Mark Keown

So Bob Jones wants the National Anthem ditched ( http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10850117 ).It is great that he lives in a country where he can freely state this opinion without fear of reprisal from the State or someone else with vested interest. I wonder why that is?    Bob clearly set out to offend when he wrote the article. He begins by slamming the Australian song, claiming that Australia is not “young and free.” His basis is that Australia, NZ etc. are actually old nations in world terms. Well, in strict socio-political terms he may be right, but he misses the point. When one sings an anthem like this, one is not singing the latest pop song expressing how things are now, one sings a song that speaks of the founding principles of a nation, those ideals upon which the nation is built. It expresses the desire and sense of the nation then. It functions as a reminder, a link with history, our forebears giving their all to establish...