Dr Glenn Donnelly, from Canada, has written to ACM concerning our earlier column on 22 January,2006, "Republicanism a non winner in Canada."
"You are right, there simply is no discussion about abolition of the monarchy here most of the time. On occassion when the press are desperate for news there will be a write up in one of the Eastern papers about the office of the Governor- General being abolished, but no one ever gets very serious about it.
There is a small and waning group calling for a republic which held a rally in Toronto (Canada’s largest city) this past Autumn – with about 4 people attending.
Canadians do love their Queen, as I witnessed when HM visited my home city in Western Canada this summer. The streets were lined in a torrential rain to greet her.
I even saw a number of licence plates from North Dakota which is the American state bordering us-they were even excited. Keep plugging away. I do enjoy your emails. I just cannot get a handle on the republican movement in Australia – why ???
It seems so vehement in its mission-I am absolutely shocked. The arguments put forth are for the most part ludicrous, and I just don’t see the logic in them. If they at least used some rational arguments it might make more sense."
Than you Dr Donnelly – it is always good to have an insight from other realms. I was recently in New Zealand, where there is a great attachment to the Crown, particularly but not only among the Maori people.
As in Canada,there is almost no republican movement. This doesn’t stop some politicians from talking about it, along with other elites. In fact both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition seem to be at least "inevitablistes."
"Inevitablism" is quite in vogue, but apart from an occasional flirtation with the concept , it seriously worries the republican movement in Australia. After all if something is inevitable, why bother doing anything to encourage it, such as going to a "Mate for Head of State" sausage sizzle.
As we were told from two sources, including the media, the attendance at the nation’s leading such sizzle at Bondi Beach was no more than 50, mainly republican movement members, which is better than Canada.
One prominent republican insisted that not only about 100 people attended, but also 300 sausages. Whether the sausages wore yellow ribbons and were indeed republican is not known.
Enquiries are continuing, a republican scene has been established, and the sausages -or what is left of them- are being counselled.