Raw Mustard I have a broken index finger, I typed in Un Australian and hit the wrong key, often of late.
Spell check did the rest, not letting me scroll down while re editing.
Now I could post or start again.
Now I learn from your posts, here and in other places.
Clearly you are content to be you, I am content to be me.
My views are not likely to change because of yours.
I if I sat down to draw a picture of you could never even start until I had drawn the smirk.
And ,sorry , but I can never see myself mixing with folk who think being proud to be Aussie, wanting a republic is wrong.
In truth I would fill my party with Royalists first, at least their honesty is valued.
I ask are you Australian by birth?

Yes I'm Aussie born - both grand dads were Aussie and both served in the Pacific Theatre (by which I mean they didn't go to North Africa or Europe).

There is no smirk and you are still not reading my posts - you keep accusing me of not wanting a Republic - which is totally untrue! I not only consider it inevitable but indeed support an Australian Republic but not founded on the basis of establishing an identity that already exists, throwing off "shackles" (instututional or otehrwise) that don't exist or spiting a "Monarchy" that essentially isn't real - or at the very least isn't relevant.

LET GO OF IRRELEVANT ISSUES for heavens sake and try to look at this thing positively and in terms of real issues!

There are in fact more serious issues Australia has to deal with - and in some respects being a Republic might help if for no other reason than psychologically helping people to cross bridges that they seem currently unable to manage. We have allowed multiculturalism to shift to multiracism - the former is a single common culture made up of diversity (the so called melting pot) and which is greater than the sum of it's parts - the latter is simply many parts which at best work in harmony and at worst conflict with others - and it threatens to drag the whole down to the lowest common denominator. We also use the devisive, selective and subjective notion of Racism instead of simply applying the much more realistic, universally relevant and flexible concept of prejudice.

Belly wrote:
"Clearly you are content to be you, I am content to be me.
My views are not likely to change because of yours."

I'm not trying to change your views, not ever would I hold that right.
We are here because of something precious and that is our freedom to express our own view points. Would your republic enhance those freedoms or take them away? This is of great concern to me and I see the republican model suggested as not in my benefit.

Belly wrote:
"I if I sat down to draw a picture of you could never even start until I had drawn the smirk."

Now you're writing in riddles?

Belly wrote:
"And ,sorry , but I can never see myself mixing with folk who think being proud to be Aussie, wanting a republic is wrong."

Wow! A long bow you have drawn there, Belly. Quite a stretch doncha think?
How on earth did you come to that conclusion? Never did I see someone say it is wrong for an Aussie to be proud, or wrong to want a republic, quite the opposite in fact.

Belly wrote:
"In truth I would fill my party with Royalists first, at least their honesty is valued."

See there's that flaw again. Firstly I would question their honesty, but really, are you suggesting I have been dishonest with you?

Belly asks:
"I ask are you Australian by birth?"

Yes I am, and have lived in more parts of Australia than most and for the best part of 50 years, continue to have the unique privilege of mingling with a wide variety of Australian folk from all walks of our great land.

How about you Belly, how much of Australia have you experienced?
Have you lived in more than one state?
Have you visited all the states and territories more than once?

Are these questions even important? Or does one somehow need particular credentials to hold a view on Australia becoming a republic?