Everything changes in time, countries names viz. countless in Africa, Formosa, Ceylon, East Pakistan, ports such as Bombay and many others. People in general arent satisfied with what they have, by people these are the ones at the top leaders of the country. There is famine world wide, people living the same as they did 3000 years ago, and we all worry about flags. The Union flag represents 3 countries England Scotland and Wales, which will be a long time if ever will be changed. However people do change in their expectations of what they can get from life. It must be pretty obvious that the target of Utopia for the world is never going to happen in this century and many more to come, unless by force of arms, and the West is unwilling to be seen as doing this. Our way of life in our own work spheres is very easy to see the advances made which a lot of us resist, but are swimming against the tide, as is going to happen in any case. The likes of a new generation asking people on here about certain things at sea and trying to compare them with their own knowledge is beating ones head against a brick wall. You are comparing being able to box the compass in points and quarter points as against being able to have knowledge of the GMDSS system. The magnetic compass in 50 years time people will be asking on sites similar to this what it was. However when you come to flags you come up against peoples history and pride of place, what is said on here is correct, one should be proud of their own heritage and their ancestors accomplishments and should have no reason to change if that is correct, it is one thing that should not be changed just for the sake of change. There is no need to change any flag unless you are ashamed of it. JS..............Maybe someone could expound on the history of the Hammer and Sickle which I always took for a political flag of Russia, and how now they have reverted back to what I assume was their National flag of bygone years. Also the Aboriginal Flag as want to fly by certain Authoritys in Australia, maybe the History of this flag and whether or not it was of not too far back origins. JS