Becoming a republic, the Turnbull way
By Outsider
“I am a highly transactional businessman like you” Turnbull to Trump, 28 January 2017.
Prime Minister Turnbull is reported in The Guardian Australia of 01.01.18 as expecting that Australia becoming a republic “ … will become an issue after the end of the Queen’s reign” but he does not think that “it will become a frontline issue before then. That is Mr Turnbull’s “objective view, [and] it is one he [has] held for a long time, for well over a decade, well, since 99.”
That is the year when the referendum was defeated.
Reminded that Queen Elisabeth II will be 92 next April, Mr. Turnbull suggested that a survey similar to the marriage equality postal survey could solve the issue whether Australians want to be joined in a republic.
“We all say ‘long live the Queen’ and we say that with great sincerity and with love,” Mr Turnbull added. But he did not hope much for the issue to be a lively one and he suggested that “the first thing you would need to do is have an honest, open discussion about how a president would be elected.” Whether the president should be elected by a two-thirds majority of members of parliament or directly by the electors seems to be the thorn of the problem. “That – said Mr. Turnbull – is the rock on which the referendum floundered in 99.”
Labor immediately suggested that Mr Turnbull might have release a “thought bubble.”
Nevertheless, at least it seems, Labor would be open to a postal survey, presumably on the two steps: 1) should Australia become a republic? and 2) should Australia have an Australian head of state? “Once we have done that – and Labor believes that the majority would say yeas to a republic – “we can then have a discussion about what form that would take.”
I am almost embarrassed to repeat myself, but this is how I see the development of events.
As soon as the present sovereign abdicates/dies “the heir apparent or heir presumptive succeeds to the throne immediately, with no need for confirmation or further ceremony (Wikipedia, Accession, Official website of the British Monarchy. Accessed on 02.10.18.).
Nevertheless, the Accession Council meets and decides upon the making of the accession proclamation, which by custom has for centuries been ceremonially proclaimed in public places, in London, York, Edinburgh and other cities. Under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, a new monarch succeeds automatically. The proclamation merely confirms by name, the identity of the heir who has succeeded.
The Council is made up of Privy Counsellors, Great Officers of State, members of the House of Lords, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Aldermen of the City of London, High Commissioners of Commonwealth realms, and other civil servants. (Wikipedia, Accession Council, accessed on 02.01.18).
Basic stuff, really, not even first year law student.
Having read the relevant acts, I am prepared to anticipate that the next king of Australia will be Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales. The middle names are both a sad remembrance and a promise of things to come. One should think of Charles III, “Charlie’.
The rest is for historians, serious scholars, political analysts, and students of the law, of which Mr Malcolm Bligh Turnbull does not seem to be one. He is a dishonest hypocrite, as one was recently pointedly and authoritatively reminded.
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12 comments
Login here Register hereSimple solution is do a comprehensive opinion poll by AEC (not Crosby Textor), media blackout few months before and exclude those British subjects who’ve been on the electoral roll since pre ’83.
Rather than President, govt. decides upon like GG but no link with UK and call them ‘guvna’.
I cannot understand why these issues aren’t put to the people during elections, instead of $122 000 000 half arsed ‘surveys’
Charles t’ t’ird as the Irish might say- I don’t think so.
Bit more distraction politics, A repub;lic and attack refugees. Dutton soon to make a ridiculuos claim the sudanese community are in league with the chinese and buying up all the land and agriculture. Then miraculously tie in sam dastyari and how he took money. YET the LNP accept money all the time for their ’cause’ they just don;t get a run in MSM. Oh and how many LNP MPs / Senators are involved with a think tank again???? So many we don;t know about
The only reason that Turnbull believes that a referendum is a difficult success to achieve is because if he cannot achieve it, clearly no-one can.
The entire attitude underneath those beliefs is pure hubris and delusion.
Turnbull was outsmarted over the republic referendum, sold an approach that Howard knew would not wash.
Turnbull was a fool to believe that approach would succeed with the electorate, perhaps he hoped that he would be the first president.
If he hijacks this subject again, it will fail again, purely because of him…
‘guvna’.seems an acceptable part of UK language that we should adopt……..hang on, wait a sec, ‘guvna’.is not used by the yanks is it, so that’s no good, is it ‘guy.’
Andrew J. Smith, yanks also feel the need to insert their middle initial, perhaps you are a yank, or a wannabe yank, I Sir am an Australian and proud to be so. We have one large blemish in our civilization that has continued since 1770, which is the way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been and are treated. We are a proud nation who have included Italians, Greeks, English, Irish and many other nationalities who have integrated and become Aussies. Several decades ago we even had our own identity, to be an Australian was cool, before we were overrun with yank propaganda, now we follow like sheeple, laugh at their unfunny jokes, celebrate their traditions like Halloween, if we don’t put a stop to this nonsense we will be celebrating ‘thanksgiving’ soon, bloody yanks, if there was a yank on fire at the side of the road, I wouldn’t stop to p##ss on him.
I fail to understand why a ‘Head of State’ is necessary in Australia. It is a ceremonial role mainly and a sad relic of monarchy. The current Governor General illustrates how invisible and generally useless the role is to the actual running of Government in Australia, and there is nothing in his role that could not be well carried out by some other luminary. Meeting and greeting foreign dignitaries: Prime Minister. Administering oaths of office: Chief Justice of High Court; Commander in Chief of Armed Forces: the most senior of our military personnel at the time; laying wreaths, cutting ribbons: local MPs / Councillors; rubber stamping legislation: Solicitor General.
Let’s save a whole heap of money. Abolish the role of ‘Head of State’
townsvilleblog No idea what you are talking about?
mmmmm President Dutton does have a certain ring to it
If President Dutton it becomes then there will be a queue to be the first to assassinate an Australian President.
I wonder how many people have spent time incarcerated in Queensland as a direct result of Dutton’s court testimony marvel at his performances nowadays and know that they got stitched up by him
Herr Dutton vill make you pay for this upset: it vill be Mein Fuhrer, jawohl !