Holy Schnikies - three whole pages on the anatomy, physiology and social merits of.....flag poles.
I'm obviously some kind of philistine, because I don't take any heraldic paraphenalia to the races - best left on castles and cruise-liners, in my view. If I'm forced to drag a load of gear around the track, I'd rather it be something I can drink or sit on. A flag pole seems rather redundant and cumbersome. Maybe it's me that's weird - after all, Eddie Izzard did point out that we English are obsessed by the bloody things...