The Student Room Group

New Zealand is about to remove the union jack on their flag

Scroll to see replies

As a Brit I'd like to see it stay, but I suspect that if I were a kiwi I'd like to see it changed.
Original post by morgan8002
It's almost like the British empire is crumbling.


The British Empire crumbled decades ago. In fact, you can probably date the real end of empire to 1973 when the United Kingdom walked out on its Commonwealth partners like Australia and New Zealand, walked away from its close relationship and preferential trade deals, to join the European Community. Oz and New Zealand got over it quickly, and reoriented themselves towards trading with Asia and obtaining their security from a close relationship with the United States and Japan

Only a few years previously the UK had withdrawn from East of Suez, India and Pakistan and the other countries had all gone independent.

But the UK does still have a kind of mini-empire. It has the British overseas territories like Gibraltar, and particularly its unsinkabkle aircraft carrier in the Eastern Mediterranean (the Cyprus bases). It has a recently constructed base in Bahrain (the first permanent UK presence in the Gulf since the 1970s). There's the UK's Jungle Warfare School in Brunei, its Gurkha regiments and special relationships with the Sultans of Brunei and Oman.

The City of London is the biggest centre of finance, insurance and shipping in the world. The BBC World Service is the dominant, international English-language broadcaster. So we still have global interests and capabilities that place us above other middle powers like Germany
Reply 22
All signs show that the flag flag referendum has little chance of succeeding.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/23/new-zealand-flag-change-as-voting-ends-poll-shows-little-hope-for-new-design

Frankly it's a little bit pathetic how New Zealand is trying to forge some unique identity in this fashion.

About 80% of New Zealanders have direct British ancestry and as late as the 1950s they were still referring to themselves as British. A massive 27% of current New Zealanders were born in the British Isles. Culturally, in both Australia and New Zealand the most embarrassing aspect is the fake embrace of Aboriginal and Maori culture and the way in which White Oceanians adopt it as their own. The natives certainly don't appreciate it.

Why is it acceptable to use the Koru as a symbol to represent the Maori population's heritage but not the Union Jack to represent the overwhelming British ancestry? It's enforcing apologist liberals at work here.The Silver Fern is also popular in New Zealand, but I'd imagine it's very isolating for the individuals who aren't focused on Rugby and Cricket over there.

I can't understand why any New Zealander would support distancing itself further from Britain. They have no other culture of their own. A flightless bird, the falsely claimed Lord of the Rings and Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien was British), being a nuclear free zone and sheep?

After the Second World War with the rapid advance in technology the best solution for the British people would be to have united in a White Commonwealth of equal partnership, between the UK, Australia, New Zealand and maybe even Canada too.

All New Zealand or Australia should do is change one of the backgrounds of their flags red instead of blue. Both red and blue versions of the Australian flag were popular up until the 1950s.

Original post by Roofas
They have no other culture of their own


Have you ever even been to Australia and New Zealand? That's pretty patronising and clearly wrong. It's the kind of parochial attitude I often see from arrogant middle-class lefties who claim America has no culture of its own, often coming from people who have never even travelled outside Europe.

I personally support retaining the Union Jack in the Australian flag (the land of my birth, though I'm a dual citizen and I live in the UK now). But this patronising neo-colonialist attitude of people like you is perhaps partly why some Antipodeans think it's time to get rid of it

the best solution for the British people would be to have united in a White Commonwealth of equal partnership, between the UK, Australia, New Zealand and maybe even Canada too.


That would obviously be a massive backward step for Australia and New Zealand. What's in it for them? The UK walked out on them to join the common market. They adjusted by orienting themselves toward trade with Asia and a close security relationship with the United States. The UK made its bed, now it has to sleep in it
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by BeastOfSyracuse
That would obviously be a massive backward step for Australia and New Zealand. What's in it for them? The UK walked out on them to join the common market. They adjusted by orienting themselves toward trade with Asia and a close security relationship with the United States. The UK made its bed, now it has to sleep in it

What would be in it for them would be being part of a whole that can stand on its own feet rather than satellites of the US, affected by its policies but without votes in its elections. Largely the same argument for the UK being in the EU. Whether it is a good deal is of course a matter for debate; it means giving up some sovereignty to other parts of the Anglosphere, and being a major power comes with costs that being a satellite does not.
Original post by BeastOfSyracuse
They had a national competition to come up with a new flag design. Personally, I think this entry which shows their national bird the Kiwi is probably best;




With lasers coming out of its eyes because why the **** not? :rofl:
Original post by HucktheForde
Don't you feel concerned? ?

Posted from TSR Mobile


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35888474

Not at all, they voted to keep it..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35888474

Only 2.1 million people bothered to turn out once again proving how idiotic parts of the left can be. When there are issues like unemployment to talk about, they are talking about flag designs, reparations and republicanism. The right may be heartless at times but it's no wonder that parts of the left are viewed as a joke.
Honestly, why would you want you flag being mixed up with another country's flag?



But then again if you look at the Scandinavian countries all their flags have the same design. The only change are their colours.
There are bigger things to be offended over
Original post by Rakas21
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35888474

Not at all, they voted to keep it..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35888474

Only 2.1 million people bothered to turn out once again proving how idiotic parts of the left can be. When there are issues like unemployment to talk about, they are talking about flag designs, reparations and republicanism. The right may be heartless at times but it's no wonder that parts of the left are viewed as a joke.


I think these are important issues, and I would tend to think of the trivialisation of such cultural matters as more of a leftist trait than anything else.

I'm pretty sure I, and many others who can vaguely describe themselves as conservative on such issues, care just as much as, or more than, the typical left wing voter about our monarchy, flag, and theoretical reparation payments -- it just so happens that we're supporting the status quo in those instances, so we're not the ones who have to raise them.
Original post by Observatory
What would be in it for them would be being part of a whole that can stand on its own feet rather than satellites of the US, affected by its policies but without votes in its elections.


My dear fellow, you sound rather fevered.

If you genuinely think Australia and New Zealand are satellites of the US then your conception of international relations is rather crude and limited (as is your understanding of history) and I don't see much profit in debating with you.
Original post by BeastOfSyracuse
My dear fellow, you sound rather fevered.

If you genuinely think Australia and New Zealand are satellites of the US then your conception of international relations is rather crude and limited (as is your understanding of history) and I don't see much profit in debating with you.


Then I bid you good day, fine Sir.

Quick Reply

Latest