Up Pompey

No, of course neither Saint George's Flag nor the English (or any other) language is racist, even if the former has come over the last 20 years to indicate various things that are rather unpleasant.

One such is represented by the fact that the words "English-speaking driver" are apparently insufficient in themselves. I am reminded of what both my father and one of my primary school teachers thought of the little figures on lavatory doors, that they were for the benefit of the illiterate.

Alas, it appears that the taxi drivers of Portsmouth feel the need to make similar use of Saint George's Flag. They may be English-speaking drivers, but they cannot assume English-reading passengers. They can, however, assume understanding of the meaning of, even if of nothing else about, a red cross on a white background.