On the Australian republic movement

Jock Webb writes: Re. “On new pushes for an Australian republic” (Friday)

In response to Joe Boswell — we will never become a republic unless we begin by voting to be one. Donald Trump has become the best example of the disasters of a US-style president. But surely we must eventually have a head of state.

I want our head of state to cheer for us, not bloody England. I agree it is not as simple as it sounds, but it cannot be beyond the intellect of our best legal minds. Ireland can do it, Germany can do it, their presidents do not compete with the elevated government. But how long do we remain a colony under the bullshit notion that the GG, currently an example of why generals are not useful in many situations outside the army, is the head of state?

Richard Barlow writes: Re. “On new pushes for an Australian republic” (Friday) We do seem to be stuck in a moment, both in republicans antipathy towards the direct election of a President, like the Irish, and our inertia in rewriting the constitution’s ‘act-of-a-foreign-parliament’ preamble,  and the sections relating to Aboriginals.