Only one question needs to be asked

THE Returned and Services Association is on a bit of a roll after the huge turnouts for Anzac Day across the country.

So what better time to pitch into the Great New Zealand Flag Debate - with a high profile and common sense on their side.

The Flag Referendum Bill has gone to select committee offering two referenda - the first to weigh up four candidates and chose a pretender to the throne; the second to pitch the challenger against the incumbent champion.

The RSA want a starting point of one referendum which simply asks: "Do you want to change the flag?". If the vote is that we don't want to change it, then we have saved a whole lot of time and money.

Yes - a lot of money. The Government's flag flapping is going to cost us around $26 million. Couldn't that be better spent elsewhere - even going toward Bill English's precious surplus?

The RSA, of course, could be accused of bias as it wants to keep the current flag - but even those who have not made up their minds must see the suggestion is a sound one.

And where is the public pressure for this flag change anyway? A recent NZ Herald poll saw support for a new flag drop to just 25 per cent from an earlier high of 40 per cent.

So the Government should just ask the one question, and see which way the wind blows ...