The Sunday Star Times reports that a new book out by academic Malcolm Mulholland is controversial, because it advocates that we find a new flag, a new national anthem and a new name for our country.
I don't find any of those things particularly controversial. Take our anthem. It sucks. I've said so before. I even suggested an alternative. And in these secular times the reference to God is hardly appropriate. If we're going to be saved by someone or something, how about Barack Obama? Or maybe Dan Carter's boot?
And our flag has a symbol in the top left corner that means nothing to a large number of us. The stars on the flag are nice, but I'm open-minded about what we ought to replace our current flag with. I don't care enough about flags to actually propose something positive - although the current one feels wrong.
Then there's the name. Maybe we could go for something more modern. What about George? East Australia? The Shire?
Or what about Zealand 2.0? It's edgy and modern, but still honours the past.
I look forward to being labelled "controversial" by the Sunday Star Times.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
7 comments:
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iZealand.
ReplyDeleteC'mon, iThings can only be one syllable. iZeal.
ReplyDeleteMore seriously, I was going to write about this but think I'll wait until I've read the book first. It's a crucial discussion to have about our identity, and too crucial to be left entirely to the republican movement (important though they are).
L
New Zeal?? I'll just Google that...
ReplyDeleteHmmm, maybe not.
Lew, I'm sure there is a lot of serious stuff to be written about this topic.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm probably not the one to do it. Anything I ever write about flags, symbols and labels is bound to descend into farce and bad jokes.
Scott, heh, I almost cracked wise about Trevor Loudon. But then thought better of it, lest I be labelled a communist sympathiser.
ReplyDeleteL
Lew - to late. As we speak, and 3,000 word post on your links to the Communist party via posts on Reading the Maps and the fact you once photographed at a protest march which also had Sue Bradford on it is being drawn up.
ReplyDelete"Socialist file #1987 - Lew"
Sanctuary, curses. Hated by both camps! Now I know how Alexander Solzhenitsyn felt.
ReplyDeleteL