September 11

Assuming too much

Young and of Lebanese origin, she just could not be a monarchist. She would be at least indifferent to our Australian Flag. That is the sort of desperate argument you hear from those who want to get rid of our constitution and our flag.  They say people like Sophie Ayoub feel alienated by the Crown and Flag.

The Federal Health Minister the Hon Nicola Roxon once famously said: “No new monarchists are being born”.  Former Senator Hon Susan Ryan once said all the republicans would have to do was wait until the older generation leaves this world.  More recently republican eminence Peter FitzSimons said it is ludicrous to keep our Australian National Flag. Why? Because his interpretation of multiculturalism requires this.

If these people thought logically, we should also abandon the common law and the Westminster system. We should even suppress the English language. And of course we should stop playing cricket and, Mr. FitzSimons, rugby.

The Flag and Crown haters are always looking for some silver bullet to impose some sort of politicians’ republic and fly a new flag, however ghastly irreverent and  irrelevant to our national story.

Sophie Ayoub would say they have no right to claim to speak on her behalf. Sophie is a young freelance writer and University of Sydney research student who is writing her PhD thesis. This is about the Australian media and their glamorisation of gang culture amongst Sydney’s Middle-Eastern Community.

In “Confessions of a Young Monarchist”, published  in The Punch,(7/9) the new online newspaper launched by News Limited, she says that she had just seen the new film The Young Victoria.  For her this has reinstated how much she likes having a queen on a throne.

“Yes, I recognise that I am part of the new generation who is supposed to be all modern and anti-monarchy, “ she says. “And I am, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t heart good queen Liz, all that she represents and an Australia as a constitutional monarchy – even if there’s a little selfish reason for doing so….I am a big fan of our heritage, not to mention my infatuation with our beautiful flag.” 

The Flag haters and the haters of our crowned  republic – essentially the same people – are, as usual, assuming too much. 

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