Should Australia become a Republic?

[ddt]

Not really. You give them exactly the amount of power conferred by the constitution on the president. The German president does not chuck his weight around nor does the mainly titular Irish pres. Both are elected.

Indeed, there's enough examples of ceremonial presidencies. And the big advantage is that, if you encounter a bad apple, it's at least not hereditary.

'So what' is actually the hardest argument to crack. Look, I don't really care that much. I live in a country in which the mass of the people and the media all think the monarchy is wunnerful. It's like being in a mild form of Nazi Germany or a religious society but it impinges hardly at all - except now and then when some slobbering journo breathlessly tells me on the evening news what somebody wore at Chamonix or that The Duke of Ed has a bad chest on the implicit assumption that I actually care or when the New Years Honours come out and all the nameless civil servants, captains of industry, party donors, hangers-on, filthy rich do-gooders, purveyors of influence, party hacks and other shady types who have been manoeuvring for their gongs finally get them under cover of the few sports stars, lollypop and dinner ladies and sundry celebs who take our eyes off the recurring trick that keeps a self-serving, cosy elite high above the clouds

There are things that just grate and, if given the choice, I would place an X in favour of getting rid of those things. No chance of that here as everybody is in the aforesaid stupor but the Aussies are a different case.

Amen. Thank you for expressing that on the eve on our King's Day where the news is again chock full of how town X and village Y prepare for the royal visit.

 

[jhunter1163]

If I want news and in-depth understanding of current events that interest me I read and discuss the topics here.

+1 for me. If there's a place on the Net with better-informed posters on pretty much any topic under the sun, I haven't found it.

 

[CORed]

Getting them to drive on the proper side of the road might be a major problem.

BTW Hawaii has a much lower population.

A quick google tells me that only 2 US states, California and Texas, have a higher population than Australia. Wyoming is at the bottom of the list (both alphabetically and by population at 563,626 etimated for July1, 2013. Not sure how you get 6 significant digits for an estimate. Can you say "false precision"?

 

[a_unique_person]

I'm reminded of my favorite of Aesop's fables, King Log. It goes something like this: once upon a time, a group of frogs in a swamp were happily living out their contented, froggy lives when one of them got the bright idea that they needed a king. So they asked Zeus to send them one. Zeus shrugged and threw a great big log into the middle of the swamp. It made a huge splash and the frogs were frightened for a time, but their awe quickly faded as they found that the log didn't do anything and they could hop all over it as they pleased. "This won't do!", they complained to Zeus. "Send us a proper king!" Zeus responded to their foolishness by putting a stork in the swamp, which promptly ate all the frogs. The end.

Are you saying we are incapable of governing ourselves. Our Monarch is not even our own, she's English.

 

[Architect]

Are you saying we are incapable of governing ourselves. Our Monarch is not even our own, she's English.

 

[a_unique_person]

+1 for me. If there's a place on the Net with better-informed posters on pretty much any topic under the sun, I haven't found it.

Why, thank you.

 

[anglolawyer]

Are you saying we are incapable of governing ourselves. Our Monarch is not even our own, she's English German.

FTFY. Get it right, cobber.

 

[a_unique_person]

She's not Welsh, Scottish for Irish, is she?

 

[Architect]

I see magpies with a fully grown juvenile sometimes. It will stand there and demand food while it's parents feed it. England stopped feeding us years ago, but we still haven't realised we are not dependant on them, and they aren't going to actually do anything for us beyond the normal courtesy they would display any other country. In terms of politics, we look to the USA first, second and third for any military support. When we visit England, we go in the "Aliens" aisle along with the rest of world.

It appears you don't understand the difference between England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. This doesn't give me great confidence about your other research and analysis.

 

[a_unique_person]

It appears you don't understand the difference between England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. This doesn't give me great confidence about your other research and analysis.

I'm sorry, do I need to know the differences to know why we should have lizzie as our monarch? She's somewhere over there, on the other side of the world.

 

[Architect]

It does leave me wondering how much else you don't know, and don't think that you need to know, before spouting forth on a subject with such very great self-confidence.

I wonder how you would feel about our views if you ever didn't know that difference between Kiwis and Australians, but sought to comment on the mechanics of your government.

 

[a_unique_person]

It does leave me wondering how much else you don't know, and don't think that you need to know, before spouting forth on a subject with such very great self-confidence.

I wonder how you would feel about our views if you ever didn't know that difference between Kiwis and Australians, but sought to comment on the mechanics of your government.

Have you looked at the topic? Do I need to know *anything* about her. I do know the difference, but I coudn't be **** spelling it out because I don't see it as in any way relevant.

 

[Dcdrac]

Personally I would like the UK to be a republic the whole idea that someone can be born to rule over a place is absurd, why should I unquestioningly give loyalty to someone simply because they are born, the only family I owe any loyalty to is my own.

If the windsors are really that popular it should be put to a vote once every 10 years as to whether they carry on as monarchs or not.

 

[Architect]

Have you looked at the topic? Do I need to know *anything* about her. I do know the difference, but I coudn't be **** spelling it out because I don't see it as in any way relevant.

Perhaps you haven't noticed, but this is something of a sceptical forum where argument is based on an understanding of the issues. Not knowing basic constitutional or political issues would, for example, be a problem when arguing about constitutional arrangements directly relevent.

If you don't like it, the Daily Mail comments sections are thataway.....

 

[a_unique_person]

Perhaps you haven't noticed, but this is something of a sceptical forum where argument is based on an understanding of the issues. Not knowing basic constitutional or political issues would, for example, be a problem when arguing about constitutional arrangements directly relevent.

If you don't like it, the Daily Mail comments sections are thataway.....

The issue is, does Australia want to become a Republic. It is our constitutional issue, our political issue. England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the rest of the historical baggage, are irrelevant. Much as the USA didn't really care what King George thought of them waving good bye to him.

 

[lionking]

It appears you don't understand the difference between England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. This doesn't give me great confidence about your other research and analysis.

Sigh.

This comes up time and time again.

Does it really matter? Do you need to know the difference between Australian state jurisdictions before you can comment on politics in Australia?

No you don't. You can comment and you won't be shouted down because you don't know, for example, that Queensland doesn't have an Upper House.

 

[Akhenaten]

I'm an unashamed Monarchist but I don't think I have a valid reason for being so and if the majority of my countryblokes and countrysheilas vote for a republic then I'll embrace it with open arms.

Having said that though, a Pharaohdom is the obvious way to go.

 

[angrysoba]

Personally I would like the UK to be a republic the whole idea that someone can be born to rule over a place is absurd, why should I unquestioningly give loyalty to someone simply because they are born, the only family I owe any loyalty to is my own.

If the windsors are really that popular it should be put to a vote once every 10 years as to whether they carry on as monarchs or not.

Wouldn't it be a bit strange to have a country called The United Kingdom be a republic?

I suppose the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the Hermit Kingdom, so maybe not completely unprecedented.

 

[a_unique_person]

United Republingdom.

 

[angrysoba]

I'm an unashamed Monarchist but I don't think I have a valid reason for being so and if the majority of my countryblokes and countrysheilas vote for a republic then I'll embrace it with open arms.

Having said that though, a Pharaohdom is the obvious way to go.

Isn't this the type of situation where the status quo serves as a kind of null hypothesis, and any proposed differences in constitutional arrangement need to bear the burden of proof?

(This is not a completely rhetorical question. It may be that there are arguments against the status quo regardless of what replaces it.)

If that is the case, then a valid reason for the monarchy could be that it beats the alternatives.