Monarchy: a global reality check
Ross Garrad writes:
"During the leadup to the 1999 referendum, there was a concerted campaign to discredit the very word “republic” by linking it to some of the nastiest regimes on the face of the earth, such as Iraq, North Korea, and of course several African dictatorships (guaranteed to push a few racist buttons!). We were told, over and over again, that monarchies are inherently better at protecting individual freedoms, though of course the evidence was either totally lacking, or an insult to our intelligence."