David Howard in the New Zealand Herald:
Prime Minister Helen Clark has expressed her preference for removing the Union Jack (correctly the Union Flag) from the design of our New Zealand flag. It is a remarkable prejudice to be found in a prime minister who owes her position to the traditions we have inherited from the British connection.
... snip ...
This shared heritage is both useful and comforting. When we see the Union Jack on a flag we can make certain assumptions about that country: that English will be spoken, that there will be parliamentary democracy with a free press and freedom of religion, that there will be a strong Christian tradition of tolerance and charity, that the rule of law will apply including habeas corpus, that ideals of public service and loyal opposition will be fundamental political concepts.The first thing a corrupt government would want to do is distance itself from all those positive political values.
What a bizarre argument! Americans will doubtless find this funny in the way they find all worthy Canadian initiatives funny, but the flag-changing movement in Australia and New Zealand really have no greater aim than to have flags more like Canada's. That may seem like setting your revolutionary sights too low, but such are the ways of political change in the Commonwealth.
Posted by robe0419 at June 30, 2005 04:52 PM | TrackBackBut for NZ it's even worse... not only are you lumbered with the Union Flag top left, but also the rest of the design is so close to Australia's that the rest of the world can't tell the difference - which kind of suggests that the current flag isn't really up to the job anyway.
Posted by: Justin at July 1, 2005 05:26 AM