Dear Ojnab,

<<Yes! Yuyutsu the Royal family are dictators>>

Have they ordered you to put on the left sock before the right one?

If not, then please name just ONE thing which they dictated you to do or not to do.

<<we are aliens when entering England>>

Not such a bad thing - I nearly went broke from just making one phone-call from Heathrow airport.

Seriously, the royals don't have a say in the matter, they are merely puppets, but they plug in a role, preventing others from taking it. I wouldn't mind having as head-of-state King Flooctsvanian the 154th of Pluto, then have his colours and family pictures displayed on every formal occasion - His Majesty also can do us no harm and nobody will deny us citizenship of Pluto if we feel like moving there!

Dear Rhrosty,

<<If we did have an Australian head of state, we would at least have a head,>>

That's a long time to wait - I do hope you have one already!

<<And a bill of irrevocable rights would also limit the personal powers of a President>>

I still believe that the best guarantee that a president (or however you wish to call him/her) does not abuse their power, is to elect either a non-existent one or one who lives light-years away. On a second thought, we may as well elect a fish, for it surely won't give us any orders.

Dear Foxy,

<<In Australia, our sense of identity is still evolving>>

Which is so much better than the pains caused by having a calcified one, but have you ever considered what need is there for such a sense in the first place?

I think it is time for a few brutal facts to be mentioned, so that well-meaning people do not waste their energies over this issue.

First, the referendum result in 1999.

Quoting the result as 55-45 against is being far to generous to the republicans. Anyone versed in the Constitution knows that getting an overall majority on an issue is not relevant, as the trick is to get a majority in four sovereign states (with Tasmania having rightfully the same voting power as NSW). Since the NO vote was over 60% in 3 states, which is all that is required for defeat, that is the margin of defeat. There have been several referenda where an overall majority has been obtained, but the failure to carry four states caused it to be defeated.

Second, the attitude of the people towards politicians and the political class.

Anyone not aware of how most people feel toward the political class only need to follow the media, and join the discussion as to whether the new airport at Badgery's Creek should be called Penfolds Grange International, Eddie Obeid International or Craig Thompson International. I cannot recall a time when the whole political class, comprising all opinions, has been held in such contempt. Admittedly, the people have an unrealistic expectation of politicians, as they expect them at the very worst to be perfect, and really want something better. I am certain that an enormous number of people glory in the fact that the Prime Minister holds office during the pleasure of Her Majesty's representative, and would like the Governor-General to be renamed the Prime Ministerial Pisser-Offer in Chief.

The chastened times that we are just starting to go through will only strengthen these attitudes.

The only conclusion I can come to is:

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

...The “Republic”; just another dead-end subject to overheat the Progressive set. Add this one to “homosexual marriage” and “God is dead” …Yawn.

I usually get my news from ABC radio, and I assumed the overkill on Royal news during 'The Visit' was the ABC desperately trying to curry favour with the government to stave off budget cuts. Nothing against Kate and Wills, but surely only a handful of extremely slender young women could have been genuinely interested in what Kate was wearing.

I'm not in favour of a republic because we will either get exactly what we already have, but with a name change from Governor General to President, which seems pointless, or we will get an elected President to be chosen from a field of politicians, which would be worse.

No, the cult of celebrity is not holding back a republic.

What is holding back the republic, is the perception by Australians that a republic is an endorsement of multiculturalism. The more the multiculturalists moan about a republic, sneer at the monarchy, and demand that we change our flag to suite their internationalist agenda, the more Australians reject the republic, publically display their flag, and cheer on the Queen and her family.

The ever growing crowds at ANZAC dawn services is another indicator that Australians are uniting to reaffirm the values that they once may have taken for granted, like patriotism and pride in military traditions. ANZAC day means nothing to migrants, especially those who were once our enemies and who were on the receiving end of Aussie military inventories.

Dear Yuyutsu,

I was in that part of every mind reserved for
human fears. Everyone is prey to these fears,
to feeling threatened by things that are different,
lost in a future that has already arrived. If it all
comes down to a fear of change, then Australians have
earned their qualms. So many new faces, new cultures,
new challenges, the dizzy carousel of a multicultural
nation. Little wonder that some people yearn for a
pause, a chance for the nation to catch its breath,
to postpone the complications of social change.