Fitzimons versus the royalists

Australia's bestselling author is Peter Fitzsimons. I have enjoyed reading every one of his many books. He is a dynamic public speaker, a talented journalist whose articles enjoy top ranking, and, in the world of sport, he is a Wallaby.

Today, we identify him by the Red Bandana he wears constantly as his trademark, but also as a spectacular way of covering his Yul Brunner haircut.

Now he is embarking on the crusade of his lifetime that may lead him to become a legend as a nation changer.

He has become President of the Australian Republican Movement following in the footsteps of Malcolm Turnbull and Geoff Gallop. This means that he has taken up the task of removing the British Monarchy from our Constitution. Currently, and ridiculously, the Queen of England has the final say on who will be our Governor General.

Will he achieve this aim or will he suffer the same fate as Turnbull two decades ago?

He will win.

A relentless character of powerful influence, who has a huge following in the community, he will never give up on this issue. We have been friends for thirty years and I can confirm that, when he is in full campaign mode, he is unstoppable.

The indisputable fact is that two thirds of the Commonwealth of Nations (the old British Colonies) are Republics. Some have been so for 60 years and very few have the Union Jack on their flag. The Queen has no legal ties with them and cannot choose a Head of State for any of them. Yet she is a revered and welcome visitor to their lands, as she is in the United States where her ancestors were kicked out 250 years ago.

So, those who claim that Australia will be banished from the British Commonwealth if we become a Republic are deliberately telling a lie in the desperate hope of winning a losing battle to retain a colonial past which is gone forever.

The change from Constitutional Monarchy to Republic should have gone through when Malcolm Turnbull lead the charge to remove the humiliating requirement that Australia cannot elect its Head of State without the British assenting to it.

Turnbull lost that vote only because the Republicans were a badly divided force. Some wanted Parliament to appoint the Head of State while others wanted a direct vote of the Australian people. The monarchists actually got only 21% of the vote, not surprising when we note that those of British descent are a minority of our population.

Thus, the Red Bandana strategy is to hold a plebiscite during the next term of Parliament when it can be held on the same day as the same sex marriage vote.

The simple question on which we will be asked to vote is,

"Do you want Australia to have its own Head of State"?

This will quite easily be approved and will be followed by a binding Referendum a year later when we will vote to change the Constitution to remove all British links and decide how we will elect our head of State.

It will again be a battle between those who favour Parliament and those who want the people to decide. We will respect the majority vote.

Above all, the result will acknowledge that the arrival of the First Fleet two and a quarter centuries ago was an occasion in which 30,000 indigenous people were slaughtered defending the land that was theirs for 50,000 years. The last vestige of imperial arrogance will be removed.

Fitzsimons, the man in the Red Bandana, has assembled an impressive team to lead the campaign and he is organising them for battle with non-stop zeal. No one will blunt his revolt.

Paul Keating and Julia Gillard have weighed in heavily on his side. Keating is in print saying that, when he was Prime Minister, he discussed the matter of the Republic with the Queen and she was at peace with it.

He also said, in quite unflattering terms, that Prince Charles must not be allowed to have any say in our affairs as he does not have a high opinion of him.

Many argue that the Royals really have no say in our affairs, but Tony Abbott negated that when he declared that the Queen had asked him to make Prince Phillip a Knight of Australia. The issue was a major element in bringing Abbott down.

On a personal note, I am proud to say that Fitz has invited me to be his Honorary Fund Raising Adviser and I have gladly accepted because I am a proud Aussie and I reckon that the man in the Red Bandana is the leader who will get this important decision over the line.

If you want to join the team, go to the website of the Australian Republican Movement and become a financial member today. You will be an active participant in creating a new future for a proud and independent nation.