It all began with an talkback caller (David) who was watching an old video of the Commonwealth Games and wanted to know why England didn't display the Union Jack when they won gold. As an Australian I can understand the confusion. Why does Great Britain get to dissolve into different teams (England, Wales, Scotland e.t.c) at the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup, yet Australia has to play as a single entity. Given Australia began as seperate colonies, why don't New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and the Territories get to compete individually? As usual our `expert panel of listeners' came to the fore about the evolution of the Union Jack from the different flags, as you can see to the right. Thanks particularly to Peter Goslett from New York, (one of our internet listeners) who has supplied these informative links The Monarchy Today Drawing the Union Jack

Union Jack St George's Cross St Andrew's Cross St Patrick's Cross