After the programme yesterday, my producer and I had our regular meeting to decide what to cover this morning. 

“Write an editorial about the flag referendum”, she said. “Because I don't feel like organising an interview about it”.

Which about says it all on the flag debate we've had. There's your editorial right there.

“The Prime Minister will announce the result of the flag referendum tonight. A referendum the nation is heartily sick and tired of because of it's flawed and rancourous nature. A referendum that failed to inspire the nation so much so that the status quo is expected to romp in.”

So I thought I'd ignore it. But the thing about the flag debate is that it is the gift that keeps on giving for talk radio.

Got an empty board of calls? Mention the flag and the lines are full. And everyone else who works in talkback thinks you're lame because it's such an easy topic. 'Keep away!' was my gut reaction.

Even the announcement gets my goat:

John Key will announce the result tonight after 9pm from the airport as he's on the way to Washington for a nuclear security summit. 9pm? On the night before Good Friday when people are either travelling away for a holiday or settling in at home for a long weekend?

Who thought that was a good time for an announcement about an issue that strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a New Zealander?

It's the latest of a long line of questionable decisions on this debate. Decisions that ruined the whole thing. The announcement should be at midday on a Wednesday. Give it space. It's a biggie. Surely the architects of the referendum knew about Easter when they came up with the schedule. Now they're opened up the accusation that John Key is trying to bury it in the holiday.

Winston Peters, the wily old dog, is already suggesting that the Prime Minister is escaping to Washington to escape embarassment. That's palpably rubbish. 

But it's always been a litany of cock -ups and misinformation. No designers on the flag consideration panel. The choice of 2 similar Kyle Lockwood designs that split the vote and halved the mandate. The lack of public consultation until after the choice of the main players. The whole Red Peak debacle where the rules were changed. The allegation that it would remove so called due authority.

In my family, three people voted. Two for the old flag, one for the new.

All were protest votes. The new flag voter knew he'd lose - he wanted a new flag but the option was crap. Two for the old flag because the new wasn't good enough. None of our votes were for the right reason.

The worst thing about this debate was the attack on the Silver Fern. The symbol our war dead are buried under. The symbol that is worn the most by New Zealanders as they go out into the world. The old flag supporters who said the silver fern looks like a white feather of cowardice or a fish skeleton made my blood boil.

Those people think they're patriots. They're not.

The flag referendum should have been a celebration. Either of a new flag or the renewal of the mandate of the old faithful. But that's not the way it played out.

It became a petty, politically charged debacle. It showed up the difference between Old Zealand and New Zealand. And it showed our relative lack of maturity in big debates.

Thank God it was about a flag and not something really serious. I'm embarassed.