Ok, Ok, so in these times of rampant neo-conservatism and neo-liberal economic policies, the Queen of Australia appears as a nice old lady. Well, no doubt she is, but all this stuff about Commonwealth countries not fighting is a bit surreal. Perhaps that is because generally speaking they are too busy forming alliances to fight some non-Commonwealth country.

I agree that as far as the royals are concerned, the Queen is the pick of the bunch. The rest seem to me, from a distance, to be basket cases. Nevertheless, if she was a really good role model, she could order the Australian government to give the Aboriginal people their land back (held in her name) and advise the Governer-General to apologize on her behalf, for the misery caused to these people in the name of her family.

I am not sure if ex commonwealth countries fighting each other counts. India v Pakistan. Or whether wars in Empire phase counts.Or whether it pure superstitious behaviour to attribute lack of war to membership of commonwealth or perhaps an accident of geography

I always find it amusing when someone suggests that we should become a republic because the royal family is so rich. If we had to elect a president, no doubt we would end up with some dirt-poor battler like George W. Bush.

At the rate it is going, the Commonwealth is well on its way to irrelevance. Any group that takes years to decide whether or not Mugabe is a dictator is clearly in trouble.

I would, however, like to see the core Commonwealth countries moving closer together. I find it rather bizarre that the UK blunders along in its clearly dysfunctional relationship with the EU instead of working with countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand that share its basic culture, values and institutions - and (just for added convenience) a monarch .

What a pity that the Queen has dignity--undignified people such as the late Princess of Wales are so much easier to get rid of--George IV certainly found that to be the case.

Ian, i hardly think George Dubya comes from trailer park trash (he's hardly a po' lil' old white boy) We're not comparing monarchists with capitalist. No system is perfect, neither is the queen, or any African "democratically elected" president. Or Bush for that matter. It ain't the individual, it's the system. My bugbear is that if one is born to the manor, one has no choice but to push the system for one's own good and survival.

Comparing the Queen and Diana is not the issue. She wasn't about to change things other than her own life. The monarchy was (and still is) bigger than her. I think it's all about what is relevant in the 21st century. There are more options than if we are not a monarchy, we must therefore be a dictatorship or an American suburb. The Westminster system has some good things that Aust should retain, but also tweak, but to take this family along for the freebies is just beyond me. What do they do well except scandal and corgis?

Di, I think Ian was being sardonic / ironic - we all know about the Texas wealth of the family of the former head of the CIA.
I get so irritated with that chant 'the Queen is NOT Australian'.
If you want an Australian Head of State it has to be Pat O'Shane over Petro Georgio; Aden Ridgeway over Carlo Carli. I am still humming the melody of 'we are one, we ar Australian.." that VERY COSTLY campaign to make us embrace allcomers, but apparently not Her Maj. I think malcolm Turnbull and his ilk should be charged with treason.