On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 06:50:09 -0700, Fred Bauder <fredbaud(a)ctelco.net> wrote:
Likewise, characterizing Australia as a republic when its title is
Commonwealth or the Soviet Union as a dictatorship when its title is
republic is problematic. Both characterizations seek to cut through the
verbiage and express the essence of the matter, the truth. However they
cannot take the place of the proper sort of NPOV information which explores
the different ways the situation is looked at and described.
I'm not sure what's wrong with describing a commonwealth as a
republic, but we've reached an acceptable solution, complete with good
sources. The Prime Minister describes Australia as a "crowned
republic".
I take your point about blandly describing Australia as a republic,
and in hindsight it caused more heat than light.
--
Peter in Canberra