Andrew ......... don't feel bad about that lack of knowledge of past PMs.
Nobody over here had heard of Julia Gillard either but untold millions knew
that Len Hutton could out slug Don Bradman on the cricket wicket :-) We got
our constitution repratriated in 1982 !
jh
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Fildes" <afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Olympus Camera Discussion" <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2013 8:27 PM
Subject: Re: [OM] B&W and War
> It was an utterly peaceful transition over a rather long period. The
> original states were originally independent colonies which were joined at
> federation in 1900 - partly as a response to fears about German influence
> in the region. A federal defence force and economy was seen as necessary.
> Then there were a sequence of rather dull legal shifts which moved us from
> colonial to Dominion status, to genuine legal and political independence.
> Until WW2 we hardly had an embassy in other countries - we relied on the
> UK to represent us except in three or four major powers. In WW2 it became
> clear that Britain was in no position to defend us (following Singapore).
> In the 1960's the Common Market then destroyed much of the economic
> relationship.
> When I arrived in Australia in the early 1970's there was still an older
> generation that regarded Britain as the 'mother' country. They are now
> gone, as is that sense of belonging. The recent attempt to declare a
> republic failed despite being a popular movement - the opposition was well
> organised and the prime minister at the time was against and was able to
> manipulate the referendum by attaching negative preamble and dependant
> questions. But we are, in effect, an independent republic and the ties,
> such as the Governor General as head of State, are purely ceremonial.
> The constitution is an Act of the British Parliament - and they refuse to
> let us have it, an irritation. It's a bloody dull document anyway. There
> is no sense whatsoever of a revolutionary origin. A few years ago, there
> was a bit of a fuss when we realised that almost no-one knew the identity
> of the first Australian prime minister.
> Andrew Fildes
> afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> www.soultheft.com
>
> Author/Publisher:
> The SLR Compendium:
> revised edition -
> http://blur.by/19Hb8or
> The TLR Compendium
> http://blur.by/1eDpqN7
>
>
>
> On 11/12/2013, at 5:29 AM, Charles Geilfuss wrote:
>
>> Some interesting thoughts, Bob. You may have a new career; alternative
>> history novels are all the rage. I'm not so sure those other British
>> colonies went out so peacefully as your mother maintains. Canada had its
>> armed revolution, though not as protracted as their neighbor to the
>> south.
>> And who's to say they weren't more readily let go by the Brits after two
>> unpleasant wars the the States. Certainly not India. A different flavor
>> of
>> insurrection, but it still took thousands of dead Indians before she
>> became
>> free. Your mother may be right about Australia, but I'm not sure she is
>> truly independent yet. Andrew will have to clarify.
>
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