Blessed Country
Saturday, January 20, 2001
I agree with one point made by republican Greg Byrne (Australian, 10/7). The “British pageantry and glory” our leaders embraced in London last week is for us only a bit of historical nostalgia, and should not be regarded as a serious icon of modern Australian society.
We are in reality a republic already. We are a monarchy only in legal verbiage. The reason we voted against a redrafted constitution is not because we are monarchists — it is simply because we don’t trust the new models that many politicians are eager to introduce.
The science of statehood is so painfully inexact that no sane person would radically alter the existing political mechanics of this relatively very blessed country. Just call the GG the president. Then again, why waste all that ink?
Philip O'Carroll