Dear Paul,

Most Australians don't want to be Brits. Most Aussies
(or Brits for that matter) don't do that hyphenated
nationality thing that Americans are so keen on -
"Italian Americans" or "Irish Americans."

There are some Aussies who see themselves as having
British ancestry but they usually don't go around
proclaiming "I'm British," in the same way as
"Irish Americans" or "Italian Americans" proclaim
much to a bemused world.

Thank You for your concern about some of the strong feelings
being directed at me by people who mistake my views as being
anti-British or even anti the monarchy.

I am neither. I am pro-Australian.

Unfortunately some people want to suppress certain
opinions because they're not comfortable with them
through attempted slurs, labelling, or trying to shame.
This is degrading to a discussion forum and lowers the
bar.

Through accepting our differences and debating as adults
from equal standing we can do much better and learn even
more than we already do. We can all - stand to benefit.

Of course many British aspire to be Aussies.
Why wouldn't they want to come to Australia - with
bigger houses, better wages, and better weather.

As for my going back to the country of my parents?
I've travelled all over the world - and nobody has
suggested that I do that to me - in any discussion or
heated debate - until now by a man
who professes to be a conservative?

No. He's not a conservative at all. He's a toxic, little
person - who isn't able to jump mentally or intellectually
higher than his navel. And should be ignored.

Is Mise,

The federal government has made it quite clear that
a republic is not a priority for them in their first
term. They are not given it any priority at this time.

They are concentrating on solving the problems facing
the country. They are already working on an energy policy.
The first in 9 years. I'm sure that solving the other
challenges will follow. As they should. And also as Banjo
Paterson told you on page 3 of this discussion.

Then what has Matt, the Thistle in Waiting , got to do?
If he’s not there to push for a republican form of society, then what is he there for ?
Just to waste public money by the looks of it and for the next three years.

We need a Republic like we need an emetic in the drinking water.

Foxy,
May we take it then that you don’t care about the homeless and that we should go into a republic with all the ills that beset our society at present.

Keep Up The Road Toll could be a slogan

Did you know that parts of NSW. highways have had the safety standard up graded by new wider lane markings?
They still have the interrupted centre lines going around blind corners and over crests (sometimes the two are combined) thus inviting the unwary to exciting head-on collisions.

The effectiveness of our defence forces, in all but a small tiff, is deplorable and a republic won’t make an iota of difference.

Republicanism will be well down the list of concerns over the next three years.

Over the next three years, Australia is likely to be transformed into a mixture of modern New Zealand and Argentina - nations shackled by debt and welfarism, strangled by red and green tape and stifled from expressing democratic dissent. That seems to be the goal of the new Labor government, as Anthony Albanese boasts his intention not to waste a single one of the next thousand or so days in changing Australia. He seems intent on turning Australia into something quite unrecognisable, and using ‘climate denialism’ to cancel legitimate democratic debate.

A quick glance at the sorry history of Argentina shows how easily a wealthy, self-sufficient nation with an abundance of natural wealth and agricultural and mineral resources can squander the lot through bad political choices. With seven out of ten Australians having voted for parties other than Labor, it is difficult to see how the government can truly be regarded as representing the wishes of us all. Yet thanks to our ludicrous compulsory preferential voting system, Labor is free to impose its hard-left ideological values across the land.

Climate change policies will ruin many small businesses, hurt families and the vulnerable and threaten manufacturing and enterprise in this country, as has happened in Europe and the United Kingdom.

The pathetic whining about republicanism will fade to nothing under the Green Labor lunacy of massive power price increases, blackouts, food shortages and increasing costs of living.

Hey ttbn,
The climate crap is just one part of the problem.
What's bothering me today is the serious realisation that we are being used to start a war with China, not only are we paying for it in loss of exports and increased trade tariffs, but we'll pay a whole lot more if the US does actually start a war with them.
We've already lost billions.

Chinese official have discussed that if they are sanctioned further they may move to take Taiwan.
http://www.theregister.com/2022/06/07/china_must_seize_tsmc/

These new submarines whether we buy (will be too late by then) or lease them aren't going to protect us.
We just being used to spy on China by the US and help them do provocative stuff that makes our domestic situation worse, when they're our largest trading partner.
- And US air defense isn't as good as Russia's which will likely be shared with China if push comes to shove.
So we'll have inferior systems.

None of this is really in our best interests, unless you think China plans to invade, and if so what can we do anyway?

The US can't manage a war with China from the other side of the Pacific, so where are they going to manage it from?
- Probably here, Japan, South Korea and anywhere else they've installed puppet rulers or military bases.

We're jumping into a fire.
Like Japan did when they bombed Pearl Harbor.

This is what it's all about:
Biden says China won't surpass U.S. as global leader on his watch
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-china-idUSKBN2BH2ZE

I can't find the article I had yesterday, but the reason Albanese went to Indonesia was because of security and trade.
http://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2197091-australia-urged-to-diversify-exports-away-from-china

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Dear Hasbeen,

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You wrote :

« I'm still waiting for one of these republicans to point to a single Republic whose government works so well we should emulate it.

Most countries around the world acknowledge the British system of a constitutional Monarchy is the best yet developed anywhere. Why the hell would you throw it out to install something far less satisfactory, unless of course, you hate Australia »
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What I value most in life, Hasbeen, is personal freedom, independence, honesty, courage, loyalty, and justice. I do my best to live up to those values even though they are sometimes mutually antagonistic.

It is these values that guide me, not any political, social, or religious ideology or dogma. I try to keep my options open, check the facts, and judge things on their perceived merits (or lack thereof).

I prefer the democratic to the hereditary – particularly since the latter is largely (though not totally) symbolic in the current Australian polity – and while Queen Elizabeth II merits our deep respect and gratitude for the manner in which she has carried out her official duties, given her age and declining health, I think it is time for her to retire and help facilitate our transition to a republic. The image of the “ fairy-tale golden carriage” and the idyllic scenes of the members of the Royal Family united on the Royal Palace balcony have served their purpose.

The time has come to turn that "Dreamtime" page of history and look to the future.

According to the Democracy Index of the Economist Intelligence Unit in the UK, Hasbeen, of the top ten democracies in the world, 3 are absolute monarchies, 2 are constitutional monarchies and 5 are republics. The UK is rated as the 18th best democracy in the world – not the best as you indicate.

As of November 2021, 34 of the 54 member states (63%) of the British Commonwealth have now become republics.

And, at the latest count, of the 193 member states of the UN, 159 (82%) declare themselves to be republics.

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