The problem with change is not always the act of change that causes the problem; it's what you're changing to.

This is being beautifully illustrated by the current flag referenda conundrum.

Those of us who wanted to change the flag - and as a republican I am one of those people - didn't quite think through exactly what we wanted to change it to. Now we're faced with four alternatives that are, quite frankly, the epitome of average. 

We were so obsessed with the idea of change that we really never gave enough thought to what we wanted the change to look like. For those that did, it probably never crossed their minds that their idea of an ideal flag would be pure poison to others.

We could agree that we didn't like what we have, but failed to consider that coming up with an alternative might actually be quite difficult to do.

Now there will be those that will say the Flag Consideration Panel did that work for us.

To them I say, look at what they came up with; two versions of a Weetbix packet, a Silver Fern that pretty much manages to alienate anyone who ever wanted it on a flag, and a koru with overtones of erectile dysfunction syndrome. Let's not also forget that late entrant Red Peak, a design one expects to see branding a petrol station or a pair of shoes, but never a country.

This creates a significant problem for us changers. Do we go with our desire to change the flag at all costs and end up landing future generations with something that belongs more on a cereal packet than a flagpole?

Or do we grit our teeth, stick with the current design, and wait for a better process down the track where a more palatable alternative might arise.

Bearing in mind, of course, that it could be generations before such a chance comes again.

A recent UMR poll suggests the public has already made up its mind, that the alternatives for change have completely failed to capture their imagination and we will stick with the status quo once the referenda are complete.

That's bad news for the Prime Minister who has driven this project.

It is rare for him to fail when it comes to the public mood, but it appears in this instance a project that will be his legacy will be one of failure, not of success.

And for those of us who aspire to having a flag independent of our colonial roots - well it looks like the wait will continue.