Oi, Oi, Oi, Onja Folks!

Thanks for all your interesting commentary
so far. Keep it coming, we're only just
beginning...

I hope that you all realise that the day we
become a Republic, and we will in the next
four to eight years. A new flag will be on
the agenda - no matter what anybody says on
this Forum. The only question will be - what
design will the Government of the day approve.

Anyway, I'll leave you all with these two
quotes:

"We must be the only country in the world that
marks its national day not by celebrating its
identity, but by questioning it."
Ken Boundy - Managing Director of the
Australian Tourist Commission.

and

"Australia began her political history as a
crouching serf kept in subjection by the whip
of a ruffian goaler, and her progress, so far,
consists merely in a change of masters.
Instead of a foreign slave-driver, she has a
foreign admiral; the loud-mouthed tyrant has
given place to the suave hireling in uniform;
but when the day comes to claim their independence
the new ruler will probably prove more dangerous
and more formidable than the old. 'Rather than
'the day we were tagged,' Australia's national day
should be December 3, the anniversary of the
Eureka Rebellion, "the day that Australia set her
teeth in the face of the British Lion.'"
- Bulletin, 21 Jan 1888.

Does anyone remember the referendum we had on changing the national anthem? We voted for 'Advance Australia Fair' OK we got the tune but they changed the words. It is not what I voted for!

For those of you that want a change of flag or a republic take note.

If you vote for a new flag or a republic, you may just get what the politicians decree. "We have a mandate from the people" they will say.

Do you really trust politicians to act in our best interests?

One advantage of becoming a republic is that we wouldn't have the appalling Charles as nominal head of state.

This would be my choice for a new flag:

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/images/baggy_green_400.jpg

or maybe this:

http://www.midlandcycleclub.com/area/au/wa/midland.nsf/4cb5998bf89f17ce69256f3c001f9694/28f8546f373e49cfe9256f9a007968bb/$FILE/Bolshi31.jpg

But it'll probably be something that looks like this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3f/Australian_Aboriginal_Flag.svg/750px-Australian_Aboriginal_Flag.svg.png

or this:

http://geoffreport.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/800px-flag_of_australia_with_aboriginal_flag_replacing_union_flagsvg.png

But you know what?

I don’t much care.

Probably indicative of a deep character flaw.

There are NO indigenous human spices to the Australian geography! Play with words as you will, but the bottom line is, THE WHOLE WORLD IS HERE! Again! The pizza flag rings out!

The image that I saw, was the hard working WOG community doing all the dirty stuff, while the convict imports still rule this as if its their there own. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!

But the cost of changing the flag, well! I think you know about the maths.

This is a very good time to reflected! Don't you think?

EV

Dear Banjo,

The last Referendum for the Republic
was twisted to represent the views
of a conservative monarchist Government.

It was defeated. Even though over 70% of the
population wanted a Republic, but not under
the conditions of that Government.

I have every confidence in the will of the
people prevailing under just circumstances.

As for the National Anthem, the words may not
be quite to everybody's taste, but at least
we now have our own National Anthem and not
one borrowed from the British.

The first US flag was a red and white-striped
background with the Union Jack in the corner.
They took out the Union Jack and replaced it
with the many stars of the States. On our
Australian flag we have the Southern Cross
and one star representing the States. Take out
the Union Jack and move the one star to replace it.
If the US could do it a hundred years ago, why can't
we do the same today?

If you refer to any encyclopedia on "British Flags,"
you will note that our flag is a copy of the
British blue ensign used by British Public Servants
with the mere addition of a few stars. So are we
British Public Servants under the Southern Cross,
because that's the way our flag is represented?

Dear Steven,

I don't believe that you don't care.
Look at all the sites you've given.
As for a character flaw? We all have
them.

Dear Evo,

Thanks. And you're right. This is a good
time for reflection.

Philo: << Could you please outline exactly what you mean by the comment, "until we grow up and become a republic". What do you identify by national maturity? Also what type of republic >>

I guess it'll be the moment when sufficient Australians vote in a referendum to rewrite our Constitution such that it's not an Act of another country's parliament, which enthrones an hereditary monarch from the other side of the world as our Head of State. My guess it'll be around the time when Lizzy either carks it or is wheeled off to the Royal nursing home.

The mere prospect of having Prince Charles as our technical Head of State will be enough to sway sufficient voters, methinks :)