Flags

[jameshunt]

scudetto_boy & James Hunt. What's the bickering for, you're both arguing against the flags on this thread aren't you?

[mikeb]

Re The Official Site poll: I'm *really* struggling to understand quite how the vote can be around 50:50 (ish) in principle with apparently a definite majority for the "keep all the flags at the Pyramid stage" despite the quite obvious flaw(s) in the poll. Although I guess there's going to be votes from lots of peeps who perhaps haven't been before so they don't therefore have first hand experience of the situation as well as peeps voting to keep the flags because they don't want to see a total ban (just a reduction in the nuisance value) I still find it difficult to understand. The way the poll has been presented doesn't help in any way of course - fondly remembers "Yes Minister" regarding how to get the result you want to get from a poll and all that and I'm even more surprised that someone hasn't posted the relevant bit from Ye Olde Sketch yet

I would also kinda question the validity of the result in any case regardless of which way it goes given the potential for duplicate votes and the likely difficulty in discounting them sensibly and reliably. I may well be wrong but I can't see a particularly reliable way of differentiating between 'n' peeps who have no option but to vote from a connection using the same IP and 1 single person voting 'n' times in an attempt to manipulate the result. Simple anonymous polls can be very easily manipulated I think. The whole thing appears to be flawed in so many respects to me and, no doubt quite intentionally, will provide the 'right' answer when the time comes !

Whilst the eFest poll in another thread will obviously provide a better indication, it also has to be said that it's probably not a large or wide enough sample to be particularly correct either. The views of eFesters do not necessarily reflect the views of all glasto-goers in general and all that. I'm already expecting shedloads again this year

Edited February 8, 2010 by mikeb

[laid back in the sun]

the outrageously biased vote on the offical glasto site ends at 3pm today so if you hate flags and haven't voted yet get over there sharpish... although i suspect they're going to do bugger all no matter how the vote finally finishes, cant have poor EE's view from the stage spoiled by a lack of tatty, tacky unfunny flags now could we!

[Chimps in Balaclavas]

No 50.44%

Yes 49.56%

Total Votes : 22343

Shocking, they were ok in 2004 .. since then, each year has become dafter than the last.

I was initially for them but now it winds me up, selfish c@@@ts!

[maninkilt]

Ok first things first -

I'm disabled, wheelchair bound and I come to festivals to watch artists and entertainers not flags. I adore seeing all the flags things around (even being carried in the roads) but please not in front of the stages.

If I try the helpful suggestion of moving closer - well thats just a safety nightmare and besides at the level the chair puts me if I strain my neck I'd see sholders (which is painful with my condition) so I see arses (not the flag carriers!). Events provide us with a safe elevated platform - so we can see performers not flags

The last time I chanced getting close I came away with a broken nose and night in the hospital fearing conscusiion - oh yes and the person that caused it giving me a mouthful that I shouldn't be there as it wasn't safe and it wasn't his fault as I shouldn't have been there

Second point - The I Love Sausage flag is actually an advert for one of the sausage sellers that was on site. The sold from a pitch in Shangri-La in 2009. So not only was "he" annoying folk, but getting BBC / TV rights for his brand. If ppl think he was following, chances are there was more than one of them. Other vendors on the site know this and i'd guess several are now thinking of following suit this year. If something isnt done the BBC will be doing free adverts for half the retailers on site this year all to Stevie Wonders next great hit.

If it gets any worse the chances are the resale rights of the video feed will drop to next to nothing, the beeb wont pay anywhere near what they are paying now and GFL will find that money by hiking the ticket prices up....... then we all pay more to see more flags... is that what we really want???????

If those people really need markers, well I'm sure glastonbury can provide a few official markers that say pyramid stage and have them in different colours to help you navigate back.

If there must be flaggers at the stage can we pen them into a small area off to one side - a flagging zone and a non-flagging zone

Every single person has a right to a chance to see the stage, we all pay good cash.

I hope the festival sees sense, asks for no flags in front of the stage during performances. backs it up with on screen messages and gets the artists to also play along and stop the set should flags start to rise.... we are there fans after all and I for one want to see them and how they use the stage

thank you for taking the time to read my point

Edited February 8, 2010 by maninkilt

[In transit]

I think efestivals might not be that representative. Having a look on Twitter all the posting about it was urging people to vote against a ban.

As has been said above, the phrasing of the question was so poor that it would never have been asked by a pollster. And not leaving a 3rd option was clearly deliberate.

I think the whole problem will get even worse this year, at which point they might just be motivated to do something about it (this poll doesn't count as doing something).

[NeilVJ]

I don't think the organisers will take any notice as to what people's views are. It doesn't wreck their view so therefore they don't care.

Should flags be banned from Glastonbury - No

Should flags be banned during performances - Yes

It's that simple but as Emily can see from the side of the stage she won't care about the 100,000 who can't

[ministe2003]

I don't think the organisers will take any notice as to what people's views are. It doesn't wreck their view so therefore they don't care.

Should flags be banned from Glastonbury - No

Should flags be banned during performances - Yes

It's that simple but as Emily can see from the side of the stage she won't care about the 100,000 who can't

Edited February 8, 2010 by ministe2003

[Glastoboy]

I don't understand the current results of the official poll either.

Considering there are only about 100-200 selfish flag wavers (at it's most extreme) but thousands of people who's view is obscured. There surely can't be a large proportion of people who can't see the performance on stage and prefer watching flag waving instead thinking "oh don't those flags add to the atmosphere".

[mikeb]

Sorry, but I just had to go finding it

[mikeb]

Quelle Surprise and all that

As you might remember, last week we posted a poll to see what you folks thought about the subject of banning flags in front of the Pyramid stage. Well, the poll closed at 3pm today, and the final result is as follows (we have filtered out all duplicate votes).

- No, keep the flags (7269 votes) - 55%

- Yes, ban the flags (5909 votes) - 45%

So, it's a narrow win for "keeping". Big thanks to everyone for taking part. As well as the result itself, it's been really useful to get an idea of the passion this debate raises among festival-goers, by reading your comments across the web. We're also amazed by the list of countries you folks have voted from.

Clicky Ye Here for linky to news report on the Official Site.

Edited February 8, 2010 by mikeb

[laid back in the sun]

well i hope EE is happy that she got the result she wanted.... anyway if you cant beat em join em so im off to start work on my emily eavis is a c**t flag

[bombfrog]

I'm very disappointed that the result seems to have been fixed, I thought GFL were above that kind of nonsense.

The result was in favour of banning flags at the end of the poll but the result they have announced is different. They say that they have removed "duplicate votes", but you couldn't vote twice from the same IP address anyway and there's no other way to reliably count duplicate votes (unless they're matching up different IPs that have been historically linked to the same user account, which I doubt).

I smell bullshit.

[T.Funster]

Back to the subject of the thread. Personally I love flags around the site, but hate the twunts who decide it's cool to block everyone's view of the acts. All it takes is a bit of respect for others around you.

Edited February 8, 2010 by T.Funster

[Haggis]

I think 45% against will have given them enough food for thought in any case. GFL never said that any result would be binding in any case, and a large vote against - which 45% is - should see them thinking about the flags and their effects on the punters/telly people etc

[Haggis]

ps - I don't remember any 'restriction on personal freedom' arguments when GFL told ME to stop pissing in the hedges*

* - a joke, natch

[Michael@Hebden]

Sorry, but I just had to go finding it

[Wanderlei]

- No, keep the flags (7269 votes) - 55%

- Yes, ban the flags (5909 votes) - 45%

Edited February 8, 2010 by Wanderlei

[guypjfreak]

lets all carry flags telling the other flag carriers to put their flags down

have an ante flag day . kill the flag people exterminate exterminate exterminate

[guypjfreak]

lets all carry flags telling the other flag carriers to put their flags down

have an ante flag day . kill the flag people exterminate exterminate exterminate

great band great song where are they flags exterminate

[Kyelo]

Thing is say U2 get a 90,000 people crowd, that's potentially 40,500 people unhappy(according to the GF poll). Now normally I'd say most votes wins but I personally don't think it is fair if only one persons enjoyment is hampered by a flag, it's just rude and incredibly selfish. It's a really c**tish thing to do if you ask me. EVERYBODY is entitled to a good view of the acts they are watching.

[beamends]

All I can say is it a dammed good job there's no current headliners I want to see anyway, no least because I couldn't if I wanted to. I fear that if the flags are like last years (or probably worse now their being there is officially a Good Thing) then there will be friction. Not doing anything is the worst possible decision - I hope it doesn't come back to haunt them. It also gives me doubt's about Emily's stewardship of the festival in years to come.

[scudetto_boy]

Thing is say U2 get a 90,000 people crowd, that's potentially 40,500 people unhappy(according to the GF poll). Now normally I'd say most votes wins but I personally don't think it is fair if only one persons enjoyment is hampered by a flag, it's just rude and incredibly selfish. It's a really c**tish thing to do if you ask me. EVERYBODY is entitled to a good view of the acts they are watching.

[bombfrog]

Thing is say U2 get a 90,000 people crowd, that's potentially 40,500 people unhappy(according to the GF poll). Now normally I'd say most votes wins but I personally don't think it is fair if only one persons enjoyment is hampered by a flag, it's just rude and incredibly selfish. It's a really c**tish thing to do if you ask me. EVERYBODY is entitled to a good view of the acts they are watching.

[Red_Eye_Jedi]

As I have never seen a other stage headliner, is the other stage as bad as the pyramid??