I have never seen John Key so irritated concerning the pending demise of his pet project. He obviously has much invested personally in this and seems genuinely hurt that the populace disagrees. I note how careful he is to decouple any link between a flag change and the future of the monarchy. If he believed that becoming a republic would pay political dividends for him this later day royal supporter would overnight become more republican then Robespierre of the French Revolution. A conviction politician he aint. A vain, shallow man who changes quicker than a Chameleon