Which flag? Yes, that
is the question, and it’s a real dilemma!
Here in NZ we are about to vote on whether we want to keep our current flag, with its Union Jack and history, or bring in the alternative “silver fern” design which was voted on, by Referendum, from a shortlist of five selected, by a supposedly “expert” panel, from a longlist of 40. This has been whittled down from more than 10,000 initial design entries, submitted by anyone at all.
Here in NZ we are about to vote on whether we want to keep our current flag, with its Union Jack and history, or bring in the alternative “silver fern” design which was voted on, by Referendum, from a shortlist of five selected, by a supposedly “expert” panel, from a longlist of 40. This has been whittled down from more than 10,000 initial design entries, submitted by anyone at all.
For a long time, I have wanted to change our flag. But, here we are, starting with a flawed process which seems to have been
done in a rush. Good things rarely come
from haste or poor process.
Our flag is nice enough and I have nothing against the Union
Jack or our links with the UK (hell, it’s my heritage and a place I lived for a
fifth of my life) – but our flag is not “standout”. Too easy to confuse with Australia’s flag and,
quite frankly, a little dull. Even now,
I have to stop and focus on which is which and I’ve been familiar with these
flags since I was old enough to know what a country banner was. We know that NZ has red stars and Australia
has white stars, but take a quick flick and, whether they are right next to
each other, or jumbled up amongst all the flags of the world, it still requires
a moment of hesitation to distinguish which is which.
It’s the same with those stripy flags where you have to stop
and work out which way the stripes are going and which order the colours are in. And probably still get it wrong!
France, Russia, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Paraguay – red,
white, blue.
Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Cameroon, Bolivia, Congo – red,
yellow, green.
Thank goodness for countries that bothered to slap a symbol
on or make the stripes diagonal – it makes picking out Paraguay and Republic of
the Congo a little easier!
I’m not really too fussed about flags and what they stand
for, but I do take a purposeful interest.
I am a member of a pub quiz team and, just as the sun is sure to
rise, a flag question is sure to crop up. So, for better or worse, it is an area
I polish up on, for the sake of my team. (The Shadee Bunch - we play at The Kings Arms, Auckland - great fun!)
It can be very handy, and rather satisfying, to be able to
distinguish Bahrain from Qatar or Monaco from Indonesia, when it comes to
country banners. To recognise the
double-headed eagle of Albania’s flag or the red crosses of Georgia. It does give me a little bit of flag credibility - and that extra point is most important in the
quizzing world!
Back to our flag dilemma …
Knowing a little about flags and how easy they can be to
recognise (or not!), and with a bit of interest and knowhow around creativity
and design, I have considered the pros and cons of old flag/new flag from
many perspectives.
I really do want a new flag. But do I want the silver fern concoction? No, I do not.
I really do want a new flag. But do I want the silver fern concoction? No, I do not.
There are a couple of world flags that have several symbols cluttering them up but most – and certainly the more memorable and striking ones – stick to blocks
of colour and/or one symbol. Some are
instantly recognisable, some are a little daring, some are attractive, some
truly symbolic.
I’m all for stepping outside the square and going for something
bold, edgy and distinctive – but IMHO this alternative flag we are voting on is
none of the above.
It is too cluttered and busy, with its Southern Cross and silver fern plastered all over it. It is too dreary, with its black and not-very-nice shade of blue. It is too lifeless, with its flat and clumsy fern design and lack of flair.
It is too cluttered and busy, with its Southern Cross and silver fern plastered all over it. It is too dreary, with its black and not-very-nice shade of blue. It is too lifeless, with its flat and clumsy fern design and lack of flair.
It’s a mishmash, a jumble, a flavourless shambles. It just doesn’t stand out. It doesn’t “say” anything.
Remove the Southern Cross and sharpen up the fern image, and
perhaps I could be swayed. But as it
stands – I just shake my head in despair.
And today we are told that it has bad feng shui.
I’m not very fond of our old flag, but the alternative is an
an unfortunate blend of perfunctory tokens and I’m not sure I’ll develop an
affinity with it.
Voting closes soon - what a dilemma!
Meanwhile, the world continues to spin out of control and, alas, a
new flag won’t change that …
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| What do you think? |
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