Yes, Poirot, but what are the advantages?

//but what are the advantages?//

It will give the republicans a nice warm fuzzy feeling. I, however, will be saddened that Prince Leonard will have been denied his opportunity to become our rightful monarch.

Long live King Leonard! (hopefully)

Poirot,

I suppose you think it's tricky to ask me questions which are irrelevant, because I'm happy with the status quo, and because you do not have logical reasons for change. It's more than a bit "pathetic" to call for a republic when you have no reasons why we should have a republic. Change for for the sake of change is pretty pathetic, too. Go "back up the coast" and do what ever bogan things you do up there.

Paul1405 if you want to through your own money at useless projects, like trams & football stadiums, great, go for it. However when we are on our way to a Greek future it is time to stop wasting money on such rubbish.

I can't believe people are happy with the Commonwealth games in the Gold Coast. I recently saw many photos of the Olympic sites in Grease, now Derelict & falling into ruin, as there is no real productive use for them now.

Ours won't fall into ruin, because we will continue to t6hrow public money at them, even if only used for school Tiddlywinks competitions once a year.

I do agree with you that money & "things" are not necessary for a great life. Infact things can restrict you. In the Solomons the people have embraced outboards, to their determent. Yes they can get to places faster than under sail as in the old days. They have even started to loose the old skills.

They are now restricted in the range of their fishing & other expeditions, due to the unreliability of outboards not properly maintained. It may have been much slower by sail, but they could cut a new mast, & plait a new sail on any island, & get to their destination

Dear Nathan,

You are correct to write that the coercive system that we currently have cannot be seen as good, but as a solution you come full-circle back to the notion of "nation". A new nation is still a nation and you suggested nothing to prevent the coercion of those people who take no interest in it, who simply want to continue living on their land and pursue their own way of life without interruption, based on their own goals and values that could be different than yours.

At a philosophic level, I support a republic.
At a practical level, I'd want us to be spectacularly careful about playing around with a system of government that has provided us with one the most stable democracies the world has ever seen.

As an example of the pitfalls that await an unthinking rush to republic:

Poirot" "So (in a minimalist model) instead of the Queen appointing the GG on the advice of the PM, that role would be given over to parliament." OK seems simple enough. No need to think too hard about it, eh?

So a simple majority of the parliament or Fitzsimmon's 2/3rds majority?

Either way, what if we end up with a GG what decides to ignore the conventions of the office. How to get rid of him/her? Parliament again? But maybe the parliament likes the things thispostulated GG is doing. Maybe get a 2/3 vote for dismissal is impossible.

What most of the knee-jerk republicans don't understand is that the constitution and workings of government rely heavily on convention. If you read the constitution (and how many Aussies have!!) you'll find that the theoretic powers of the GG are greater then almost any other democratic head of state

The GG can appoint and dismiss ministers, dismiss governments and call elections, refuse to call elections, appoint a new PM sack a PM, put minority parties into government. The GG can refuse to sign a bill into effect irrespective of how many parliamentarians support the bill. The GG has no fixed terms.

Current GG's don't use these powers because of conventions about what they should do and because they could be so easily removed.

But imagine a situation where parliament appoints the GG. Turnbull no longer runs for PM. He heads a party but doesn't run for parliament at all. Once his party wins a parliamentary majority they appoint him GG and since this was known by the electorate in the election the new GG claims a mandate and starts using the powers available in the constitution. Closer to dictatorship than is comfortable

That's 350...