New Zealand Flag Issue

The New Zealand electorate has rejected a change to the flag and chose tor etain the present flag - so did they choose to remain subservient to England?  

 This rugby related because...?

 Ceradunce
Stupid bumsh!t.  The new flag proposed had the black fern - the Badge of the All Blacks in the corner where the Union jack used to be.  This issue was discussed previously on this site and I dealt with it here because it is a hot topic for the NZ members - who knows something about the world - about rugby, etc - things you know zero about.  
Even though it had nothing to do with rugby I made a plea to all our members to avoid crowded areas in cities like Paris and London for their own good - also under this site - and I even included you in that request - shows my great heart even wanting to advise to protect themselves even including an ignoramus like you   

Mate, I think that I am safer in London than many South Africans in South Africans. You obviously have no idea about the differences in security measures between London (and the rest of the UK) and that in Brussels. All the security agencies in the UK work together and share information. Brussels have 6 police forces who do not fully share information. In addition they speak two different languages. I will not even try and explain the entire issue to you. I would have to repeat an entire discussion on a program last night.
I can say this.  My wife and I went to a show at the Lyceum in London last week. We took the train to London Paddington and then the tube to Trafalfar square. From there we took a ten minute walk to the theatre in Wellington road, IIRC. We did the reverse route after 10 that evening. No problems and no fear. 
I am not saying that we should not be alert or concerned but the last thing that should be done is to show these feckers any fear or respect. They should not be allowed to fark our lives around or influence the way we live our daily lives. 

 You are living in a dream world cerudunce windpomp.  London security are preparing for a ten phase attack on London. They say prospect a high for an attack. Extremely difficult to stop this sort of ting when you have millions of potential jihardists in the country helping each other etc.I suppose you are one of these daft denialists?I trust you have the sense to vote BREXIT?

 Oh, and BTW. You obviously don't quite understand the issue/meaning/symbolism of the Sliver Fern. Have a look on Wikepedia. 

 Ceradunce
I have been to Paris, Brussels and London many, many times,  I have travelled on their famed underground also many, many times.   I am also aware of the fact that there are parts of London where it is unsafe to go.   
Brussels is a cosmopolitan city and so is London and Paris.  I know the Belgium history and the political divide between the Flemish and French speakers more than you can imagine.  Unlike you know - most people in Belgium are in fact bilingual and can speak French as well.   
You live in a fools paradise if you think that there cannot be attacks on London sub-stations and other places.   I am not saying anybody should show fear - I just mentioned that people should try and avoid crowded places and should keep their eyes and ears open.   There will be attacks in London - the question is not if - it is when.   My guess is that it may be before or on the day of the EU referendum.            

The Union jack is part of our colonial history & is a fact but I would be for a change which introduced more of the NZ diversity & cultural richness.

Seems this should be under other topics....but it's nice to see a country that knows it's role  

 JW I think the haka would make a nice symbol. You could pick the weirdest looking oaks in the world as part of the haka team etc.

Beeno, glad you have grown to appreciate the Haka. This may possibly help your plea for immigrant status in NZ, you never know, it could happen. 
You may have to play down your "political views" but if you can do a good job of faking at least some knowledge of rugby this might help.
JW trying to help the helpess

  I started this thread as a joke and am still laughing.

 Of course you would have a laugh you farking plank. National symbols may be a laughing matter for you. I doubt if it is such a laughing matter for our NZ friends. 

 If you read what I wrote - it was aimed at the members - not the symbol - you dumb doos.  Better confine yourself to the lunatic asylum and don't ruin the team selection thread again.  

 We only kept the union jack bit as it drives other colonials mad with envy and makes a fine aiming point for them while we sneak up on em and kick their butts !But seriously would rather the new stylish looking flag ,my kids like a lot of Ozziwis cant tell the Aussie /kiwi flag apart !

We South Africans can only dream of still having a Union Jack on our national flag.

I'd go back to the old Union in a heartbeat!

 See I wuz right ! Hey Rooie ? Still fighting the good fight against the one man tide of ignorance and  wi-fi flatulance ?

Hi Wardad, not so much fighting as poking him occasionally with a stick to see what new depths of stupidity he can fathom.

 Must be a long ,sturdy stick ! Several fathoms of water and chains would help him 'fathom' better !Mikey sounds like that old Bee Gees song you know ' I started a joke..."

 'New depths of stupidity he can fathom".....hahaha. What new depths of stupidity he can understand/ or what new depths of stupidity he can measure? Now that is one garbled sentence. What you wanted to say is  "what new levels of stupidly he can reach or achieve or discover"......but not fathom.

Stick to simple words AAS you pompous ignoramus.

 Rooinek
Speak for yourself - for many South Africans the U nion Jack was a swearword and abomination - part of a history that caused thousands of deaths in concentration camps and elsewhere - the flag of the oppressor. 
I am not a racialist - but the present government is so corrupt - anything will be an improvement on them.      

 The Union Jack is premised on a hereditary monarchy....the wisdom of Charles if you will. How can anybody in their right mind want Charles as their leader.

 Charles the First or Second ? Charley big ears is working as head  Tampon for the Duchess of Barkbarkshire  i hear .

 Mike, the Nats evolved out of the Ossewa Brandwag, and they had big issues with the Brits, but the Union Jack was still retained in the old flag. Change for the sake of change is stupid. The new flag is OKish, but no real symbolism or history. But new history must have a start somewhere I suppose.

 Lots of Kiwis and Aussies complain that the flag has extra significance as their forebears fought under it in WW1 and WW2 .In WW1 we both used the Union Jack and in WW2 it was the "Red Ensign" but people are lazy I guess and just repeat what they hear .Anyways 'tempus fugit " I gotta go catch some fish for good Friday ,I may be a heathen but the Missus is a Catholic ,at least on High Holy Days .And I hate frozen fish blecccchhhh!

Wehe . . . no, I meant "fathom", stupidissimo. 
Never heard the term? No, I guess not . . . not when the only things you ever read are the TV guide and g@y p 0rn mags!
Look it up, chump!
LMAO!

 Draad
Not so easy as you pointed out.  The original NP started in 1912 as a result of the decision of General Botha to remove General Hertzog from the Cabinet and was in fact started by Hetzog and Dr Malan.   There was no Oss ewa Brandwag then - it only developed after 1938.  The Party gained strength as a result of the decision by Generals  Botha and Smuts to enter into WW1.
As a party it became closely associated with the Communists who took over the trade unions in circa 1920 to 1921 - since by then many of the poor Afri kaans- speaking people were members of the Unions.  The flag issue was one of the main issues by 1924 when the NP took over the Government in a coalition with the Labour Party.   The Labour Party did not want a flag change and it was ultimately the Governor General - the Earl of Athlone (Queen Mary's brother) who came up with a compromise in that case and proposed the flag that was used from 1926 to 1994.  
It is funny - but if you study a lot of the NP leaders history - especially from the then Transvaal and Free State - you would find that in their youth they were Communists.  Braam Fischer was one of those - his father was the Premier of the Free State for a while before 1910 - but unlike his mates he stayed within the Communist Party his whole life, while most of the others ended up in the then NP.   The National Party split from the rest of the Party when a coalition government between Hetzog and Smuts was formed in 1933 and hived off under Dr Malan.   Malan was a Freemason as well - so I doubt very much how close he was to the Ossewa Brandwag formed in 1938.  They boycotted the 1943 elections and only returned to the Party after WW2.
              

AAS.....fathom in it's two meanings as a verb, is the opposite of what you intended. A horrible blunder.

 ...bad luck to the PM and all the other fickle b!tches that had an identity crisis and wanted to change the flag...great result..

"AAS.....fathom in it's two meanings as a verb, is the opposite of what you intended. A horrible blunder."
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha!
No, I meant it exactly as I intended. You can duck and dive in this pathetic fashion all you like but it's obvious to anyone with a double digit IQ that t he only horrible blunder was yours . . . the fact that you should have looked it up before you "exposed your embarrassing ignorance"!
LMAO!

From your own preferred source Collins:

verb

1. =  understand,  grasp,  comprehend,  interpret,  get to the bottom of •  I couldn't fathom what he was talking about.
2. =  measure,  sound,  estimate,  probe,  penetrate,  gauge,  plumb

Even assuming one ignores the fact that in this context the first meaning is much more natural, the second meaning  fails you as well. 'New depths of stupidity he can fathom i.e. gauge...penetrate, probe, estimate, measure', all puts HasBeen in the role of assessing stupidity. Not reaching it as you so obviously intended.
It's so definitive when it comes from your preferred source......schplottttt!

 WD given the choice, maybe Charles the First?

 Maaik, that was the point. The Nats hated Britain,  but did not change the flag when tha came into power.

Wow Moffie, this whole "fathom" thing really has you "phased" (sic)!
Since when was the Collins dictionary my "preferred source" huh chump? Is that yet another fabrication?

 "In breaking news New Zealand votes to keep Aussie flag " 

Stay down AAS you ignoramus. You used the word incorrectly, don't add calumny to your list of embarrassing offences.

Just answer the question, Moffie, since when have I shown any preference for Collins dictionary?
Try to be a man for once and actually address the question.

Somehow we seemed to have strayed from the topic of this thread but at least Alberts, Stein, Matfield & the other usual punching bags were not mentioned.

I voted for a change ............ tired of having to do a 'star count' before knowing who's who . Imo the pro-change brigade made two mistakes ...... the PM., who's pro, got too involved, many verbals, which resulted in a boost for the anti-changers as his political opponents swung behind the old flag . Then the design of the new flag ......... the fern instead of ole Jack, great idea, but too garish, looks a beach towel .

Ah well, hopefully the Aussies will ditch the 'Lil Britain' look .

 So let me be clear AAS, are you saying you haven't used Collins on several occasions on this forum?