Page 4 | It's time for an Australian republic

Hairday · 2022-09-12T22:36:13+00:00

It's hard to defend it rationally, really, but Queen Elizabeth always seemed better than some elected person, but King Charles doesn't. What do you think?

Gremlinsateit · 13/09/2022 04:17

Hairday · 13/09/2022 04:09

Yes! Like ozgirl75 said, it has to someone bipartisan. Someone who has already contributed to the country. Not a showbiz person or journalist. Maybe Megan Davis, Donna stolzenberg, Tanya hosch? I would love our first president to be a woman. Although, I suppose we've technically had a woman head of state for 70 years. Still. It would mean a lot.

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Ooh interesting choices. Joyce Clague? Rachel Perkins? Anita Heiss? Not Lidia Thorpe or Linda Burney as it shouldn’t be a past senator/MP.

onlythreenow · 13/09/2022 04:37

I can't stand the Australian accent. How they say "nice" as "noice" for example - it sounds so common to British ears - even when spoken from what is considered the posh Australians. There are so many hot guys out there but open their mouths and an Australian accent falls out and it's an instant turn off!

I would rather listen to an Australian accent all day than read idiotic comments from shallow people like you (who obviously has not heard many British accents in your lifetime!!).

StartupRepair · 13/09/2022 05:19

Gillian Triggs would be good. There is no shortage of women in Australia with gravitas and integrity.

DoIDareSayAnything · 13/09/2022 05:30

Yep, time to do it. We kept being told the Queen was special and we needed to wait. Well, she's dead now. Time to wrap it up and move on.

We get nothing out of it, Britain's day is over.

Referendums are expensive. If we are having one for the Indigenous Voice, then we might as well pop this in as well and get a 2 for.

milkyaqua · 13/09/2022 05:33

Hairday · 13/09/2022 04:15

I'm afraid not. This is the verse I'm referring to. It was removed in the 1980s when people started thinking how great it would be to have a national anthem that was about us, rather than a different country:

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Til he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
"With all her faults we love her still"
"Britannia rules the wave."
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance, Australia fair.

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That is fascinating! But in the whole of my life I have only ever heard the first verse sung (badly). The original, I see, was long...

HoppingPavlova · 13/09/2022 05:36

I’m Australian and while my personal preference is a Republic, I just don’t think the time to be talking about it is right now. Staggered anyone would think it’s appropriate. We haven’t even had her Memorial Day and I think whether the preference us for a Republic or not, it’s just really disrespectful to a woman who gave her all for so many years to do this before she is even in the ground so to speak.

felulageller · 13/09/2022 05:45

I can't see the commonwealth existing in a decade.

Australia will go as will Canada New Zealand Jamaica and the rest.

DoIDareSayAnything · 13/09/2022 05:58

Funny, how it is never the right time.

PetraBP · 13/09/2022 06:12

I think the same as the late Queen- the people should decide.

In the last referendum Australia decided to remain a monarchy.

onlythreenow · 13/09/2022 06:40

Well said @HoppingPavlova.

DoIDareSayAnything · 13/09/2022 07:22

The last referendum was 23 years ago. By the time we get this one sorted it will be a quarter of a century or so.

My parents have both died since (monarchists) and my children are now eligible to vote (republicans).

Australia, is a very different place to 23 years ago. As is Britain.

Anothernamechangeplease · 13/09/2022 07:26

CoolerThanIceCream · 13/09/2022 00:13

I couldn’t really care less.

Why single out Australia, out of interest?

Why not Canada, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Kenya, etc?

I’m from one of those countries, and so don’t have any real interest in what Australian citizens decide is best for them, in terms of their head of state.

Um, India is a republic. I thought Singapore and Kenya were as well?

sashagabadon · 13/09/2022 07:29

It’s entirely for the people of Australia to decide. I get mightily hacked off when people from the US or anywhere else think their opinion matters about another sovereign nation and it’s governance and so I should give the same respect to Australia

1dayatatime · 13/09/2022 07:31

It's up to the Australian public to decide. Personally I think there are much bigger areas of interest / worry to think about than becoming a republic but I get that some people have the luxury to be able to be concerned about the less critical issues

FredrikaPeri · 13/09/2022 07:36

Honestly I don't care.
I'm nit Australian and it makes no difference to me whatsoever.

FredrikaPeri · 13/09/2022 07:36

Honestly I don't care.
I'm nit Australian and it makes no difference to me whatsoever.

"Not"

CalicoAnnie · 13/09/2022 07:53

Keyansier · 13/09/2022 00:27

I can't stand the Australian accent. How they say "nice" as "noice" for example - it sounds so common to British ears - even when spoken from what is considered the posh Australians. There are so many hot guys out there but open their mouths and an Australian accent falls out and it's an instant turn off!

What even Eric Bana?

They don’t all talk like Kath & Kim you know. I’ll let DC know you can’t stand the way they talk, they’ll be ever so upset.

Culldesack · 13/09/2022 09:04

CalicoAnnie · 13/09/2022 07:53

What even Eric Bana?

They don’t all talk like Kath & Kim you know. I’ll let DC know you can’t stand the way they talk, they’ll be ever so upset.

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Eric Bana is gorgeous..sorry, off topic, but I needed to say it. 😅

StartupRepair · 13/09/2022 09:15

If we become a republic we would still stay in the Commonwealth.

DixonD · 13/09/2022 09:16

Keyansier · 13/09/2022 00:27

I can't stand the Australian accent. How they say "nice" as "noice" for example - it sounds so common to British ears - even when spoken from what is considered the posh Australians. There are so many hot guys out there but open their mouths and an Australian accent falls out and it's an instant turn off!

Why are you always so controversial and offensive?

No wonder you live alone and have to manipulate free food from Tesco. Not to mention crying when someone doesn’t ask you for ID in the shop.

MrsFezziwig · 13/09/2022 09:35

Hairday · 13/09/2022 02:35

Not any more, but it used to. They keep watering it down. Most recently they replaced "we are young and free" with "we are one and free". It turns out "young" referred to the nation and we've been belting out racist lyrics all this time. (stupidly, that never occurred to me, I thought the song writers were referring to their own youth because before that it was "australian sons let us rejoice" that got replaced with "Australians all..." ).

Basically, an ode to the British empire keeps getting nerfed to the point of meaninglessness. What does "one and free" even mean? Nobody actually meant to say that, it was just the closest non-offensive alternative. The whole anthem is like that now.

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Apologies, I thought you were referring to the British national anthem, although I refuse to believe that the Australian one ever contained the words “Britannia rules the waves”. You’re getting it mixed up with Rule Britannia which is not and has never been anyone’s national anthem.

Have no idea what the rest of your post means, you’re not making any sense.

OneTC · 13/09/2022 09:41

Can people who can't even use Google stop arguing about the inclusion of Britannia rules the waves please

SecondsAreTheBest · 13/09/2022 10:01

CoolerThanIceCream · 13/09/2022 00:13

I couldn’t really care less.

Why single out Australia, out of interest?

Why not Canada, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Kenya, etc?

I’m from one of those countries, and so don’t have any real interest in what Australian citizens decide is best for them, in terms of their head of state.

India, Singapore and Kenya are republics. And yes, I think it's time for Australia to be one as well.

Gremlinsateit · 13/09/2022 11:01

OneTC · 13/09/2022 09:41

Can people who can't even use Google stop arguing about the inclusion of Britannia rules the waves please

Yup, and I’m old enough to have learnt and sung all 3 verses complete with “Australia’s sons”, “loyal sons across the seas”, and “old Albion’s flag, the standard of the brave, for all her faults (!!) we love her still, Britannia rules the waves!”. Thank goodness we dumped that verse, 0/10, will not sing again :)

Keyansier · 13/09/2022 11:51

DixonD · 13/09/2022 09:16

Why are you always so controversial and offensive?

No wonder you live alone and have to manipulate free food from Tesco. Not to mention crying when someone doesn’t ask you for ID in the shop.

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How is it controversial or offensive to say I don't have a preference for Australian accents? Also, in case it escaped your attention, your reply: "No wonder you live alone" is offensive, much more than what I posted.