1998 Majesty info?

Well, the buggers in the 'Bennelong' electorate directly elected
the little prick.[1]

GB

[1] But then they probably voted 'Liberal', not 'Howard'. There's
a reason they give little pricks like him safe seats to stand[2]
in.

[2] "Stand up Johnnie!"

 

You're right on both counts. I asked, they said no, I shrugged and
thought "roighto then, if I don't get a bloody HD there's going to be
hell to pay"

JL
(can't hurt to have one HD on the transcript I 'spose)

 

So it's not possible to do it any other way than the British Crown's way
? That's the only way you can be a head of state ? I never perceived you
to be that blinkered, there's a whole world besides the UK y'know (1)

JL
(1) That place with all the Asians you keep visiting isn't part of the
empire anymore in case you hadn't realised yet

 

Heads of state have powers codified, usually in a constitution. That
doesn't mean they have to exercise them, they just have to know what
they have. Do we really want an activist Prez ? Dunno, probably more
likely than not if yo u start electing them, so maybe that's a down
side, but even the fractious Irish have managed a model of a Prez and PM
that ain't too different to what is/has been proposed for here without a
consitutional crisis in the last 80 odd years

JL

 

OK, so you'd be cool if we swapped the English queen of Australia for
the Danish royalty (at least Mary is an Aussie) then ? How about the
King of Thailand perhaps ? Doesn't really matter given they're
ceromonial right ?

Erroneous conclusion.

Polls showed that the majority (60 something to 80% depending on the
poll) preferred one model, a model that was not presented at the
referendum through a brilliant tactic of our monarchist PM to nobble the
process. Worked too, everybody looked at the alternative to the status
quo proferred and thought "errgh that sux". Support for the voted by
parliament head of state never got above about 20-30% IIRC when voters
were asked to choose between voted prez and appointed prez. It was never
a model many particularly liked.

Nice negative emotive spin.

Of course there is symbolism but it is specious to denigrate that as
insecurity. As already stated I object to a foreign national being the
head of state of my country. Are we a sovereign country or not ? Why
should it be appropriate to have someone who is not an Australian
citizen as the head of state ?

<shrug> I said "seriously damaged the economy" and as an economist that
is exactly what I meant(1). The impacts have been well documented in the
press for the last 12 months, if you can't be arsed reading the facts...
well, your issue.

Oh and Mugabe hasn't seriously damaged his country's economy, he has all
but destroyed it, that's a level of significance higher again. So yes I
guess we do have different meanings of "serious"(2).

JL
(there's a bigger picture than this week and last week to the economy)
(1) But Bush has done better damage to the US
(2) LT negative impacts to GDP

 

Errm Zebee, we both know the list of people you would consider suitable
to run the country (PM or Prez) is very short and could most probably be
counted on one hand.

So the answer that will satisfy you to the above is of course

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. There is nothing that can be done that
will be produce an elected official you consider suitable".

Only an appointed benevolent dictator would suit.

JL
(I'll back your coup, honestly I will. But you'd better deliver on the
free bikes or there'll be a counter insurgency !!!)

 

Agreed.

JL

 

No, no. You mean trailer, son!

 

I never percieved you to be that sensitive to a good troll![1]

GB

[1] and besides, you started it!

 

OK, lets say GG powers and not elected and not appointed.

Simple really... we need an Australian Monarchy

Long Live Queen Clem the first [1]


G-S

[1] Santa Clem on the dollar bill might be a bit much!

 

<chortle> . <applause>

JL

 

Jaysus ! Of course I am ! The more stressed I am(1) the more likely I am
to have a blue on here about absolutely nuthin' !

;-P

Did I ... ?

JL
(1) 100 hrs a week for the last 6 weeks is starting to wear real thin.
The bike has done maybe 12Km in two months - that's four trips to and
from work on a Saturday - there's bike parking out the front of the new
building

 

Hmmm Benevolent Dictator-President Zebee and Queen Clem ? Now *there*
would be an interesting Australia to live in !!

<chuckle> You wouldn't want to turn the bill over for fear of what you'd
see on the other side !

JL
(I'm betting there'd be more than one round of the motoGP and Supers in
Oz though

 

A head of state should only ever hold veto powers, that is the case for
most successful republics. Their primary job is to be a representative
of the nation to other countries, PaulH can denigrate that as "opening
cake stalls" if he likes but the ceremonial role is important. Their
legislative role is to be the last resort for maintenance of rule of law.

JL

 

Have we really had a mixed bag ? Howard decided to politicise the role
to further his social agenda and it blew up in his face. Kerr may or may
not have over stepped the mark (realistically he was probably a little
too quick to jump, he should have told Gough "last chance, sort it out
or I'll have to shut you down" - there were historical precedents for
the warning and the boot, there was no precedent for going directly to
the boot.

JL

 

Can't argue that at all - we need a bill of rights, the common law
argument that we start excluding rights by codifying them is proving
unsupported by recent Howard govt legislation reducing effect of habeas
corpus and decreasing free speech rights

JL
(10 points to Debus for starting the ball rolling in NSW - shame it's
just a diversionary tactic a la Howard/Costello)

 

It'd stop the problem of kids putting coins in their mouths...

 

The problem with it is that you can never get rid of them all using this
methodology.

As Voltaire said "There will be no peace on this earth until the last
politician has been strangled with the entrails of the last priest" or
something like it.

Theo

 

Lets have a dead president then. I'll even vote for Menzies. Though the
nearest thing we had to an assasination was when someone took a potshot at
Cocky Caulfield.

Theo

 

For a second there I thought you said crone.

Theo