Patriotism under threat on Australia Day

"Why?" I asked? "Have I done anything wrong?"

"No," was the answer. "You have taken a few pictures, and the shirt you are wearing may cause offense."

Stunned, I looked down. (For the readers' information, I represented Australia in a certain sport a few years ago and on this occasion happened to be wearing the blue shirt I had received as part of a national team.)

"Why is the shirt offensive?" I asked. "Because you have two Australian flags on it that may cause offense," I was told by the police. These flags, one on each sleeve, were the size of a thimble!

"Do you mean to tell me," I said, "that on Australia Day, January the 26^th, my shirt with two tiny Australian flags on it may be considered offensive?"

After I received an affirmative answer, I promised faithfully that I would cause no further offense. A promise I had every intention to keep.

Concerned that I may cause a riot due to my two tiny flags, I started to leave.

As I strode away, two well-meaning English people engaged me in conversation.

"It's about time the Australian people were held responsible for their actions towards the indigenous people," they told me.

I immediately agreed, but I couldn't help but pose two questions to them:

(1) Wasn't it a British settlement in 1788 that started all the trouble and would the British people apologise as well?

(2) Would that policy of apology extend to the Irish, whom the British murdered and dispossessed for 750 years?