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Head villain of the piece of course is incumbent PM John Howard, a leader whose conservative policies after a few years in power is increasingly manifesting themselves in an Australia whose image overseas and in Asia in particular is increasingly insular, Anglo Saxon, and arrogant. An Australian friend of the Rat reported this morning of a conversation with a Thai businessmen in the Regent lobby. When correcting his partner that he was Australian, not English, the reply was "...Oh... you're really the same... you both have the same Queen..."

Of course in reality, the royal connection is symbolic rather than practical. While constitutionally, the English monarchy can appoint their own representatives in Australia, and indeed stage a coup against the Australian government, such a scenario would never be accepted by the increasingly meddle-some "world governments" such as the United Nations.

One of the positive and correct stereotypes of Australians is their mistrust of authority. Politicians do not command much respect in Australia, which to a large extent "keeps the bastards honest" and is a moderately effective safeguard against corruption, cronyism and entrenched political elites as we see in other places in the Asia-Pacific. Indeed, the last 3 Prime Ministers, Hawke, Keating, and Howard came from relatively humble origins. Circumstances of birth do not give the almost automatic leg up seen in neighbouring countries and in England itself.

The present conservative administration in Australia is doing a respectable job in economic management; yet it's foreign policy, especially towards Asia is increasingly dodge. Asian countries want to do business with independent and strong nations, and who are committed to the region in an era of regionalism rather than those who still cannot shake their connections with previous colonisers who now favour their own regional blocks like the EU. Australia's image as an Anglo Saxon and old world "recalcitrant" enclave in the "new" Asia Pacific among Asian nations will only be re-inforced by today's result. Another correspondent of the Rat, stated they voted against the proposal because it would make "Australia like America". As frightening as that scenario would be to the great majority of Australians, would it be more appropriate to compare a Republic of Australia to other new Republics in the region like Singapore, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan?

The fact remains that while only 9% of Australians support continuation of the present constitutional monarchy, today's referendum in effect voted to continue it. Australia's political system, which 2 years ago efficiently dealt with the Pauline Hansen threat without curtailing freedom of speech or political arrests, today failed Australians miserably.

Time for Reformasi downunder?

The referendum debate even inspired Labour leader Kim Beazley a couple of weeks ago to burst into song, following a tradition more recently invoked by Indonesian Military leader Wiranto who delivered a karoake version of Morris Albert's "Feelings", (see archives), when words failed him in explaining the East Timor situation. In this instance, Beazley launched into a reprise of "The times they are a' changing". Evidently not enough to convince the voters.

It will be a while before Australians gets a chance to vote again. In the meantime, Australian business people in Asia will have to put up with just a few raised eyebrows and poorly concealed smirks from those nationalities which are so far ahead they have cut their ties to their colonisers many years back.

And it will be still harder to convince Asians that an Australian is not an Englishman.