Welcome to RR for June 2008

Welcome back

Important issues first, this month the ARM presented John Warhurst with life membership of the ARM. If anyone else has done more for the republican cause in this nation than John, please let me know, because I can’t think of anyone. Apart from being a highly esteemed Political Science professor at the ANU, a regular broadcaster on all matters political, a print commentator of great note (you can read his columns in every RR, including this one), John has also served in just about every imaginable capacity for the ARM including State and National Convenor. John is currently the Membership and Fundraising Director and the brains behind the delicious ARM wines (don’t forget to buy a case using the order form attached).

Congratulations John, you deserve every accolade and we appreciate your titanic efforts.

Also this month, the departing Governor-General, Michael Jeffery, fired another shot across the bows about the republic. Apparently, the Australian people should not be trusted to select their own President. In the same interview, as the Queen’s man sat in his capacious Vice Regal palace delicately sipping a dry martini, he railed against the culture of crudeness in Australian society.

“I believe you should be trying to emphasise a more graceful way of living, of good manners and fundamental courtesy, which, after all, is part of being a civilised society.”

Easy for him to say.

Also, the dismal, uncelebrated, Queen’s birthday came and went this month with barely a flicker of attention from anyone apart from those interested enough to say how irrelevant it was. Nick Minchin tried to fan some media interest by a speech at some Monarchists League function somewhere or other, but unfortunately (for him, and them) no-one from the media showed the slightest inclination to report a single word he said. Anywhere. If you are desperate to read his dire prognostications about the perils of becoming a republic you can probably find it on some trashy monarchist website, but I wouldn’t demean you by including a link.

Apart from that, RR includes all the usual features. Please keep your emails and letters, especially about why you are a republican coming in. There really are some fascinating reasons appearing.

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