Annette King was on this morning with me on KPMG Early Edition. Labour is opposing the flag debate despite having a flag change in its manifesto in 2014. Labour wants a delay of 5 years in the referendum.  I put it to Annette that Labour doesn’t want a flag change - unless they’re in government. 

Sometimes you have to wonder whether politicians ever really believe in anything or whether they decide what they think depending on what their opponents believe.

You get the feeling that if the flag is changed under John Key's watch it will totally rip Labour's nightie.  National will have raised benefits and changed the flag and finally stolen all Labours big plans.

She also said that changing the national anthem is not official Labour party policy despite some claiming it is. But Andrew Little has opened another can of worms by suggesting that just as many people want a change of national anthem as a flag. He called it a dirge and then claimed that New Zealanders prefer to sing along to the Australian anthem.  Well that's just crazy talk. I have never sung along to the Australian anthem and never will.

The Australian anthem is one of the most 'designed by committee' anthems I've ever heard.  Not all Australians are young and free.  And while their land may be girt by sea I have never heard the word girt anywhere else.

But is our anthem a dirge? Andrew Little thinks so and so does Winston Peters who supports dumping the anthem. He also calls it a funeral dirge that no one sings when they are happy.  Winston wants something memorable and stirring that has more to do with where we are in the 21st century.

Artist Graham Sydney has also come out against the anthem because of its supplication to a God that he says many New Zealanders either don't believe in or follow. He says, “do we want a Christian God to defend New Zealand or do we want New Zealanders to?”.

Graham has a point.  There's no god in the Aussie anthem or the South African one. In our multicultural society a Christian God these days has a minority following

Myself, I love the anthem, its simple to sing and catchy and humble. Like us. I think the real problem is New Zealanders' reticence to belt it out.  Its not our thing. And the re-education programme to learn a new one would be painful

But what about you? What would you prefer. A new anthem or a new flag.  Or no change at all.  And when you’ve finished that what would you like to see Auckland rebranded as?