rusty wrote:I support the idea of a republic but you can tell there's a lot of anti British sentiment underpinning the pro republic arguments, such as in the tone melbourne_terrace raised. Rather than being viewed as an opportunity to realise our sovereignty in formal terms and refresh our symbols to reflect our pluralistic multicultural identity many see it an an opportunity to whitewash Australia of its British history and ancestry and replace it with an indigenous one. The union jack or elements of it could play an minor role on our new flag but we shouldn't delete history just to appease the indigenous and we should be appreciate for the opportunities and values the British empire instilled in us. Cue for melbourne_terrace to go on a rant about how evil and naughty the British are.
Bull fucking shit, passing off anti British sentiment as being pro indigenous is nonsense when there were plenty of communities in this country who got treated like shit by the British. If want to speculate on my reasons for being a Republican, I have two;
A) It's because my family from Australia are of Irish Catholic descent and have good reason to despise the Empire after the way they and their community got treated like shit both here and back in Ireland by British institutions.
and
B) I want a fresh start for this country, free of old outdated colonial ties where people perceive us as a southern UK and where any young Australian can dream of becoming the head of state, rather than it being reserved for those that are exclusive members of an antiquated privileged institution. The make up of Australia has significantly changed since the Imperial days and it's time we moved on from the ridiculous mindset that we are a simply an extension of Britain. The Queen and the Empire is now totally irrelevant to a lot of Australians now and will become more so in the future.
As for your other points. Whether the Indigenous People and their culture have more of a role is not a deal breaker to me (even if I support it). To ignore the history the British had on this country and replace it with an Indigenous identity would be silly, but there is nothing wrong in wanting the outdated imperial symbology and icons removed from our country which is now firmly independent and a sovereign state in it's own right.
TLDR I just want that stinking Butchers Apron off the flag and the royals fucked off.