Issue No 31 | 17 September 1999 | |
Letters to the EditorA Lukewarm Republic
Having spent the month of August 1999 in Canada I was surprised to see the level of interest Canadians displayed in the push for a Republic in Australia and in the impending referendum. Even Conrad Black's right wing " The National Post " ran a well-researched and considered piece on the issue. Yet some of the detail was not readily apparent and doubtless the tyranny of distance played its part. For example in my discussions with Canadians, there was genuine surprise when the ARM model was described. In fact interest waned when the two thirds voting by the politicians was explained. There was general amazement expressed to the fact that the President is not to be elected by popular vote. It would appear not a lot of Canadians identify with the Monarchy. However in the context of changing to a Canadian Head of State, a popular vote is seen as an inherent right. When the hoax that is the ARM model became clear, events Downunder didn't seem that seminal come November, after all. Yours faithfully ANDREW WILLIAMSON
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Interview: Sadly Vindicated Labor�s foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton has spent the past year warning that East Timor would explode without a UN peacekeeping force. Now he�s had to watch his predictions come true. International: In the Bunker One of the last reporters to leave East Timor, Workers Online's HT Lee remembers the week that Dili burned. Republic: Tarred With the Same Brush Neville Wran asks why it is that the most fervant monarchists are also the most eager union-bashers. Unions: Hard Labour Prisoner educators argue more attention needs to be given to rehabilitation through teaching, but they�re facing an uphill battle to convince authorities. History: Labour and Community A history conference in Wollongong next month will look at the changing role for labour into the next century. Review: Bobbin' Up - 40 Years On Forty years after its first publicaton and several European translations Bobbin Up, a classic of industrial fiction, is coming home. Satire: East Timor Poll Triumph: Support for Jakarta Up 21 Per Cent The Indonesian Government has declared that it is pleased with the result of the independence referendum in which 21% of East Timorese voted in support of maintaining links with Indonesia.
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