales.
And most British still don't consider themselves as a part of Europe!
Confused? I'm not suprised really.
From a political point of view - Flags are a symbol and expression of Tribalism.
Tribalism
-The internal social structure of a tribe can vary greatly from case to case, but, due to the small size of tribes, it is always a relatively simple structure, with few (if any) significant social distinctions between individuals. Some tribes are particularly egalitarian, and most tribes have only a vague notion of private property; many have none at all. Tribalism has also sometimes been called "primitive communism" but this is rather misleading since allegiance to a communist state is not based on kin-selective altruism. One thing that is certain is that tribalism is the very first social system that human beings ever lived in, and it has lasted much longer than any other kind of society to date.
The other concept to which the word tribalism frequently refers is the possession of a strong cultural or ethnic identity that separates oneself as a member of one group from the members of another. This phenomenon is related to the concept of tribal society in that it is a precondition for members of a tribe to possess a strong feeling of identity for a true tribal society to form. The distinction between these two definitions for tribalism is an important one because, while tribal society no longer strictly exists in the western world, tribalism, by this second definition, is arguably undiminished. People have postulated that the human brain is hard-wired towards tribalism due to its evolutionary advantages.
P.S. I agree, there should be more flags reflecting the nationalities of the forum -- BTW, why is their a Kiwi flag and not an Australian flag? Can not figure that one out. I want my other tribe represented here too!! b]