“The Convention discussion demonstrated clearly that most Australians are interested in their Constitution and they can discuss it sensibly when given encouragement.”

No. “Most Australians” were not at the convention, and anyone who claims that those who were there were representative of most Australians is a con-artist. “Most Australians” should be very suspicious of people we don’t know, picked by other people we don’t know, gabbling away about our Constitution. As for suggesting that any Australian politicians are “statesmen”, well ….

Out of order, the author does tell us how the jaw-waggers got to be at the conference: half appointed by the PM (hardly democratic, irrespective of the who the PM is) and the other half elected “on a state basis using a voluntary vote”. Who voted?

Tony Smith then goes on to say: “This restricted interest in the outcome and made voters dependent on elite leadership and media coverage rather than community dialogue.”

This, despite his claim that “most Australians are interested in their Constitution and they can discuss in sensibly”!

Keep your hands off the Constitution! If an academic whose job it is to know about such things is so incoherent, we must be on our guard

Another predictable diatribe by a typical "Howard Hater". Get into the real world mate!

The Author said:

"Domestically, threats to multiculturalism and intolerance towards people from the Middle East would top the agenda."

MULTICULTURALISM ? I pronounce it RIP..dead..gone... the end.. game over.

In its place I urge and promote the following:

ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE ONE RACE as per my article here.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=164#3027

I wonder if "Intolerance of people from the middle east (or of other ethnic groups) toward Australians" would be on the agenda ?

I wonder if anyone sees the stupidity and BIAS in his statement which recognises ONLY intolerance by Australians towards ME people and not vice versa ?

Was the Islamic Council of Victoria 'tolerant' of criticism of Islam ?
Nope, they sued 2 pastors and its cost around a million bucks.

Is the Quran 'Tolerant' of Christians and Jews ? Nope..they are described as "Cursed by Allah, Deluded and Away from Truth" (surah 9:30)

BILL OF RIGHTS ? yeah..right... pull the other one. This is code for "Once we have this, we can shut up all critics of our views and damn them with accusations of 'racism' etc when they speak against our program of cultural genocide and values assasination....then, we are in a better position to implement world socialism"

Well.. not while my hands are as yet not 'cold and rigid'.

Well done commentators,
The author has spent too long under the anti Howard table to see that the world has moved on since the last attempt at destabilising Australia.
A Republican is in office in the USA and the Rebublicans in Australia are still asking for change.
Every country in the world is now multiculural,thanks to the jet plane.Roman England was made up of Angles,Saxons and the Multi cultural army from Roman.
So what's new,nothing.