Mickijo, Monday 27th March has a point.We certainly do have a lot of feather dusters who do little for our Nation,sorry Colony. True the Queen does us no harm but does she do any good for us?. Apart from having final approval for each and every decision taken by our elected Government, she remains the symbol of our colonial status which the majority of Commonwealth Nations now have rejected.Australia surely has grown up and should now have the status of a Free and Independent Republic with our own chosen Head of State from one of our own citizens. Colonial control is an archiac throwback to the past and we should now plan to stand on our own feet.

The mother of Prince Charles is the FIRST Queen Elizabeth of Australia.
The previous Queen Elizabeth of England died years before Australia was 'discovered' by Cook etc.

Does Peter van Vliet actually lack national self-confidence just because Prime Minister Howard is not president? Really? Is that what all of this is about? Do you think he lies awake at night dreaming of saluting his own President; that his own national self-esteem actually depends on it? Does he really believe the rest of the world even cares?

And they say monarchists speak from the heart, whereas republicans speak from the head. Is that why Peter here would foresake most of glorious Australia in a false bid to conciliate his own nationalist feelings? Is he willing to say goodbye to the fiercely proud Royal Australian Navy and all of "Her Majesty's Australian Ships"? Is he willing to let go of the Royal Australian Air Force and every one of the Queen's Australian Regiments? How about the Royal Australian Mint? The Royal Australian Chemical Institute? The Royal Australian Institute of Architects?...et cetera. How much more of Australia's royal and national pride would Peter wreck? Believe me, we're just getting started here folks.

All for what? All for a political president? King Edward's thousand year throne for a republican child? Peter, say it isn't so. You and your republican mates have got to be joking.

And another thing: Australia did not lead the Commonwealth pack to independence from Great Britain, Canada did. From the Durham Report to the Statute of Westminster, the Commonwealth followed Canada's lead. In 1867 we became the first self-governing confederation and dominion of the British Empire, so I'm not sure what Peter means when he says Australia led the pack on that one.

By the way, even though Canada did better at the Turin Winter Olympics than any other Commonwealth country combined, none of us actually thought our national pride suffered because we were presidentless. Why don't republicans just grow up and get a little pride in their national heritage. Because what a proud heritage it is!

Colony? Pardon me David, your inferiority complex is showing. We are a nation that has grown from being a convict settlement to one of the best in a small amount of time.
In fact I have a strange feeling that all republicans have the same inferiority complex,they all want to play with a President , makes them feel less of a mummy's boy.
There is no doubt that we will also become a republic, the UK in a few years will become a muslim enclave and we will have cut our bonds by then.
I hope we will be a strong republic as we have been a strong monarchial nation. But all the shallow claims that the pro republicans have waved in front of us will not hasten the decision. Australians are too sensible to be rushed into stupidity.

I observe that we are on the same side, Mickijo. Agree completely that we will shortly become a Free and Independent Republic with our own chosen Head of State. I doubt that there is any feeling of inferiority but yet one has to remember that we are NOT a nation but rather inferior serfs of the United Kingdom. We are subservient to a foreign Queen who comes to the position by accident of birth.Who is not an Australian citizen and cannot even vote at our elections. Becoming a Republic will build our status as it has for the majority of former Colonies. Only then can we stand proud as a Free Nation with the ability to democratically choose our own Head of State and be able to make decisions unfetterred by a foreign monarch