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#70060 05/17/02 07:02 AM
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>About colors being assigned to parties, I distinctly remember an electoral map in TIME magazine just after the 2000 election that had Bush's states in red and Gore's in blue. I think it's pretty arbitrary.

I hadn't realised that.

Here the parties are very clearly colour coded:

Labour - red, although the reg flag logo was replaced with a red rose a few years ago to be less "challenging", they do still sing the red flag at the end of the annual conference
Conservative & Ulster Unionists - blue (with a hint of Union Jack) Mrs Thatcher must have spend thousands on a myriad of different colours of blue suits in her time.
Liberal/ Lib Dem - Gold/Yellow (but never orange) MPs tend to have a large wardrobe of gold ties and scarves.
Green Party - green, not surprisingly but see this article for a (lengthy} discussion on shades of green - red green, blue green and deep green http://www.earthscan.co.uk/samplechapters/1853837598Chapter1.htm

In Northern Ireland the colours green and orange mark the sectarian divide.

Maybe Rhuby can tell us how far back the colours go. What colour were the Whiggs?



#70061 05/17/02 07:53 AM
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Gee! Thank you all for the unexpectedly impressive response. Particular thanks to tsuwm, the link was very clear in enlarging on maverick's reply.

Thank you AnnaS for prodding so well on the colour issue. Not sure we've bottomed that out yet. Jazzoctopus' statement that green is the colour most distinct from red intrigues me as I am red/green colour blind which would have led me into the natural mistake of thinking that the wavelengths of these two colours must be close. Still its many years since I studied physics so perhaps I can be forgiven. But I'm still puzzled and will pursue further.

BTW, "out of pocket" in the sense of out of touch is used in the UK, in my experience, by those who aspire to be taken for City whizz-kids. Apologies to any Brit AWADers who may be fond of using it - I'm sure you really are City whizz-kids!.


#70062 05/17/02 10:18 AM
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tsuwm, thanks...

the Jacobin chamber...

[/chopped liver®]




#70063 05/17/02 11:43 AM
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OK, Mr Smarty Pants, how was it decided which colo(u)r would be assigned to which group?

I believe that M. Quordlepleen probably has the right (and the left) of it, mademoiselle.



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
#70064 05/17/02 11:58 AM
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Yay!! I get to nit-pick before Faldage does!!

Jazz points out:
they're also called complimentary colors because they go so well together.


Close, but no cigar. Pairs comprising one primary and one secondary (made from two primaries) color are called 'complEmentary" because, opposite each other on the color wheel, when taken together they encompass the entire spectrum, or white (light)/black (pigment). [/thus endeth the picking of the nits]


#70065 05/17/02 12:03 PM
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the right (and left) of it

It’s actually a bit more complicated than that may suggest, since originally the (tricoleur) flag was hung t’other way around with the red next to the staff in ‘left wing’ position, but is nowadays hung blue on the left!

The origin is normally credited to Lafayette around the time of the storming of the Bastille, and I think stems from the troop uniform col[e/o](u)rs of Paris with the addition of the white of the Bourbon monarchy.

Lemme see what I can quickly find…




#70066 05/17/02 12:08 PM
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Although significances have been attached to the colours these are all spurious and invented after the fact….

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/fr.html#ori



#70067 05/17/02 12:17 PM
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Thank you, maverick. Chopped liver, you ain't!


#70068 05/17/02 12:25 PM
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Chopped liver, you ain't!

thank 'ee kindly m'am - I have a twin passion for all things revolting, and French [innocent]


#70069 05/17/02 12:31 PM
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Nice one, mav. The link seems authoritative.

And you're not chopped liver. You're pate de foie gras. [schmonk]


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