Should Australia become a Republic

[Platypus]

I strongly favour a parliamentary republic, but I also think that the cutrrent system is good-a ceremonial HoS is the best system.

Basically, my order of preference is:

1. Parliamentary Republic
2. Constitutional monarchy
3. Executive and Powerful Presidential Republic

Thus US system isn't bad, but its not as good.

[Platypus]

I suppose I should add that the monarchists were a clever little bunch in that referendum. At the time, about 2/3 of aussies supported a republic. 1/3 supported a parliamentary republic, 1/3 a US-style republic, and 1/3 preffered to stay with the monarchy. The 1/3 of the vote for US-style republicans was split, because the proposal was for a parliamentary republic, and so the referendum failed, and we're staying a monarchy for a while. Victoria, my state, was the closest to voting yes; 49.91% IIRC; but in the end all the states and territories rejected it.

[Platypus]

Well, basically. I know, those who wanted a US style republic are stupid because now they won't get another chane for ages

They're also stupid for not wanting a parliamentary republic

[Platypus]

I presume the tongue would be for the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of kiwis kliving here, breeding like possums (), smelling,  eating wird oods, screwing around with vowel sounds, and bludging off the dole?

Send 'em all home!

[Platypus]

Remind her who holds the cricket world cup, has held the olympics twice, won the most medals per capita in sydney 2000 then any nation except the Bahamas, got a hell of a lot closer to winning the rugby world cup, actually managed to host it because it has some money, is higher on the UNHDR list, has more people, better weather, and regularly annihilates New Zeland in 99.9% of sports.

coincidentally, that country is Australia

[Platypus]

Remind her who holds the cricket world cup, has held the olympics twice, won the most medals per capita in sydney 2000 then any nation except the Bahamas, got a hell of a lot closer to winning the rugby world cup, actually managed to host it because it has some money, is higher on the UNHDR list, has more people, better weather, and regularly annihilates New Zeland in 99.9% of sports.

coincidentally, that country is Australia

She wishes to retort this with the following

1) Who are the underarm bowlers?
2) Who are the netball champions?
3) Who calls 110F temperatures better weather (examples include Darwin and Mt. Isa)
4) At least Kiwi's aren't stuck with John Howard.. and a poor human rights record.

1) They weren't real Aussies, they were from SA.
2) Who have been the netball champions for the majority of the last 20 years?
3) What the  is 110F? And I'd prefer to live in Darwin or mount Isa then Invercargill. At least there is some for of economy, and you dont freeze your arse off
4) At least we aren't stuck with Mrs. Man And since independence from the UK, we've had basically no major human rights abuses. It's all the UKs fault. Per capita, we're better then you, i'd venture

and to cwelsh-do those figures in per capita terms an we can talk

coicidentally, we are predicted to win at least 50 medals in athens. That would easily put us in the top 5 per capita, and probably in the top 3. Definently above the USA.

raggage, sing this to your wife in a kiwi accent:

"Oh guv me
Fufty-sux buts uf fush end chups,
I huvvent said thut sunce
ninteen fufty-sux,

Thut's a but ruch
if you kuss me un the lups,
U'll hut you wuth my fust
if you guv me the shuts

Ahhhhhmiiiiin (Amen)"

-Sacred Weird Little Guys. Beat that, "Topp Twins"

[Platypus]

We did much better after independence, but I agree, it was pretty cruddy. And it sutill isn't perfect, but it is improving.

Boat people. Well, it was legal. Immoral, but not a human rights abuse. Woomera is getting close, and it has been called by some organisations as close to violating human rights, but it isn't there yet. Either way, it ought to be closed, but it isn't a violation of human rights.

[Platypus]

We did much better after independence

Some of the worst abuses in Western Australia (including those nasty experiments with eugenics) happend after Independence... it's true most of the other states were now where near as bad though.
It's worth adding that the abuses in the C19th were mostly done by state governments and hicks. Same in the C20th actually... I think that Victoria's record is quite good.

I have never experienced any racism against aborigines in Victoria, and only once against anywayone, when someone who I believe was drunk got on the bus just as Myriam, an Islamic somali girl, and I were getting off the bus, and satrted yelling at her. Whilst thats' disgraceful, it is the only time i've experienced racism in my city that was agressive and blatant.

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Couldn't get a lot worse... although attitudes towards Aboringals in the larger cities is vastly improved, this isn't the case in rural areas (bull bars on offroad stuff still get called "Boing Bars" by a lot of rednecks) and something should get done about them ghetto's.[/quote]

you mean "Boong" bars. Boong is the derogratory term for aboriginals. Yes, we do have some pretty rcist ers in the outback. But, again, going from personal experience, that doesn
't happen here. Sure, I don't go into the country much, but I personally believe that at least on the east coast, that problem just doesnt exist. When was the last time you came to Australia? The situation is cruddy. No argument. But it isn't as bad as everyone thinks.

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It may be legal, but it's still a stain on your country's usually good reputation in other countries... the idea that someone facing a tough re-election fight would play the race card in quite that way shocked a lot of people over here (but not me. I hated Howard before and I still hate him. As Nye Bevan once said about the Tories, he's lower than vermin).
[/quote]

I agree, as do my parents, who both voted for the minor parties. In reality, it probably only won Howard a fractiion of a percent of votes, but it did make him hated by the left; so it wasn't a very wise move. The real reasosn he came back from being so far down in the polls were September-11 and National Security and the "Children Overboard" lies. The tampa was the third of the "triangle of misery" for Beazley. It might have been the one that pushed him out in the end, but it wasn't trhe only cause.

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Invercargill, I kinda like the place...

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You ever been there? In winter?

[Platypus]

well, yeah, VIC is pretty liberal, and to bring it back on topic, our state was the closest in accepting the republic referendum; it recieved 49. something% of the votes, only just failing here. In the city of Port phillip, where I live, I wouldn't be surprised if it topped 80%, but I don't know the figures.

[Platypus]

ANy BRit will tell you that Australia doesn't participate in a class system anywhere near comparable to the UK, and most would agree we have less of a class system then the US, too. We really do have a good system; there aren't many political dynasties, maybe the Beazleys or CReans, but thats about it

[Platypus]

A powerless monarch is really a very very good system. It would be worse to have an australian monarch then a british monarch, because it would turn us into another Britian, full of class struture and formality. If we are going to have a monarch, then the Queens' the one. I quite like her; she knows HEAPS about the countries she rules, including Australia (even if here hubbie doesnt) and she is a very very good diplomatic figurehead.

I'm not sure what i'll think of King Charlie though :S