General Chat

If the French hadn't held the perimeter at Dunkirk then the British would not have found it quite so easy to scuttle away home.

I heard the French were thinking of changing their flag to a plain white one ;-) :-D

The Maple Leaf flag was adopted by Canada in 1965 ................. not without some kerfuffle at the time from those who did not want to lose the union flag.


I love the Maple Leaf flag :-)

Unfortunately, Frederick, it will be impossible to pick a design that is acceptable to all.

Thank you LadyScozz :-)

K/Regards,
A/Canuck.

lol

I think one of the best flags is the Canadian one..... it's simple & striking.

By all means change the flag and do what suits your own country, but

pick a design that is agreeable to all, don't do as the South Africans did

and pick one that looks like a pair of Y-FRONTS.


F.

ty Denis.

I'm a naturalised Aussie, born in Scotland (sort of explains my board name).

I get SO annoyed when people ask if I was born in England.......... I tell them I was born in Scotland, and they say "same thing"! grrrrrrr I tell them I was born in Britain, the Scottish part.

I don't have a Scottish accent..... I don't have a particularly strong Aussie accent either. I've lived in lots of places, must have picked up some of the lingo.

Just for the sake of accuracy England does not exist as a nation state. It's the United Kingdom that is a member state of the European Union. As regards the appearance of the Union Flag on the Australian and New Zealand flags the removal of the Union flag from the Canadian flag in 1965 is an interesting precedent.

1. I couldn't care less what sportspeople decide to use as a symbol.

2. I consider myself indigenous as I was born and bred in NZ, as were my parents and my 2 grandfathers. (grandmothers and all 8 gt grandparents were b in England).

3. Many of our 'Maori' people are not full blooded Maori, therefore they cannot claim to be fully indigenous, can they?

4. If we are going to change it, surely we should choose something that represents the way NZ is now, multicultural. But, I believe we should not discard our heritage either. What is a country with no heritage?

George - we're just chewing the fat and replying to Huia's request for opinions ;-)

If the decision was limited to the Indigenous population they'd be disenfranchising all immigrants since the Islands were 'discovered' by the Europeans. :-D

Info on NZ flag:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_New_Zealand

Info on Maori flag:

http://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/consultation/maoriflag/tinorangatiratanga/

Info on Oz flag:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Australia

Info on Australian Aboriginal flag:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_Flag

:-)

Remove the "Union Jack", have a pair of thongs (flip flops) or jandles instead :-D

Any change to the NZ or the Oz flag should be made by the indigenous people of those countries and not the incomers.

George :-)

NZ & Oz flags are very much alike, but Oz has the Federation Star in the left lower corner.

Lots of talk in Oz about getting rid of the "union jack", being going for years. Many people think it should be replaced with the Aboriginal Flag. I wouldn't like a kangaroo, it would look like an ad for Qantas.

I do like NZ's fern, but I didn't know some people thought it was a feather meaning cowardice!

Maybe NZ could replace the union jack with a rugby ball? The AllBlacks are certainly not cowards!

I'll email 2nd cousins in NZ, ask what they think.



:-)

I like the idea of a kiwi on the NZ flag. I've never seen a kiwi fly before.

If Scotland gains independance the Union Flag would become redundant; since the union wouldn't exist anymore.

No, I wouldn't know the difference between the Australian and NZ flag.

If asked what symbol/image represented NZ, I'd probably say the silver fern because of the associations with the All Blacks RU team, or perhaps a Kiwi bird.

Although England is now part of the EU, it isn't totally integrated and is still part of the Commonwealth along with NZ and Aus. Despite their Independence, there are still very close ties with both countries being one of the destinations of choice for emigration. Unless NZ ceases to be a Commonwealth member, once the post WW2 influx of immigrants die, then may be the Union Flag could be removed.

If Scotland becomes an independent Nation, we'll be having the same discussion about the Union Flag!

National Flags are and always have been a symbol of pride - or at least they should be! They should be striking, some how reflecting something unique about the country, and easily identifiable. An added advantage would be if it was easy to decide 'which way up' they should be flown . :-D

Hi again Huia,

The silver fern emblem always reminds me of the remains of a flounder after the flesh has been eaten. We used to have to leave the eyes in so it would see us though the week. :-S

Do you know what the NZ flag looks like? Can you tell the difference between ours and the Aussie one? It is suggested NZ should change as it is too much like the Aussie one, but we had ours first, so shouldn't Oz change theirs?

If we do change, do you like the idea of a black flag (death) with a silver fern (white feather of cowardice) on it? I don't.

Many people want to do away with the union jack in the corner because we are an independent nation and England now belongs in the European zone. Does our heritage not matter?

Many suggestions have been made for a different flag, but I have not yet seen one I feel is right. What are your thoughts on flags?