Friday 9 May 2008

New Republic

The paper today tells us that the unwashed masses are now in favour of a republic.
Well, surprise surprise my letter to the Editor goes:
No one is surely surprised that the republic tide has 'turned'.
What ever else the last so-called referendum was designed to do it was not designed to tell us whether Australians wanted to become a republic or not. By clever politicking on the part of the incumbent government that fundamental question was side-stepped in favour of bickering over the style of republic we might have. Well, the rest is history!
Let us now have a proper vote on the fundamental question.

2 comments:

SouthOzBloke said...

Well done Stephen. I was always of the opinion that it was as much a victory for the scaremongers as it was for the Monarchists.
Hopefully the next referendum will see less scare tactics and more common sense. The scare tactic scenarios thought up by the Libs just before the last referendum were more suited to a third world nation than a young, modern democratic nation with all the checks, balances and democratic conventions that we've inherited from Britain. We won't lose these simply by becoming a Republic.

Stephan Clark said...

I tire of those who say "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" Clearly if the Constitution actually allows a non-Australian to technically (even though she might not do it actually) veto legislation of the elected government then it is broke.
I also think you shouldn't enshrine principles which are unjust in you ideals....is not hereditary succession essentially unjust...particularly when it prefers one gender over another.