Of course, thanks to a lovely media beat up, now there'll be a million flag waving thugs out there with a point to prove.

It always seems to happen in NSW...what is it with sydneysiders and being way, way too australian?

Fortunately the minority dropkicks who came up with the stupid idea of banning Australian flags in Australia have given up on their totally stupid idea. They had no right to ban the flag in the first place, and the "ban" would certainly have encouraged more people to carry flags.

I don't own a flag myself, but the traitors/Australia haters who came up with the idea of trying to stop people carrying our national flag should be frog-marched to the nearest beach and be told to swim to some other country. They are a disgrace to Australia as is anyone who is uncomfortable with the flag of their own country.

We've seen "ethnic cleansing" in other countries. It's long past the time when we should have started cleaning out the Australia fifth columnists who so much hate and despise their country.

If Leigh had actually read the news story, he would have seen that none of the BDO organisers ever attempted to ban flags.

The BDO website has a list of recommendations to make your day the best it can be. It discourages things like jewellery, high heels etc. Practical suggestions. It also discourages flags for a couple of reasons - they were involved in some conflicts last year, and also simply because carrying a big flag around all day is a hassle and gets in other peoples way and generally is not sensible at all for a music festival.

The rest was a complete media beat up. But that doesn't matter - because flags and patriotism etc is a hot button topic, one that hot headed people such as Leigh here will pounce on with the tired, sad 'get out of the country if you dont like it' noise. Of course Leigh forgets that the organisers are completely within their own rights to set the terms and conditions of entry to the festival, and his own mantra could be just as convincingly spun in the exact opposite direction, eg: 'get out of our festival if you have such a problem with the rules'.

So thanks Leigh, for being the perfect example of what's wrong with this picture.

My fear is growing that this mindless anger we're witnessing will come to a head on the day. Let's hope it doesn't, and people simply enjoy the music (which, of course, is entirely the point - with international artists being the focus, and the show in fact not having anything to do with australia day), and not abuse the event (or individuals, like last year) for their own selfish purposes.

Music unites, not nationalism - let the music do its job.

Triplej have nothing to do with organising the BDO.

The organisers never "banned" the flag.

The media never let the truth get in the way of a chance to stir things up. Just like Cronulla, if they get the trouble they're trying to cause on Thursday, they'll get the stories they want.

Longer term, if flag abusing, Aussier than Aussie idiots keep up their yobbish behaviour they risk losing the event for themselves and everyone else.

Everybody loses for the sake of newspaper sales. Pathetic.

If you don't like our flag, go back to where you crawled out and see if the leaders there are indifferent to criticism of their symbols.
White people unite and save a White Australia!

I hope the flag banning is not something similar to Clover Moores attempt to ban Christmas decorations lest it give insult to Islamics. Are we afraid of the screaming rent- a-crowd culture seen after the Danish cartoons?